Poetry and Paradise

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2012-01-26T13:00:00.000-08:00

Let the river rock you like a cradle
Climb to the treetops, child, if you're able
Let your hands tie a knot across the table.
Come and touch the things you cannot feel.

And close your fingertips and fly where I can't hold you
Let the sun-rain fall and let the dewy clouds enfold you
And maybe you can sing to me the words I just told you,
If all the things you feel ain't what they seem.
And don't mind me 'cos I ain't nothin' but a dream.

The mocking bird sings each different song
Each song has wings - they won't stay long.
Do those who hear think he's doing wrong?
While the church bell tolls its one-note song
And the school bell is tinkling to the throng.
Come here where your ears cannot hear.

And close your eyes, child, and listen to what I'll tell you
Follow in the darkest night the sounds that may impel you
And the song that I am singing may disturb or serve to quell you
If all the sounds you hear ain't what they seem,
Then don't mind me 'cos I ain't nothin' but a dream

The rising smell of fresh-cut grass
Smothered cities choke and yell with fuming gas
I hold some grapes up to the sun
And their flavour breaks upon my tongue.
With eager tongues we taste our strife
And fill our lungs with seas of life.
Come taste and smell the waters of our time.

And close your lips, child, so softly I might kiss you,
Let your flower perfume out and let the winds caress you.
As I walk on through the garden, I am hoping I don't miss you
If all the things you taste ain't what they seem,
Then don't mind me 'cos I ain't nothin' but a dream .

The sun and moon both arise
And we'll see them soon through days and nights
But now silver leaves are mirrors, bring delights.
And the colours of your eyes are fiery bright,
While darkness blinds the skies with all its light.
Come see where your eyes cannot see.

And close your eyes, child, and look at what I'll show you;
Let your mind go reeling out and let the breezes blow you,
And maybe when we meet then suddenly I will know you.
If all the things you see ain't
quite what they seem,
Then don't mind me 'cos I ain't nothin' but a dream .
And you can follow; And you can follow; follow...

As far as I'm concerned, this is one of the most beautiful poems ever written. It's sung by Richie Havens. Unfortunately Richie's song wasn't available on mixpod, so this is someone else singing his song.

Silent Snowfall

2011-12-13T04:29:00.000-08:00

When the storms of life weigh heavily on your shoulders, and you grow weary in holding up your branches, it is then you must look within. In the dead of winter, new life is sprouting tender seeds, and that which appears to be withered and dead on the outside is sputtering and stretching with life-giving promises within. Only God could grow this kind of love...

Trail of Tears

2011-10-16T07:44:00.000-07:00

The haunting flute of the Indian
Whispers and weaves through The reeds
And there The Great Spirit Travails
For all of the white man's Misdeeds.

Where the natives have Languished and lingered
Before their great trail of tears
You can still hear their voices Cry out
From the earth, lo, for all of These years.

Bang the drum where their Voices now carry
Light a fire to signal on high
The Great Spirit still grieves For the red man
If you listen you might hear Him cry.

"If only I were appointed judge in the land! Then everyone who has a complaint or case could come to me and I would see that he gets justice."

(2 Sam 15:4)

For Wyatt

2010-11-18T10:11:00.000-08:00

nayberg.org

Your hands smell of fish

Little man

I can barely keep up

Places where you once ran

"He's just a boy"

I sing to the world

"Offer up your praises

Your affections, where he began"

He's just a boy

Sweet thing

Soon he'll reach for the stars

And defy everything

He'll climb and fall

He'll scrape his knee

And I'll smile and I'll

Feign umbrage,

Because you see

He's just a boy...

Death at Sea

2010-09-24T05:48:00.000-07:00

Walfrido Garcia

Black sea at midnight
Your waves are so inviting
Swirling stillness all around
Where dark thoughts are hiding.

Ensconced in royal velvet
Whispers in the night
Drink the cup of painless death
And it will be alright.

Oh my beautiful dark sea
And diamond studded sky
Your quiet strength reminds me
What, oh God, am I?

Sadness of the soul....we've all been there. I wrote this poem one night at the beach, with all of these thoughts swirling around in my head. I wanted to walk out into the black sea and never come back. But as the dark waves splashed on my feet, it felt like God had just poured Himself over me. And I knew then that walking out into the waves could only engulf me in God's love. God was the water. God was the smathering of stars in the sky, and God was the big bright moon rippling stoically along the capped waves. All I needed the whole time, the answer to my angst, was more of God. Are you in that lonely place? Let God wash you in His Love...

"Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?

If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
If I make my bed in the depths, you are there.

If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
If I settle on the far side of the sea,

Even there your hand will guide me,
Your right hand will hold me fast." (Ps 139:7-10)

Sail Away

2010-08-04T09:56:00.000-07:00

She waits as dawn approaches... tales of the sea, and the gale winds approaching. Gently tossed to and fro, she cools her heels in the folk lore of the morning. They will come, of that she is sure. Yea, she hangs her hat on it.

And when she has been spent for the day, as the gloaming looms in the distance, tis there she scatters her pinings to the wind. The morrow has quickly cast her into the dusky shadows ahead, where she will rock, gently tossed to and fro, awaiting her next venture out to sea...

Campfire

2010-08-02T02:00:00.000-07:00

Cracklin' fire
Neath' a canopy of trees
Big bright moon
Shining in between the leaves

Pitch black sky
'Cept a smathering of stars
Break out the bubbly
And the Cuban cigars

Breathe in deep
All that smoky cedar wood
This is nature at its finest

Life has never been so good!

The Cormorant

2010-05-21T07:41:00.000-07:00

Curious teal blue eyes

With tufts of hair above

Will you bite my outstretched hand,

Or can you accept love?

Forlornly on the shore

You sit in solitude

Your hour is fast approaching

And I understand your mood.

Non-chalant cormorant

What am I to do?

Last week at the beach, I saw this cormorant sitting in the sand. He must have been sick or wounded. I asked the park ranger to help him, but he said since the cormorant isn't an endangered species, there was nothing he could do. The cormorant died an hour later.

The Journey

2010-04-26T16:48:00.000-07:00

The long and winding road
Stretches out before us
With heartache or happiness
At every turn.
You have one wing
For the journey
And I have the other.
Together we will reach new heights
And we will soar over the timeless
Journey of life
On the wings of love...

Prettify

2010-04-07T20:39:00.000-07:00

Prettify the sky

Streaming hazel and ginger

In the sweet by and by

Cotton candy clouds linger

Prettify the sea

Azure ripples set sail

In the dusky orange breeze

The sweet nectar of ale

Prettify my love

Let it linger and grow

Like a gift from above

To the earth's depths below

Prettify...

New Life

2009-12-31T14:17:00.000-08:00

Springing green
In this new season
When there is no
Rhyme or Reason.

New life comes
As buds unfurl
Each new leaf
A Priceless Pearl.

Vines

2009-11-06T07:08:00.000-08:00

Tender clinging vines hanging idly in the wood
I secretly peer, daring to DREAM

What temptations will I fall into
when I fall into your arms ?

You yaw and sprawl, sprouting into delicate tendrils
I spy through the window pane

DUSK falls and turns to cimmerian shades
And you change, you change...

Safe behind my window pane
Apprehension grips my Heart

No! you tempting, clinging vines
It is cold in your world And I would be lost in your arms

FOR there is only one Tree and One Vine
And HE is my refuge

WAR

2009-10-27T14:56:00.000-07:00

In Silence
They witnessed injustice
In anger
They followed its course
The whole earth in labor
Gives birth to despair
And wallows in fields of remorse.

No longer to dream
Of the future
Or hang all their hopes
On tomorrow
Lo, death and despair
Have followed them there
And wrapped all their
Promise in sorrow.

Yellow Leaf

2009-10-09T16:18:00.000-07:00

The sky all grey and smokyA lonely autumn dayI gingerly step outUnsure of how to pray.

A single yellow leaf

Floats across the sky
In quiet desperation

I watch it sailing by.

My heart, in scattered pieces

Soars with the yellow leaf
Though sorrow is my comfort

Its stay here is but brief.

Nowhere

2009-09-23T13:24:00.000-07:00

Feels like I’m floating with no ground to stand on

I’m not here nor there and there's nothing to land on.

Feels like I’m drifting with no hope of landing

So God I just pray you give me understanding.

Where I’ll go next is a big question mark

Don’t know what’s coming or where I will park.

But suffice it to say I'll just trust you to know

Where I have come from and where I will go.

Until then I’ll keep flying and searching the sky

For signs of my future and faith just to try.

