When winter winds roar through the trees
And snows softly fall upon the ground,
I’ll think of you.
When spring rains dance in patchy puddles
And flouncy flowers fluff in color bursts,
I’ll think of you.
When summer sun beats down upon the parched land
And children’s cries chorus in syncopated laughs,
I’ll think of you.
When autumn arrives in sprays of orange and brown
And plump pumpkins prance on Halloween night,
I’ll think of you.
Whenever the sun rises and sets
And stars brighten the skies of my dreams,
I’ll think of you.
Wherever you are.
Whatever you’re doing.
Forever and forever.
I’ll think of you.
Category Archives: Poems
The Qualities of Love
Love is strongest in its mornings
When first glance, first hug, first kiss
Define its parameters.
Love enriches, embraces, endures
Carrying us through pain, suffering, joy, exuberance.
Love drives the human heart forward,
Giving us sustenance and relief,
When most needed.
Love allows us to stand tall, knowing that
There is support underneath,
even when our beliefs run counter
or when we err on the side of caution.
Love inspires us to reach beyond
Our strongest dreams,
To strive to become something which
Only speaks to us in our hearts.
Love is kind and gentle.
It does not cause pain or injury.
Love guides us, strokes our fires,
All while managing to ground us
To the people who love us most.
Room for All
People of the Sun
welcome the strengthening rays
with outstretched arms, reaching,
bringing in welcome warmth.
New days, new adventures await.
Embracing oneness with the
center of the known universe.
People of the Moon
greet the enveloping night
with folded hands
supplicating needs to the bringer
of creation, initiator of all thought,
pledging undying solidarity
to regulated change.
People of the Stars
dream of what may be,
searching for fantastic future hopes
amid a cacophony of movable dots
whose pinpoint lights pierce the
penetrable darkness, bringing hope,
chances of possibilities.
People of the Earth
stand rock solid
firmly planted in the rich soil
of security, whispering goodness,
wealth, and prosperity in grateful
thanksgiving to the One who
made it all appear.
People of the Water
rock soothingly to and fro
with the tides of change:
flexible, contemplative, measured
waves that crash unheeded against
the known, shaking the very
foundations of belief.
People of the Air
flutter about, touching, grazing,
wisps of joy floating through
life, barely discernible, yet solid
enough, felt, yet not.
Changeable, moody, inconsistent
bringers of soothing relief.
People of the Fire
charge engines, roaring life
into being, siphoning air and fuel
to their own needs, greedy, selfish
consumers taking but seldom giving,
burning those who stand too near
warming hearts and minds.
People of the Spirit
find friends everywhere
prosper in graciousness, spreading
God’s love and goodwill throughout
humankind, lovers of life,
exuberant seekers
of commonalities.
In heaven and on earth
there is room for all
blended salads of goodness.
Riches solidified into countries, cities.
Creators, destroyers, givers, takers
standing under God’s gifts
thankful for life.
Simply Grateful
the roads covered with gently
billowing snow looked
comfortably safe, hiding
the icy danger beguiling
hastily moving motorists
on the interstate
into driving casually
at normal high speeds
until time to change lanes
or to turn occurs
and
then
the wheels, hanging tenuously
to the road
lose grip
crazy careening
begins
swerving
side to side
spinning
helplessly
out
of
control
and off the road
landing, thank God,
right side up
no
one
hurt
on an embankment
with hearts pounding
knees shaking
prayers of blessed thanksgiving
lifting skyward
piercing the thick
gray cloud covering the earth
embracing God’s protective
love and grateful for
His watch over us all,
His humble servants,
His lowly children
for just down the road
others, not so lucky
tossed by the storm
trapped in an upside down
vehicle much like ours
have gone to meet
the Lord.
Praise be to God
my Lord and Savior
Who traveled with
my daughter, granddaughter,
and me today.
We are lucky to be alive.
