Poems, Personal Stories, and Observations

Archive for the ‘Poems’ Category

Fall Surrounds Us

Leaves are turning, leaves are falling,
Temperatures cooling, wind is calling.

Sweaters appear, furnaces warming.
The wind gives a bite, and sometimes it’s storming.

Charities gear up — the donations appear.
We think of the homeless, ‘specially this time of year.

Sometimes it’s raining, or mainly just chill.
Kids hoping for winter — snow sleds and their thrill.

Leaves in the gutters, leaves on the roof.
Autumn has come; shorter days are the proof.

Yellow, orange, red — these colors surround us.
Sunflowers and pumpkins; nature astounds us.

Thanksgiving is coming, and then we recall —
The Giver of all gifts has given them all.

Category:

Poems

Tagged with:

Neighborhood Menagerie

One little squirrel scampered ‘cross the road.
He hurried on to add to his load
Of nuts and things for winter’s sting.

Two wild turkeys crossed the road,
Their necks were long and narrow,
But do their bones have marrow?

Three rabbits sat and munched the grass
The clover was their favorite —
It wasn’t quite Welsh rarebit.

Four deer stood staring by the road,
Until our car did scare them.
A hunter would like to snare them.

Five robins bobbed along the grass.
They find that grubs are great repast —
In winter, berries, if they last.

Until temperatures drop, the wasps are here.
I do not hold them especially dear.
If I leave them alone, I do not fear.

Category:

Poems

Tagged with:

Magical Doe Eyes

We drive onto a wooded lane.
They look at us with doe eyes,
For that is what they are.
Frozen in silence; they only stare.

Magical moments —
We silently watch each other, unmoving.
Until our car moves on —
Then they startle, leap, turn, and run,
Prancing, as if in a dance.

They say animals are dumb,
But that is only their tongues.
Their eyes bespeak some knowledge there,
Their beauty and grace a gift so rare.

I’ll never forget that stare.

Category:

Poems

Tagged with:

One Song at a Time

One plant at a time,
I try to add beauty to this wretched world,
Envisioning a paradise
Of birds, bees, and bugs
(Except the itchy, painful ones).

One note at a time,
Then note upon note,
In harmonies I’ve sung with those
Who also strive for unity,
And making beauty.

One word at a time —
May I bring understanding,
Clarity, news, and views
That might, perhaps,
Change a life for good.

Yes, there’s pain and conflict,
Clashes, disagreements,
Strife and war —
But I want to open a door
To understanding.

“I came not to bring peace, but a sword.”
Truth will cause conflict,
So conflict there must be.

Does God sing in the universe,
One song at a time,
Making billions of songs
Harmonize?

Category:

Poems

Tagged with:

The Old Book Shop

It’s in an old building,
In a crowded downtown.
Hard to get parking —
So many cars around.

A kindly man working
At a parking lot states,
“You can’t park here; it’s full,
But I’ll show you the way.”

We back up; he gestures,
He twirls his arms.
“If you follow me now,
You will come to no harm.”

“The next lot has spaces,
Plenty of room.”
His accented English
Helps us find our way soon.

You pay for the parking
With an app on your phone.
You wish things were simpler:
You’d rather be home.

You walk to the book store —
In the heat of the day.
With the map on your phone —
Just a few steps this way.

We spot the store’s sign
And soon we are in —
A wealth of hardcovers,
And soft ones, and bins …

Of this book, and that book
For children, for adults.
Some history, some mystery,
Religion, and cults.

Some science, reliance
On signs that will guide
You, to worlds beyond —
To adventure you ride.

On entering, I had asked,
“Will you buy my old book?”
“It’s from 1921;
It’s one hundred and five.”

They said, “It’s not worth much; wait 200 years.
Then you will find that it’s really quite dear.”
And later, I ask, “How old is your store?”
“About a hundred years, minus ten, and minus four.”

Five floors of books,
No time now to explore —
But we hope that they’ll be here
For 86 years more.

Category:

Poems

Tagged with:

Lord, Take Me Home

Lord, take me home!
This world’s so full of woe
Sin and sadness all around —
Suffering abounds.

[…but where sin increased,
grace abounded all the more…]

Lord, how do I cope?
Please give me abundant hope.
Strengthen my song
And help me long …

For justice, peace,
Love and good will, until
All people love You,
And still ..

I’ll always long,
Until I can sing Your song.

Category:

Poems

Tagged with:

Hold On

Hold on; you’ve got to hold on.
Tough times come and go,
But beauty continues everywhere —
Lord, teach us to be aware.

You’re not alone; God is by your side.
He shares your pain; He shares your joy.
The universe sings of His love —
Hold on to the One from above.

Every pain is worth the joy.
Every heartache will be healed.
We don’t know all the reasons —
Still — hold on through the seasons!

One day we’ll see it’s all worth it.
All we went through becomes perfect.
A joy is waiting on the other side,
But you’ve got to hold on for the ride.

Category:

Poems, Uncategorized

Tagged with:

How is Your Weather?

“How is your weather?”
We often say.
What if we meant,
“How is your day?”

What if we meant,
“How do you feel?
Tell me your story;
Tell me what’s real.”

“Tell me the longing
Deep in your heart,
Your joys and your sorrows —
That would be a good start.”

Longing for sunshine
On a dark, cloudy day?
Longing for peace –
Putting turmoil at bay?

Deep in our hearts,
Only God can fulfill
Our need for His love —
Let Him make your heart still.

Category:

Poems

Tagged with:

I Cannot Remember

[This poem was prompted by a bit of memory loss
as I get older, but also how some memories stay
longer than others.]

I cannot remember you name right now,
But occasionally, I do.
Your face seems more important somehow,
And that’s what stays in my view.

I cannot recall the time that we met,
Nor the place that we first were together.
However, it’s undoubtedly true,
That meeting, our connection’s forever.

I cannot recall some places I’ve been,
Or only but dimly in visions.
But somehow they stay so deep in my soul,
As if a location in heaven.

I don’t remember what brought me here,
Nor why I am in this location,
But wherever I am, God only knows,
It’s part of my destined vocation.

Category:

Poems

Tagged with:

Memories

[I don’t especially like this poem I wrote, but I ran it by
some “friendly critics,” and they liked it, so here it is.]

Memories keep coming back —
My sins and failures of the past,
But, thankfully, the Lord was there —
To keep accusing — the Devil won’t dare.

Memories of friends that died,
Others, that I left behind —
Physic’ly, or in my mind.
Sometimes, perhaps, I was not kind.

Others left me at different times —
I didn’t know with my small mind
The reasons that would cause these rifts —
Perhaps they were a painful gift.

So many awkward, embarrassing scenes —
I almost have them in my dreams.
Still, better just to have a laugh
Than dwell upon a jumbled past.

Well, what’s a life without some pain?
Without it, some say, there is no gain.
And with a painful lesson learned
The joy that’s birthed is fully earned.

Category:

Poems

Tagged with: