I looked around, what did I see?
A person looking back at me.
Was he the I, or I the it,
Was he to me my destiny?
And who am I and who are you?
Our destinies together through
Has God ordained; it must be true.
A myst’ry lies beneath it all,
I do not understand the call.
But still with trust I must go forth;
My circumstances must not force.
Accept, accept, and let it be.
Why the truth I tend to hide?
Refuse to God my sins confide?
Reluctant Doctor God to see;
Confess that I’m in agony?
Hiding the hate, the fear, the sin;
Hiding all that lurks within.
Not to say that I’m no good,
Just that I be honest should.
And not to hide behind a smile;
Let down the acting for a while.
Not conceal behind a mask
My weaknesses — that is my task.
O why pretend, my weary soul,
That I’m the person in control?
The circumstances of my life
To Him I yield, let go the strife.
Through death and birth,
Ill health and woe,
Through laughter, tears,
Through joys and fears —
The world’s still here.
It didn’t stop
To take a pause
When someone died,
When someone cried;
When someone lied,
The world went on.
Through war and peace,
Through health, disease;
Through daring feats,
And cowardly deeds —
Life still flows on.
It might be wise
To take a pause,
To look at all
The many flaws
Which unknowing —
Suffering cause.
And learn, and learn,
And finally learn,
That Love is waiting
With open arms,
When all does cease.
In the sound of the rain,
I found my peace.
It shut out the voices
That told me lies.
It helped me let go
And just be me.
It was strong and steady
and calmed my heart.
It told me that
God was there for me.
Creator of the rain,
I thank thee.
IN THE SILENCE
Rushing, roaring water
Speaks to me of
Better places,
wild and free
Cool, quiet woods –
Only the birds and insects speak,
And their incessant hum
Is a calming song
Waves of warm air
Billow like a curtain
Waiting for the sunset
To let in the coolness
Watch what you say –
This is a holy place
Where God meets man
In the silence
2012
HIS HEALING
Head hanging
Shoulders sagging
Couldn’t be bragging
About my mood
Soul searching
Heart hurting
Forever turning
To face a wall
Dawn breaking
Light changing
God saving
My empty soul
Joy filling
Heart thrilling
Restlessness stilling
He does it all
—– December, 2011
For the Children
There can be an ache inside
Truly cannot be denied
We try to hide the pain inside
But pretty soon the hurts collide
With others’, and the wound gets wide
I had two mommies, don’t you see
They really didn’t think of me
And no one ever thought of them
The cycle it goes ’round again
I only had a mom, you see
My dad and her could not agree
And so he left; they could not see
A way to be in harmony
I had two dads; ’twas really sad.
Wondered who my mother was;
I cried sometimes at night because
She never was
I had a mom and dad, you see
But dad was gone emotion’ly
He read his paper, watched TV
Didn’t have the time for me
Oh, who cares for the children?
Who really cares?
Dads and moms, they were abandoned.
Never learned to love, it saddened
Their hearts, but they could never see
What it did to you, to me
The only way to get beyond it
Is seek God’s way; you’ve got to find it.
Move beyond the pain and anguish
God’s way for life we must establish.
Forgive, let go, and let it show
God’s joy in time you’ll get to know.
The Gardener
I cling to clods,
I dally in dirt.
I dig up the sod
And wait for God
To perform the miracle
Of seed to plant.
I work in the sun,
The cold and the rain;
Inclement weather
I do not disdain.
From dirty fingers
I do not refrain.
I witness a miracle:
Every day,
The miracle of life
Is on display.
When it’s time to plant,
I do not delay.
Such wondrous things
Do I perceive:
The seed, the seedling,
The first new leaf.
Continually the new thing grows;
When it will stop, only God knows.
Amazing thing,
That on its own,
The seed into a plant has grown.
On the mountain top I saw
A vision of a would-be world
Some people seemed like angels,
Beings of light-amazing;
Not God, but God-infused.
The world seemed to glow
And I wondered
If I looked different too.
God smiled at me,
And suddenly
I knew:
He loved me too.
I took the light down to the valley,
Hoping others would see.
My face did not glow like Moses;
How silly of me.
I must let Your light shine through;
If others do not see, let it be.
Let me not hide the light
Out of fear.
This light, this fire
Burns within me.
I only need to fan the flames
By spending time with You.
No one can quench this fire;
Once lit, it burns forever.
clarakatalin 