Life Lessons
French silk wrapped up memories
Gently formed from softened clay
Whispers blown upon the breeze
Moved by ocean’s lasting spray
Wrinkled fingers in soft caress
Rightful place upon the cheek
Erases sin and duress
Lovingly, in praise they speak
Houses lit by morning sun
Reflect a heavenly force
Flocks of angels golden spun
To guide humanity’s course
Compassion lights people’s eyes
Understanding the command
Love another is the prize
When offered by loving hand
Feelings moved by ocean’s spray
Carried home by mountain breeze
Fresh nurtured by softened clay
French silk wrapped up memories
Song of Hope
Come, gentle rain, come
Cleanse the earth of all sin
Brighten the world
With the color of blooms
Blossoming under your watchful eye
Drip, drop upon the soil
Soak deep into the dirt
Feed tiny creatures down below
Feed forgotten roots, long dry
Yearning for your magic touch
Watch, oh, kind heart
As rejoicing spreads
Across the world
Wild with unmatched hues
Breaking out in fervent song
As all sing of your glory
Sing of the gift of life
Praise renewal of the spirit
Knee-deep in exuberance
Smiling the smile of hope
Come, gentle rain, come
Drip, drop upon the soil
Watch, oh, kind heart
As all sing of your glory
Soapsuds
Soapsuds, please, scour away
The scalding tears searing
My pathetic, rapidly pounding heart
Erase the train-track rivulets
Tumbling terribly into the very
Fiber of my frivolous, fragile feelings
Blot out the blanketing pools
Pulsating through my pores
Preventing my pupils from seeking sight
My heart aches horribly
Heat burns through the hull with a
Heaviness that drags me into my private hell
I yearn for luminosity of light
The cleansing cacophony of children’s
Mesmerizing melodies of merriment
Refreshing refrains of unadulterated relief
To wipe away the weariness weighing down
On my overburdened shoulders
Comforting water, wash a cool calmness
Over me, obliterate this one source of pain
So that my open spirit may rise with the dawn
Bubbles babble at my unburdened feet
Boosting me into the blueness of sky
Freeing me to begin at the beginning
Before the pain blocked my peripheral view
I can see more clearly now, for the scrub
Has done me great good.
Thanks to God’s Helpers
God appears as a total stranger
When you least expect Him.
In the form of the woman
Who perilously stopped at the side
Of the road and ran to our rescue,
Terror crossing her face, thinking only
Of the safety of those tossed about
Expecting injured bodies,
Her cell phone in hand
And already calling for help.
In the shape of the dark-haired man
Who stopped on the shoulder of the road
And ran to our car
Wearing his EMT jacket and asking
Over and over, “Is anyone hurt?”
Who did not leave until he saw
Us safely back on the highway
And driving away.
In the face of the kind Army officer
Dressed in his snug winter khaki green
Uniform, face full of concern,
Who jumped from his own car and ran,
Thinking the baby inside might be hurt.
Then climbed behind the wheel and drove
So carefully out of the ditch
Then cautioned us to be careful and to
Return home to the safety of our loved ones.
Thanks to the truck driver who passed by first
After witnessing our zigzag route
Across the ice-encrusted road.
Who smiled when I climbed out uninjured
And honked in sympathy to let us know
That he had called for help.
Thanks to the snowplow driver
Who waved as he went by in the fast lane
A salute to the living
A salute to the blessed survivors
Who were able to get up and walk away.
Thanks to the countless others
Who took time from their busy lives
To care about total strangers
Stranded in a snow back,
Two women
And a child strapped into her seat
Cold, but safe from harm.
All these carried Jesus in their hearts
Opening themselves to the
Possibility of grace returned in equally measure.
God’s grace falling in the snow
Of redemption.
For all these things and many more
We bless the Lord this day
And grant them peace and serenity
All the days of their lives.
The Shell
Walking along the beach
I found a shell,
An ordinary shell.
Perfectly formed.
Six rows of ridges
Ruffles
Completely round
Except for where it joined
Its twin when still whole.
It felt surprisingly cool
And light
As it its soul’s mate
Disappeared long ago.
As I stare out at the Pacific Ocean
I wonder where this clam
Might have lived
And how it got to this spot
On this day
In time for me to pick it up.
Years ago my family moved
To California
A long journey.
I felt the hollowness
Of forced abandonment.
Like the clam
I was not in charge of my destiny
That power lay in my parent’s hands.
I was an ordinary teen
No great beauty
Smart, but lacking common sense
Or so I had been told,
So I had no say in the decision-making.
My parents picked the city,
The house, even the school
All I did was move in
Confined by their overarching rules
Until I went away to college.
For years I drifted through life
Swept by the tides
Working at one job, then another
Until marriage grounded me.
Now I stand with feet deep in sand
Rejoicing in the gifts given me.
Much like this simple shell
Held in my hand.
The Meaning of Christmas
the angels sang a lullaby
the night that Christ was born
in chorus of sweet harmony
they sang upon that morn
the Magi came from far and wide
to worship at His feet
they knelt and prayed right by His side
and vowed of Him to speak
the shepherds gasped in awe and fear
for Christ had come that day
to bring a message all must hear
before they fall astray
a star shone bright up in the sky
above His tiny head
and peace to all it seemed to cry
while He slept snug in bed
and so, dear friends, let us all fall
upon our knees and pray
for we must answer Christ’s call
rejoice in Him today