The Heavens Proclaim God's Glory

based on Psalm 19:1-4 

The heavens proclaim God's glory
The skies show his handiwork to me
Day after day, they speak to me
Night after night, His wisdom they reveal

They have no speech,

They use no words,
Not a sound is heard from them
 
Yet their voice goes out
To all the world
They teach in
Universal language
They have no tongue
Yet still we hear them loud and clear

The Ming Vase

The Ming vase prominently sits
On the shelf in an honored place
The indigo-painted figures chat
Back and forth ‘cross its battered face.
Chips large and small mar its patina
And numerous cracks show its age;
Yet through all of its imperfections
Its marvelous worth is displayed.
For the cross section reveals
The vase’s authenticity and worth;
And so it is with everything, everyone
That is found upon the earth.

The Night She Escaped

The man took a lot of things
The night she escaped:
 
He got all of her daughter's toys
Her clothes and her hairbrush, too.
He kept the CDs he liked
And frisbeed the others into the door.
So much for her collection
That she started when she was twelve.
He got the TV, the VCR, the DVDs,
He got the china, the pots, and the pans;
He got the towels, he got the couch;
He got everything when she ran.
 
All she took was her little girl
Three years old and wrapped in a blanket--
She didn't even notice when
Her mother grabbed her up
And ran out of the house in her bare feet
Into the frigid wind and snow--
She slept through it all.
 
She slept through it all:
The slamming doors
The drunken accusations,
The arguing, fighting;
The hitting,
The choking,
Even the running.
 
Thank God,
Thought her mother.
She'll never know.
He got a lot tonight,
But he didn't touch her.
 
And one tear-stained cheek
Twitched upwards for a moment
With minute curve of her lip
The night she escaped.

Playing in the Snow at the Lakes

Pink and black and green and yellow
Limbs that look like puffy marshmallows
They climb and fall and laugh and run
And their smiling faces are my sun

Burying her brother in the snow
Then walking on top, 'cause don't you know
That it's fun and great and can't we do this again?

Sledding down the hill, slipping out with a flop
Demanding to be carried back up to the top
'Cause it's fun and great and we gotta do this again!

Nieces and nephews all around me
Giggles and wiggles, love to infinity
This is fun and great and I can't wait
To do this again

The Old Guitar Player

(descriptive poem inspired by Picasso’s painting of the same name)

 

He sits with his guitar and plays
Cradles his everything tenderly
Caresses strings oh-so-gently
But it cannot take her place
 
All he plays is a minor key
But try as he may, day after day
It can never fully portray
His profound melancholy
 
He longs for her with ev’ry beat
His heart can’t take the strain it seems
His apathy for his surroundings means
His misery is complete
 
He pours his soul into all he plays
But nothing can help, so he stays
Weeping nights, strumming days
Until he can follow her to the better place
 

 

Christmas Lament

to the tune of  "An Unkind Word" from Heidi's Song

 

Of all the times of year

This one is the worst
When being alone
Can make you prone
To feeling like you're cursed

 

When other times you may not mind

Living all alone
At Christmastime
It isn't fine
Your heart drops like a stone
 
In the hustle and the bustle of the shopping mall
I am jostled by the shoppers in the crowd
And when they cut in front of me in the checkout line,
I want to scream out loud
 
Just because I am not buying as much as you
Does that make me matter less?
Just because I don't have children in my cart
Does that mean I must acquiesce?
 
But when I decorate my tree
Put a wreath up in the hall
Sing "Jingle Bells"
But no one can tell
They don't notice me at all
 
My apartment neighbors moved away
Their rooms are empty now
And all my sibs
Think of is their kids
I might as well be gone 

 

Christmas Song

Today's the day when we celebrate
A magical moment in time
The day when Love came down
And sanctified unholy ground
By His presence restored and healed
With His grace, His loved ones sealed
Readied now for His return
In this season of the coming, for Jesus we yearn!

But Emmanuel-- God is with us!
What an awesome thought that is!
Emmanuel-- God is with us!
We celebrate the advent of bliss.

For how can we tremble in fear
At the most wonderful time of the year?
A time of year when we recall
How the King of Kings became servant of all--
How the mighty Creator of everything
Whose righteous actions make angels sing,
Came down to earth, threw His glory off,
And was laid to rest in an animal's trough?
If He loves us THAT much, then shouldn't we trust
All of His plans will bring good to us?

Emmanuel-- God is with us!
What an awesome thought that is!
Emmanuel-- God is with us!
We celebrate the advent of bliss!

