(Inspired by Ezekiel 37:1-14)
Dry bones, dry bones–
Lord, take dry bones
And bring them back to life.
Stale prayers, stale prayers —
Infuse them, Lord
With Holy Spirit life.
Big fears, small fears;
Take all these, Lord;
Bring peace from inner strife.
These graves, these graves —
Lord, take dead souls
And raise them back to life.
I can’t make you change,
I can’t make you see what I see,
But I can love you.
We don’t see eye to eye,
Sometimes you make me cry;
But I can love you.
I’ve given up the fight
Of trying to prove I’m right –
But still I love you.
Don’t have to have my way,
And maybe I can stay,
And learn to love you.
I can’t make you love me,
I can’t make you like me,
I can’t make you understand me,
I can’t make you agree with me;
But I can accept you.
A new day is dawning;
Transition begins.
The bright butterfly
From chrysalis transcends.
What once upon
The earth did crawl,
Spreads glorious wings,
Though frail and small.
[ This poem coincides with
the theme of the movie
“It’s a Wonderful Life”. ]
I wasn’t rich
Nor too well known;
Not many people
Knew my home.
Not stunning,
Nor too much to look at —
Might even say
I was a bit fat.
But should I say
I wasted time,
If for a while,
I made you smile?
If for a while
I eased your cares,
And let you know
Somebody cares?
If once
I made you laugh
And then,
We both began to laugh again?
No one’s a failure,
As they say,
If he has friends
Who by him stay.
“Come down to the sea”,
The seagull cried —
And suddenly,
I’d shrunk in size!
I sat upon
The seagull’s back;
Clung to his feathers
Snow-white, flat.
We soared above
The teal-dark waves,
O’er foam that covered
Sailors’ graves.
O’er jagged cliffs,
He took me far;
Then took me low
To spy sea stars.
Oh, happy time
I spent that day —
Above the sea,
Above the waves.
If you can’t live by the ocean,
Bring the ocean to you;
Let gentle waves wash over you.
Let Jesus’ grace
Take cares away.
Rejoice, rejoice!
All things must pass.
No cares nor troubles
Forever last.
All broken dreams will mend
And then —
Forever with Him, with no end.
All time will bend
Towards light and love.
We must endure
And find a cure
For dark despair —
Love —
If you dare.
Easy to say,
But live it out?
“Impossible”,
I want to shout.
But with His grace,
We’ll run the race.
Sweet memories
Of childhood days;
Through endless summers
We could laze.
I’d like to give you
Jesus’ peace —
Forgiveness deep.
I’d like to give you
Fragrant flowers,
To while away
The happy hours.
I’d like to give you
Children’s laughter —
No sadness after.
I’d like to give you
Healing balm
And peaceful calm.
I’d like to give you
Sunset rays,
And purple skies
With waving grain.
I’d like to give you
All my tears,
Without the fears.
I’d like to give you
Clothes to wear,
A living wage,
A home, a lair,
In which you feel
Much comfort there.
I’d like to give
The world these things —
Somehow, in dreams.
Can only God
These things provide?
Each does his part;
That is the start.
It is my way
Of sadly seeing.
My temperament,
A type of being.
A melancholy
View of life.
I tend to see
The sadness, strife.
Don’t think you ought
To be like me.
It’s good that others
Flowers see.
But if my tears
Will help you care —
That is the reason
That I share.
Or to let go
Of burden borne.
We’ll share the load,
Not be forlorn.
[At this time of year (late July, early August), the redwood tree next door
is continuously dropping its cones on the ground.]
All day long
The redwood rains.
Its cones, they drop
On concrete,
Wood, and dirt,
On tiled roofs,
On weedy grass.
It is their task …
To reproduce,
To bear much fruit —
But, alas …
They’ll rarely come
To new green shoot.
The lonely redwood
Planted there,
In city, town,
In suburb brown,
Will boast a solitary crown.
No seed will sprout
On concrete, wood,
On tiled roofs,
But maybe dirt,
Or weedy grass.
Then soon is trampled
Underfoot —
No room for more.
[Describes the battle against negativity, depression, believing lies,
wrong thinking, etc. I don’t despair now, but have experienced
the feeling.]
Eyelids lifting,
Day beginning.
Lifting bones;
Must keep from sinning.
Every minute
A battle rages.
Mind’s temptations;
Are you winning?
Laziness
And deep despair.
The battle in
My mind aware.
The thoughts that come
I must resist.
The lies, deceptions
Must desist.
Don’t let Satan
Warp your mind.
Look to Jesus
Strength to find.
clarakatalin 