Monday, July 17, 2006
Love in Common Tongue
Love in common tongue is slurred –
Sloppy spoken, lazy heard –
To describe a football team,
Shade of blue, or whipping cream.
So to show the Love I mean
I use four other words.
First word I say Charity
And you think of poverty.
But I speak of sacrifice
That does not consider price –
Give the depth so raise to heights
Those not blessed as we.
Then Compassion like a fire
But not lit by base desire
But by gentle yearning spark
Moving through each inward part
Reaching out to others hearts
And no return required.
Empathy is love made real
So to feel as others feel –
Sorrow and a joy to share,
Burdens and a cross to bear,
Walk a mile the road to where
The Christ’s hands are revealed.
Grace is how we suffer long
Not approving what is wrong
But accepting those who fell,
Those who never will excel,
Where forgiveness is a well
Quenching thirsty throngs.
So it is with Charity,
Compassion, and Empathy,
And with Grace that I will find
What great Love this man defined
Who I honor with these lines –
The Love my Dad showed me.
Love in common tongue is slurred –
Sloppy spoken, lazy heard –
To describe a football team,
Shade of blue, or whipping cream.
So to show the Love I mean
I use four other words.
First word I say Charity
And you think of poverty.
But I speak of sacrifice
That does not consider price –
Give the depth so raise to heights
Those not blessed as we.
Then Compassion like a fire
But not lit by base desire
But by gentle yearning spark
Moving through each inward part
Reaching out to others hearts
And no return required.
Empathy is love made real
So to feel as others feel –
Sorrow and a joy to share,
Burdens and a cross to bear,
Walk a mile the road to where
The Christ’s hands are revealed.
Grace is how we suffer long
Not approving what is wrong
But accepting those who fell,
Those who never will excel,
Where forgiveness is a well
Quenching thirsty throngs.
So it is with Charity,
Compassion, and Empathy,
And with Grace that I will find
What great Love this man defined
Who I honor with these lines –
The Love my Dad showed me.
Friday, July 14, 2006
Day of a Day
for Arthur Elias
What a day of a day
What a night of a night
When the darkness of death
Breathes its breath on the light
What an end of a friend
What a birth to be born
Will we wait with suspense
Or pretense for the morn?
Soon says the silent whispers
Deep though the sorrow seems
Clear cry the sons and sister
Slow, very slow, cease the dreams
What a man among men
What an artist of Art
What a life lived like love,
Only love, can impart
What a legacy left
What a choice we must choose
Would we walk where he lead
Or instead would we lose?
Fear finds our hearts emboldened
Faith fills our feeble mind
Hope has a heaven golden
Full, very full, we will find
What a day of a day
What a night of a night
When the darkness of doubt
Loses out to the light
for Arthur Elias
What a day of a day
What a night of a night
When the darkness of death
Breathes its breath on the light
What an end of a friend
What a birth to be born
Will we wait with suspense
Or pretense for the morn?
Soon says the silent whispers
Deep though the sorrow seems
Clear cry the sons and sister
Slow, very slow, cease the dreams
What a man among men
What an artist of Art
What a life lived like love,
Only love, can impart
What a legacy left
What a choice we must choose
Would we walk where he lead
Or instead would we lose?
Fear finds our hearts emboldened
Faith fills our feeble mind
Hope has a heaven golden
Full, very full, we will find
What a day of a day
What a night of a night
When the darkness of doubt
Loses out to the light
Tuesday, July 11, 2006
Reflection
In my reflection time doesn’t creep
It leaps
One week – crow’s feet
One day – turn gray
One hour – Who is he?
I live from recall to recall
Not now to now
Graduation gown
Wedding vow
A Christmas card slide show
I alight on the tree of my life
Flit from the branch of spring
To the branch of summer
Then the branch of fall
I do not notice the winter coming
Until the first snowfall
In my reflection time doesn’t creep
It leaps
One week – crow’s feet
One day – turn gray
One hour – Who is he?
I live from recall to recall
Not now to now
Graduation gown
Wedding vow
A Christmas card slide show
I alight on the tree of my life
Flit from the branch of spring
To the branch of summer
Then the branch of fall
I do not notice the winter coming
Until the first snowfall
Whole
Find a place that’s safe to settle down
Find a song that sings to your soul
Then when demons wake to take a piece of you
You’ll still be whole
Find a laugh, a craft to call your own
Find a voice, rejoice in the plan
Then when troubles block and knock your certitude
You still can stand
And if compete – defeat possesses you
And when the game of blame obsesses you
And still the spear of fear oppresses you
Where can you turn?
And so a blast of past remembering
Ignites the flame of shame that’s slumbering
And fires the fist – the list of numbering
What you must burn.
Find someone to run the race with you
Find a verse that nurses your heart
Then when comes the clout of doubt to clobber you
You’ll dodge that dart
Find a place that’s safe to settle down
Find a song that sings to your soul
Then when demons wake to take a piece of you
You’ll still be whole
Find a place that’s safe to settle down
Find a song that sings to your soul
Then when demons wake to take a piece of you
You’ll still be whole
Find a laugh, a craft to call your own
Find a voice, rejoice in the plan
Then when troubles block and knock your certitude
You still can stand
And if compete – defeat possesses you
And when the game of blame obsesses you
And still the spear of fear oppresses you
Where can you turn?
And so a blast of past remembering
Ignites the flame of shame that’s slumbering
And fires the fist – the list of numbering
What you must burn.
Find someone to run the race with you
Find a verse that nurses your heart
Then when comes the clout of doubt to clobber you
You’ll dodge that dart
Find a place that’s safe to settle down
Find a song that sings to your soul
Then when demons wake to take a piece of you
You’ll still be whole
