Tag Archives: Poems

My Soul Doth Magnify the Lord

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I never believed those words,

From a psalm we sing at church,

Applied to me.

I was the outcast

The odd one out

The unlovable one, according to my parents.

I held onto hope

That something would happen

To change my life’s circumstances

But my thoughts

Barely made a dent

In where I was going.

All it took was a glimpse

Of a future filled with love

A future with the man who’d become my husband.

He taught me love

Love of family and home

Love of God who, does indeed, take care of my soul.

My eyes were opened

For the first time.

I saw a person deserving of love

A person who was intelligent

Capable, loving, and full of ideas

My vision was realigned.

I knew now that I didn’t have to see everything

That I didn’t have to have all the answers\

My God would be there, helping me along the way.

The Lord is greater than any worries I might have.

He’s louder than negative thoughts that fill my brain

He’s so strong that my weaknesses fall away.

He brings me hope, love, faith in myself

Amplified through Him and my husband.

My soul, does indeed, magnify the Lord.

                A Dream of Peace

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I dreamt that I traversed the sands of time

to a place mysterious and sublime.

Where gigantic trees with branches stout,

safely nestled all feathered friends about,

providing shelter from many foe,

yet allowing freedom to come and go.

Silky soft leaves whose gentle caress

becalms restless souls, soothes with fine finesse

young and old alike; no bias here

where all live in peace for many a year.

Through the sands a winding river ran

giving sustenance to both beast and man.

Surprisingly blue with not a trace

of sinister longings upon its face.

It speaks of a sweet love; it calls to me,

“Step right in,” it says, “ and I’ll set you free

from all that ails; as well sin and pain.

You have nothing to lose, but much to gain.”

With tremulous step I slowly crept

into her warm, comforting arms.  I slept.

Or thought I did, for there soon appeared

hosts of angels. I panicked, afeared

of my demise. But to my surprise

they lifted me on high with joyous cries.

The night did end. My dream soon left.

The suffering world found me quite bereft

and yearning for that heavenly place

whose welcoming arms did me quick embrace.

One thing alone I brought home with me:

knowledge that all men could soar high and free

seeking truth, wisdom, righteousness, and grace.

making earth a truly heavenly place.

Changing the Bed

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Mindlessly, I pulled the pillows off the bed

Thinking about what my husband had just said

About feeling adrift in a world gone mad

Fighting over things that folks once had had

Pillowcases not so gently tossed aside,

My mind roamed to all those soldiers who had died

Fighting against the wind in lands far away

Laundry on a line, too tightly bound to stray

The plaid coverlet dumped carelessly on the floor

Landed, with aplomb, blocking the bedroom door

So many paved paths deadlocked by tragedy

Murdered teens drowning in the filth of the city

Layer by layer I stripped my place of rest

As if preparing for a traveling guest

Who’d put alterations in my troubled brain

Inspiring change, much like a runaway train

It came to me, then, the trouble we are in

Referred back to when the world began to spin

Dirt drifted down, quickly tarnishing the soil

Sturdy stains from which all men would recoil

Yet, like drawn to the fire of a brand new day

Cleansing ideas floated in with the sway

Influencing hearts to always seek the truth

Strive to avoid the repulsively uncouth

Gathering the detritus of my hard work

I realized that there is one mammoth perk

When assembled together, my bed will please

Only then did I relax: my mind at ease 

               Despair

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Crispy, crunchy bits on the floor

Remnants of what was once me

Speak in sequestered voice

Whispers for none to hear

Memories masked in flimsy gauze

Distort into moaning miseries

Slices of soul oozing through my eyes

Trek along determined trails

Hollowness hails each morning

Darkness so deep that no light gleams

Heaviness haunts my limbs

Paralyzes rational thought

No hope, no light

Nothing but everlasting midnight

Covers my heart

Entrapped in cement, I wail

           A Grain of Sand

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Nothing more than a grain of sand

one among a cast of millions

arose and accepted the burdensome

yoke of humanity, the drudgery of life,

the pains, torments, tears, and fears

until love entered his heart.

Nothing but a tiny grain of sand

now filled with a woman’s love

beaming broader than the sun,

wider than the Milky Way

standing tall, strong, proud, and fearless

with her vision in his mind.

Nothing but a proud grain of sand

knelt by her side, making his

wishes known, the dreams of his soul,

the secrets of his heart,

the projects, plans, ideas, and thoughts

searing his vision.