 

It’s That Time of Year

It’s that time of year when all you do is
Rush, rush, rush, rush, rush, rush, rush
Just try not to fall down in the
Slippy sloppy slush-slush
 
It's that time of year when all you do is
Dress, dress, dress, dress, dress, dress, dress
Your kids in sweaters, coats, long undies,
Scarves, and mittens with duress
 
It's that time of year when all you do is
Hang, hang, hang, hang, hang, hang, hang
Ornaments, wreaths, and stockings
Hoping nothing falls with a bang
 
It's that time of year when all you do is
Bake, bake, bake, bake, bake, bake, bake
Snow on the mountain cookies
And the infamous fruitcake
 
It's that time of year when all you do is
Sing, sing, sing, sing, sing, sing, sing
About snowmen, reindeer, Santa,
And snow covering everything.
 
It's that time of year when all you do is
Shop, shop, shop, shop, shop, shop, shop
Looking, buying, price-comparing,
Presents filling your cart nonstop
 
It's that time of year when all you do is
Wrap, wrap, wrap, wrap, wrap, wrap, wrap
Covered boxes piling up
As you fold and tape each flap
 
It’s that time of year when all you do is
Run, run, run, run, run, run, run
Trying to get everything
All perfect, all pretty, or just all done
 
It's that time of year when it's easy to forget
The reason why we celebrate
The coming of an infant King
And the return we should eagerly await

Winter Children

Dancing around
To music unheard
Laughing softly
Before tumbling
To the deep wet white
Becoming angels

Snowflake Photos

Remember

for all the children of Sandy Hook Elementary School, following the massacre there

No one can take away the pain
No one can wipe away the sorrow
And no amount of happy memories
Can heal them not being there tomorrow
 
It's okay to hurt,
It's okay to cry,
It's definitely okay to wish
You don't have to say goodbye
 
But in your today
And in every day to follow
I hope that you remember them
Don't let yourself turn hollow
 
For as long as you remember
Happy smiles and ATV's,
Soccer, music, and mohawks--
They'll be alive in our memories

 

Thundersnow

The sky glows golden
As heaven's confetti falls
Kettledrums roll on

Blizzard

There's a candle in the window
There's a story in my heart
There's a blizzard raging outside
But there's a brand new start

There's a light in the darkness
There's life where there was none
There's a breeze to spread the spark, this
Fire in more hearts than one

There's a man who adopts a baby
There's a mother whose faith is strong
There's a sacrifice for sinners like me
Of a man who did no wrong

There's no end of strife and woe
There're lives torn asunder
There's swiftly falling snow
From an orange sky with thunder

There's a candle in the window
There's a story in my heart
There's a blizzard raging outside
But there's a brand new start

Limerick Prayer

This is the 300th poetry post.  That means that I am now 5/6 of the way through the poetry for a year goal-- 82% finished.  Yay me!



Lord, I bow before Your throne
Here once again to make my requests known
Knowing as I do
It all comes back to You
Work in my life that Your glory's shown

Torn

I come now to Your table again
Rip off a piece of bread
Soak it in juice
 
And I'm shattered by the realization
That Your body
Was torn apart like this
 
Shoulders separated from sockets
Flesh ripped from You by the whip
And Your heart rupturing under the strain
 
Is this what I'm asking for?
To be crucified with Christ
Ripped apart, torn asunder, destroyed
 
If that's what it takes to remake me
Into Your image, Jesus
Then shatter every selfish part of me
And slash away every part
That does not give glory to You

-Thing Prayer

Help me to give when I nothing
Only want You when I have something
Love You always above everything
Jesus, You are the only thing
I need

Prayer 12-16-2012

Make my love lavish
Make it extravagant
Sacraficial, prodigal
A love as giving as Yours

Love Like An Avalanche

Most people die
If they're caught in that place
And I can't survive
Your overwhelming grace

Rivers of snow
To wash away all of me
Guilt tumbling down
Replaced by Your divinity

Suffocating beneath the weight
Of all that I've done and cannot do
Lord I know without Your shelt'ring strength
There's no way I can get through
I can't survive without You

If I'm Gonna Fall

If I'm gonna fall
Let me fall on You
If I'm gonna stumble
Let me stumble into Your truth
 
Sometimes, I don't charge my batteries
Sometimes, the light goes out
And it's in those times, Lord, I need You the most
That You come and carry me
 
If I'm gonna fall
Let me fall on You
If I'm gonna stumble
Let me stumble into Your truth
 
Sometimes I can't keep going
And I don't feel the light I'm showing
And I need You to carry me again

Again

Father, Father,
I come before You
Knowing that I'm still unworthy

Father, Father,
I need to ask You again
Please save me
Please forgive me

You do it once
And I turn away again
Chasing my own desires
Instead of Your love

I need You
To come grab me, pull me back again
Hold me close to You
And keep me Yours

Don't let me jump off that cliff again
To end up at the bottom,
A bunch of broken bones
Needing You to put me together again

You Are My Parachute

I jumped off the cliff
Soaring free
But as the ground rushed up to meet me
I knew there was only one way
This wouldn't end painfully:
I had to pull my parachute

You are my Parachute
You catch me when I fall
And when I jump willfully
It doesn't stop You
You will always save me

His Kind of Love

His kind of love
Sees the attacker and lashes out
Thinking that the arm's already broke
And the cast's a good weapon
The pain's irrelevant

His kind of love
Knows bullets can cause damage
Even when stopped by a vest
So he steps in front of the blinking light
On his partner's chest

His kind of love
Looks out the window at his playing kid
Prays for more speed to beat the car
Sprinting to save his precious child
Who chased a ball into the street

His kind of love
Sees his buddy stepped on a grenade
And instead of running or getting safe
Dives on top, trying desperately
To knock him out of the way

Unconditional

This was inspired, in part, by Group 1 Crew's "His Kind of Love"... because as much as I like that song, I just can't get behind the idea that God is reckless-- ever.  It's not that He doesn't or didn't know what the consequences of loving us the way He does would be; it's not that He didn't care about the consequences; it's not that He didn't think about it first.  He decided we were worth it.  It's not a reckless love, that loves without thinking; His kind of love is relentless, never stopping, never fading, never giving up on us.

 

His kind of love

Isn't reckless; it's relentless
For me
His kind of love
Will never give up
His kind of love
Knows the risks
Knows the pain
Knows the consequences
Of stepping in front of the bullet
But does it anyway
For me
 
His kind of love
Runs full speed ahead
To me
But His kind of love
Knows what to expect
Knows the risks
Knows the pain
Knows the consequences
Knows it's all or nothing
But does it anyway
For me

 

 

 

Pretty Snowflakes

Pretty snowflakes in the sky
Pretty snowflakes floating by
 
Looking at these bits of lace
Falling softly on my face
 
I’m amazed at what I see
Infinite creativity
 
Pretty snowflakes all around
Pretty snowflakes make no sound
 
Silence gives a graceful hand
To snow’s soft blanket o’er the land
 
Beautiful and pristine world
Darkness covered, grace unfurled
 
Pretty snowflakes fallen down
Pretty snowflakes on the ground

 

Unique patterns in each one

Precious giving just begun

 

Snow falling in December

Brings to mind mercy tender

 

Pretty snowflakes drifting by

Pretty snowflakes from on high

2,000 Decembers Ago

Did You chew on the straw in the manger
Did You move from a cave to a home
Did You ever know fear from a stranger
After wise men brought silver and gold

Did the shepherds visit as You grew
Is that how you learned that sheep came
If the good shepherd-- or a boy like You--
Would simply call them by name

Did You swim and play in the Nile
Did You learn to carve pieces of wood
Did You imitate Your daddy's style
Did You call Your creations 'good'

Pearl Harbor

in memory of the nearly 2,400 dead and over 1,100 casualties...
a paltry offering; but you are not forgotten

Machine guns strafed the ground
As Zeroes swept through the skies
Ships sank into the arms of the deep
Sirens rang out over people's cries

O America

O America, proud and free
Like an eagle with razor grasp
Don't forget what your talons clasp:
Arrows and olive branch

O America, see past your rage
And like eagle, soar through the sky
You can be safe, not sit idly by
Without living in a cage

O America, be not unsure:
Land where my fathers died
From city, plain, and mountainside
Let your freedom forever endure

Stand Down

It's time to stand down
I can finally sleep
But I'm restless tonight
In this hard-won peace

Every time I close my eyes
The images are no surprise

Running and shooting
Fighting and dying
The comrades I've lost
Make me want to start crying

But I'm strong and I'm tough
And I've built up these walls
So no one can see weakness;
I can't let them fall

It's time to stand down
But I can't let go
If I let myself feel
I'll surely lose control...

Protected

cradled against Him
there's nowhere safer for me
'cause these hands could kill

Shepherd's Song

A thousand years we've been waiting
A thousand years, searched the sky
Searching for any sign
Our Messiah's at last arrived
 
Someday, I know He'll get here
Someday, He will come
On this your word is clear:
It's Bethlehem He'll come from
 
But I cannot stop the longing
Beating in my chest
O Lord, please send Him now
We need someone Heaven-blest
 
To save us from our oppressors
To heal our land again
Lord, we need Messiah now
If You really care for men

 

I Have No Room

Just a little something I dreamed up as a possible song for next year's Christmas program.  It's to the tune of  "I Cannot Come".

 

I have no room

I have no room for a traveler
Every room is full
With all the people
Caesar's called for the census
There's no room for anybody else
You'll have to move on; I have no room 

 

I Love You So Much

I want to tell the whole world
I wake up, you're my first thought
And all I want to do is sing
A thousand love songs about you,
Slap photocopies of your picture
On every car I find-- Best Guy Ever,
And fill my facebook and twitter
With posts about everything
That makes you wonderful
Until everyone loves you
As much as I do
Or they unfriend me
 
But I'd die inside
If anyone ever found out
Because what we have is so
So, so incredibly special
That I want it to be our secret
Just the two of us knowing
How special we are
Forever and always, just us
 
I want everyone to know
But no one can ever find out