Poems, Personal Stories, and Observations

Posts tagged ‘death’

Demolition

A creeping vine
Comes through a window.
Torn screens are seen
Through another.

The walls are marked,
Ready for the wrecking crew.
Beautiful French doors
Opening to a room, long unused.

It will all be gone soon.
The oak floors,
So meticulously crafted,
And an attic — did children play there?
What dusty memories dwell in the cobwebs?

Who lived inside these walls?
Were children born here?
Did someone die here?
Was there laughter; were there tears?

The stairs of redwood,
The old laundry and kitchen,
With built-in ironing board.
The back steps, all overgrown —
And the old bathroom.

It will soon be gone,
Too costly to repair;
The land’s so expensive —
Let’s build four new houses there!

Things always change;
Nothing stays the same.

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Poems

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Something More

How long is forever?
Begin now to prepare.
Make sure all your endeavors
Don’t holy goals impair.

Each day must draw you closer
To destiny’s writ scroll.
Another dawn may not be sure –
The funeral bells may toll.

No one knows the answer
To when life’s course will end.
Few or many moments –
How goes the time you spend?

Will all your riches bring you
True happiness and joy?
Or do you need to look within
And search for something more?

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God’s Providence

If You did not my soul inflame,
If You did not fill lungs with breath,
If You did not my mind engage,
Sure, that would be my sorry death.

Without Your spirit, none can live,
E’en those who do not yet believe.
It’s by Your providence, I know,
There’s reason to rejoice, or grieve.

We cannot understand Your ways;
We grope about, sometimes in ruin.
Or graced, find better ways of life —
But death, the whys will then illumine.

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The Appointment

He didn’t show up for the appointment
With my husband and me.
The lights were out,
But the door slightly ajar,
Though the latch was locked.

I thought surely
Either he or his wife
Were in serious trouble,
Perhaps dead.

I thought the worst.

Would there be a funeral?
Would we be notified?

I prayed.

What did it mean to me
If he were gone, or his wife?

The phone rang some time later —
“Sorry, I took some medicine
For a bad cold
And just woke up.
Please forgive me.”

I was so SURE that
Someone had died.
It just shows
That intuition
Can be terribly wrong.

I need to get a life.

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The Rat

***WARNING***: Morbid content.
[Note: I will be dismantling my broken compost bin.  In general, they are a good thing, but should not have holes (like mine) where creatures can get in.]

———————————–

 

 

The rat appeared
In my compost bin.

So cute and furry;
It stared at me with fearful eyes.

Sadly, I knew it must go —
Rats multiply,
And sometimes spread disease.

I set the traps —
Keenly aware of my intent to kill.

Soon the trap was sprung,
But the poor creature was still alive.

I felt like a soldier.
I didn’t want to kill it,
But humans must be protected also.

The creature was just being itself,
Trying to survive.

I won’t tell how it finally died.

———————————————-

When Adam and Eve sinned,
Death entered the world.

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Poems, Uncategorized

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Suffering Servant

Weighed down
By our sin and suffering,
You sweated blood.
How did you persevere?

Knowing the evil within us,
You still loved us.

Having mercy,
You forgave.
You healed.

Confronting evil,
You were crucified.

Freely laying down your life,
You took it up again.

Savior of the world,
Save us!

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Christ is My Hope

I love cemeteries. They are quiet and peaceful. I think of the people resting there and hopefully they are completely at peace.

So Christmas day, my kids and I took a walk to Maple Leaf Cemetery in Oak Harbor, Washington. The walk itself was brisk, both in speed and in the weather. After a few meanderings we found the cemetery. One grave I saw was of a three-and-a-half month old child, which brought me to tears. Then, a young man of 28, obviously well loved. More tears. As I walked, a group of people across the cemetery seemed to be having a party. They had their car door open, and Christmas music came from its radio. Perhaps celebrating Christmas as they remembered a life well lived.

The final grave I looked at is pictured here. “Christ is My Hope” was the epitaph. I can honestly say that is true for me.

I just now noticed that there is no date of death, and that the birth date was in 1915, which means the person is now 98 years of age. I am glad the person has faced the reality of death and has the hope of resurrection.

Just a few days later, we visited my uncle by marriage, who is now 100 years old. He still walks an hour a day using his walker. His mind is still pretty sharp. What an amazing man.

Still, we never know when we might go.

131225 Maple Leaf Cemetery 002x

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Christian, Commentary

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Let Not Dreams Die

When dreams are dead
Men lose their heart,
And, like dead men,
They fall apart.

Inside, unseen,
Their souls like stone,
Bear calloused wounds,
Exist forlorn.

Let not dreams die —
Still deep inside,
Quench not the fire
Of hope alive.

Let Love somehow
Heal deepest wounds.
Let Jesus’ love
Break open tombs!

Then shout, and sing,
Our voices raise!
Hosannahs bring
In humble praise!

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Christian, Jesus, Poems

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So Great A Savior

Oh, so great a Savior
Who shed His blood for me,
Who loves beyond all measure
And hung upon a tree.

Who washed the feet of creatures
With dirt and sin defiled,
Who saw in me, a sinner,
A soul to save worthwhile.

Who in most-desperate persons
Sees holiness and good;
The thief, the whore, the tax man
With Him to heaven could.

O holy One and mighty
So great a price You paid.
Endured abuse from sinners
And in the grave was laid.

Oh, mighty, glorious Savior,
Who from the grave emerged
Victorious over satan,
And new my soul has birthed.

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Christian, Poems

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Summer’s Promise

The song of the train’s whistle
Through my window:
It’s like summer in my mind.
Smiles break out
And there’s plenty to eat,
And plenty of time.

When the flowers bloom,
Grim faces begin to relax.
Death has been defeated
One more time;
The winter’s grip is passed.

Though it’s not summer yet,
I can live it in my mind.

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Hope, Poems

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