Nothing but an exultant grain of sand

stood with his love at the altar

pledging faithful love, devotion,

a lifetime of togetherness,

trials, tribulation, joys, tears

traveling the path of marriage.

Nothing but two grains of sand

forged through the world

casting aside the millions to

focus on the other, the others that

they create, the little ones, children,

loins of our loins and loves of our love,

for now and forever. Amen.

    A Teacher’s Lament

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 I spoke with your teacher today,

And this is what she had to say:

Please tell Billy I like him a lot

But not when he licks each tiny spot

Of food off his plate.

It’s just plain gross.

It’s not polite to pick your nose

That’s why tissue’s good for blows

Putting snot between his teeth

Makes kids stare beyond belief

You just don’t do it

It’s just plain gross.

He needs to keep his shoes on his feet

The stench smells like rotten meat

While in the playground yard

Children find it too hard

To forgive him.

It’s just plain gross.

People don’t put their hands on their butts

And scratch until they make big cuts

Blood through the clothes

And a stick up the nose

It’s just plain gross.

Wedgies are not fun to receive

And when he complains, I believe

He only got what he deserved

Get back that which you served

And whine not

It’s just plain gross.

As far as work, Billy’s losing out

He wrinkles papers and runs about

Seldom sits for more than a minute

Pencils in places where they don’t fit

He’s failing

It’s just plain gross.

There’s not much more that I can say

Except that you should be on your way

To talk to Billy.  Tell him I care

For him I’d go anywhere

To find him help.

He’s not that gross.

Commitment

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the story of a marriage

is one of

trials

and

tribulations

forgiveness

and

letting go

of errors made

love

and

anger

compromise

and

patience

walking together

through life

sharing times

good

and

bad

most of all

reveling

in each other’s

company

until death

do us part

A Limited Perspective

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The curtain falls

Darkness ensues

The audience waits

Entranced

Holding breaths

Until the magic begins

The story unfolds

Holding enraptured

The captives

As they follow every word

Action

Song

Trying to memorize everything

For the future

To be able to express how they felt

What they saw

The experience of it all

Except for one lonely man

Sitting in the balcony

So high up that all he sees are the tops of heads

He understands that something

Great is happening below

But he cannot appreciate it

Because he cannot see

He hears the words, the music

But it bears no meaning without sight

When the show is over

When the man is asked about the play

He understands that he missed

A key point, an important interaction

And so he takes from the experience

A limited perspective

But to him, it enables him

To speak as an expert

Who has witnessed an inferior production

As someone with knowledge in the arts

Who has the right to disparage the show

That wasn’t worth money spent

Later, he sits alone, yearning for the time

When theater was great.

Priorities

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Things I wanted

But never got

Things I got but didn’t want

Blend into the past

So quickly forgotten

Successes I dreamed of

But never achieved

Achievements accomplished

That had not been

Preplanned

Money stopped me

From doing dear things

Money also got me

My career, my dream job

It all worked out

I had to get my priorities

In a line

Understand what comes first

Then next and especially

What doesn’t really matter

I had mentors along the way

Some steered me wrong

Sending me off onto rocky paths

Then disappearing

When I needed them most

No matter what wrongs

I committed

The injuries I inflicted

Whether intentionally

Or by accident

My God was always there

Walking beside me

Even when I felt alone

Even when I’d lost my way

He was there

He became my mentor

When I invited Him in

When I called His name

To beg for guidance

That I knew would be true

He helped me keep

First things first

To understand what matters most

To do what’s right

As often as I can

Lessons learned the hard way

Happened when I forgot

What mattered most

Because He was always there

Reminding me to stay true

Once I opened my mind

To God’s presence

Tears filled my eyes

And I felt His touch

A gentle brush on my cheek

I still make mistakes

Still drift toward the wrong path

But then He reminds me

To always, always

Put first things first

God so Loves Me

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My early years were tough,

Growing up feeling unloved,

Unwanted

Inferior

Except for my God

Who I knew loved me

He walked with me

Through turmoil

That tried to drag me down

Down

Down.

So far down that I almost

Drowned in sorrow

Until I realized

That my God loved me

For way too long

I thirsted

A dried-out soul

Sinking into the morass

Of depression

Until it came to me

That my God loved me

He gave me the gift of sunshine

That lit up my soul

Reignited joy

Reminded me that I was lovable

And capable of giving love

All thanks to

The love of my God

His love set me free

From despair and torment

From hatred and loneliness

I started breathing

His fire

Coming from the love of my God

Because of Him I live free

Happy and fulfilled

Blessed in countless ways

My heart beating out

The Love of my God.