Over Deep Waters
The Spirit of God
Moves over deep waters.
Always, He is hidden.
Always, He is quiet,
Whispering in the wind.
Can you hear Him?
God sometimes hides from me.
Archive for the ‘Poems’ Category
Light so Bright that It’s Dark
(I believe the phrase
“Light so bright that it’s dark”
is an idea from St. John of the Cross.
We must have faith that all will be well.)
“Light so bright that it’s dark”
is an idea from St. John of the Cross.
We must have faith that all will be well.)
Don’t know why I continue existing –
So much is so incomprehensible.
Can’t seem to see my purpose –
Nothing I see ever sensible.
Perhaps I’ll only learn
My reason for being on earth
If I should enter heaven –
Then light will shine on my birth.
My childhood seems so alien —
Can’t really believe that was me.
Why was I born in that time, that place?
Where was the shining sunbeam?
Why have I floundered through densest fog?
Why merely muddled along?
Why did I amble so aimlessly?
That solitary sojourn so long?
So much is so incomprehensible —
No clarity of sight.
But maybe,
God wants me to trust Him –
God wants me to trust Him –
Through light so bright that it’s dark.
The Winter Has Passed
(At least in the northern hemisphere!)
The winter has passed.
On many days we see the sun –
At last!
Aft’ freezing rain,
Aft’ icy wind,
Our hearts can open up again.
No longer do I cringe
Against the wind.
Not much fasting now –
More feasting.
Not much bleakness now –
With color is our world endowed.
The warmth of the sun –
Let hearts be open to it now.
You Planted the Seed
An allegory of God’s Love
You planted the seed of Love in my heart
You watered it
You waited patiently
One day I broke through the ground
You sent the sun and rain
You watched over me
I continued to grow
Flowers appeared
You sent the bees and bugs to pollinate
Sometimes I fell ill
You tended me until I mended
You fertilized the barren soil of my heart
Fruit began to show
You fertilized my heart again
When the fruit was ripe
Others picked it
It was sweet and refreshing
Sometimes you would prune me
At first I was angry —
How could you hurt me that way?
But then I noticed:
After the pruning, I would bear more fruit
I grew older
There was less fruit now
But still good
Sometimes there was bad fruit
You returned it to the earth
To be transformed and to nourish other plants
Sometimes fruit fell to the ground
To begin new plants
I am old now
Dry and shriveled
Soon I will return to the earth
But the seeds that fell
Will continue to grow
Watered by Your Love
Asking of God
Has He healed you?
Has He loved you?
Then act like it.
Has He comforted you?
Has He forgiven you?
Then act like it.
Tell your story;
Give Him glory.
If you don’t know Him – ask.
If you can’t trust Him – ask.
If you want to be closer – ask.
Have men betrayed you?
Have harsh words slayed you?
Has hate unmade you?
Then ask –
And you will receive.
All you need, not all you want.
Not what you dreamed, but more.
Some People
Some people don’t have it together.
Their home is a mess,
Things everywhere —
Do they not care?
Some people don’t have a car.
They walk everywhere,
Or maybe on bike,
Or the bus not on strike.
Some people don’t have a living.
They’re tired of giving
All of their energy.
They need a strategy.
Some people still haven’t learned,
They often are spurned,
They don’t have a life,
Their life full of strife.
Some people need so much hope.
They don’t need the dope.
They need Jesus Christ,
Who alone can give life.
The Humble Gardener
I love the humble gardener,
His hair unkempt,
Holes in his shirt,
So down to earth.
[I say, “How have you been?”
He answers, “Just trying to survive.”]
I had an uncle,
His teeth stained, some missing,
From smoking too much.
At least he was real —
Are we real?
The little people,
Struggling to survive,
Just to keep alive.
Do we know them?
Paradoxes
I swallowed the bitter pill,
And it became sweet in my mouth.
I lowered myself,
And I was exalted.
I forgave my prison warden
(from the prison that I and others had built for me),
And I was liberated.
I cried tears of grief,
And God put a new song in my mouth.
Perspectives
So painful when we misunderstand each other.
Different ways of seeing things;
We grew up in different worlds.
I’d like to listen to your pain,
But it hurts too much
To add another pain to my own.
Education helps –
Exposed to different perspectives.
But can I keep my identity
And still cherish yours?
——————-
I used to think that
When we disagreed,
You didn’t love me.
——————–
Are you a liberal or conservative?
I’ve decided that I’m a libative.
——————
There is One who knows all our pain —
Yours and mine –
But do we know His?
Silent Hours
The streets silent and still.
Families away: spring holiday –
Or is it a resurrection?
No shouting voices,
Nor school buses.
No parents patiently waiting
For school to get out.
I meet more people
Out for walks.
Perhaps they’ll
Take the time
To smell the flowers.
How healing
Are the flowers
And the silent hours.
