Sunday, May 27, 2018

During theLong Haul Flight

 This juddering silence,
Wood between the worlds,
The strange, soft outage to be part of this,
This javelin, thrust high into the sky
By some vast hero, brute, mechanical,
This twilight of unbeing in the air.

This is the place where many are each one
Alone in solitary semi-night
Alone, alone as each one is alone
In birth and death and in their secret heart.

I cannot count the meaning of these things .
With the odd clarity that stupor brings
I breathe and wait,
Or simply wait and breathe,
Awake yet dreaming, counting down the time,
With the distraction of this rambling verse
Too slow?too fast? How every minute crawls
The while that life ticks by relentlessly

Friday, May 25, 2018

Lines Written on a PolishTrain

(after seeing a little golden statue of a duck with a crown)

Let the crowned ducks flame with gold!
Let them flame in jubilation!
Let the sparrows sing hosanna
In dulcet tones of joy!
Let the mighty dance begin!

Let the hedgerows flowerbrilliance,
Let the forests gleam with life,
Letthe trodden grass spring up in exaltation,
And the wilderness grow green!

Let the flocks gather, in a torrent of wings,
Mightywings beating, while swans and eagles gather
To dance upon the air!

Let there be music!
Let the squirrels find a song
And the rabbits’feet drum rhythm,
Letthe small birds raise their voices
With the clarity of wonder!

Let the winds lift them, lift them
Into the sky, open unto forever!
Letthe sunlight laugh to receive them,
Let the rain murmur a blessing,
Let the heart be free to finally let go!
Let the crowned ducks flame with gold!

Wednesday, May 02, 2018

Certitude


another from the archives
Somewhere beyond despair, I quietly wait
The gift not received, the tide to turn;
Upon that blessed hope I rest my pain,
My certitude possessing what I yearn.

Somewhere beyond this silence, there is song.
Somewhere above these clouds shines light so bright ...
Beyond this desolation - love, all love,
Eternal cherishing, and whole delight.

Bleak shores and storm-wracked seas. Take heart, lift sail!
There blows a wind that never blew before,
To take me through that tempest - dreadful place,
To haven-home, sun-lovely evermore.

Somewhere beyond the conflict, perfect peace!
Hands, which I cannot feel, are holding me;
And, underneath, the everlasting arms,
I am secure for all eternity!

Tuesday, May 01, 2018

Secure

This is a real oldie from the archives. I was only 19 or 20 when I wrote this!


How shall I step outside His love
Who am so firmly bound?
For His great mercy, like a cloak,
Wraps me around.

Covering all my shamefulness
With His own garment of delight.
Dazzling my soul with what He gives,
Wondrously bright!

Yes, I shall cleave me unto Him,
And unto Him alone:
For he has bought me with a price,
I am His own!