Fireflies

2009-08-27T17:56:00.000-07:00

Fireflies leaping on the waters

Like Mother Nature's dancing daughters

Oh fireflies that shine by day

You're dancing now but you won't stay

For in the dark and brooding sky

Your flicker lights will shine on high

Midnight

2009-08-23T17:31:00.000-07:00

Midnight blue in the black of night
Star studded sky, moon shining bright
Waters come rushing, stirring my soul
To heavenly skies, I must now go

The Beach

2009-08-06T13:04:00.000-07:00

White clouds and seagulls

Soaring high and lofty

Teal colored waters

Dancing wild and frothy

Cinnamon sugar beaches

Leave a dusting on my toes

And where the Spirit leads

Like crashing waves I'll flow

Markings in the Wood

2009-07-24T12:21:00.000-07:00

" He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; He took it away, nailing it to the cross." (Col 2:13,14)

Markings in the wood
Some from man's frailties
Some from the hand of God
Wish I understood
Things of humanity
Things of God
Maybe I never will
Could be God breathed
Could be my own
In my own weakness
I fall short continuously
I fall in the arms of God

Palm Trees

2009-07-12T14:46:00.000-07:00

"Cherubim and palm trees were

carved on the wall of the outer

sanctuary." (Ezekiel 41:20)

Palm trees swaying in the breeze
On sandy beaches by the sea
With open arms you beckon me

Your lofty greens, a regal crown
Your trunk a scepter, velvet brown
You dance in nature’s flowing gown

With feathered branches light and airy
Your greenery makes my heart merry
You decorate God’s sanctuary
Oh precious swaying palms

A Tribute to Nature

2009-07-08T16:52:00.000-07:00

Tall green reeds and grasses

Line the river banks

They call out to the masses

From all the earthly ranks.

Stand tall ye wayward greens

Salute the rushing waters

Pay homage to the scenes

Of they faithful sons and daughters.

For 'tis on the mossy hills

And the rocky winding paths

Mother Nature foots the bill

For the wanderer at last.

Memories of Manitou

2009-06-10T15:23:00.000-07:00

I’m sitting in the grassy tranquility of Manitou Park, and as the river gently winds and flows past me, childhood memories come to the surface. This beloved park has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember.

As a child, my dad and older brothers would let me tag along to spend a lazy Sunday afternoon fishing on the banks of the river in Manitou Park. The rhythm of the lines cast upon the water would capture my imagination, mesmerizing this carefree little girl for hours on end.

As I grew older, Manitou became a cool hang-out for all the pre-teen girls on my block. In the spirit of Robin Hood, we would each pillage our homes, forging for anything edible that we could use for a picnic. We longed to be all grown-up, so if we were lucky enough to score some hotdogs or hamburger meat that we could cook ourselves, that made our day. And don’t forget the cheese! No respectable Wisconsite plans a picnic without it. We would shout with glee over all the ‘treasures’ we pirated, and then pedal our bikes to Manitou, with our backpacks heavy-laden with booty. After we ate until we couldn’t anymore, we would lie by the river, letting our minds wander off to the usual things young girls dream of, while we watched the billowing clouds roll by.

I remember one particular Saturday afternoon; we picked the wild white flowers in the fields, tied hundreds of them together in a chain, and carried them up to the train trestle in a funeral-like procession. We hung them from the trestle, and then quickly scurried back down to the bottom, hoping a train would come and carry our hopes and dreams off into the future. We waited for hours, but the train never came.

As I entered my teenage years, I still found myself sitting at Manitou Park in quiet contemplation. One night in particular stands out in my memory. It was the night before my first day of school at Lincoln High. I had spent the last carefree day of summer with Mark, my future husband, and his best friend Ron. We headed home late that night, feeling anxious about the unknown of being tossed into a group of other angst-filled teenagers, to make our way into a very uncertain future.

We weren’t quite ready to call it a day, so Mark pulled his rusty old pickup truck into Manitou, and the three of us sat quietly, side by side, contemplating life as the big, bright moon stoically streamed its light onto the rippling river, reminding us that this night was but a flicker in the grand scheme of life.

The mystery of Manitou still draws me close today. I have passed the torch of Manitowoc’s old romantic park on to my children and grandchildren. They must make memories of their own here. I can only share the legacy of this little piece of paradise that was handed down from the Indians who, in their reverence for this park, named it after this historic city, given the name of ‘Manitowoc’ which means “Home of the Great Spirit.”

The Pine Tree

2009-06-10T10:46:00.000-07:00

“I am like the green pine tree; all your blessings come from me.” (Hos 14:8)

Look at the pine tree, standing majestically,
Its arms reaching out toward those who will draw near.

Look at the pine tree, with resilient needles that are
Affected by neither the scorching sun nor the winter frost.
They do not wither with age, nor plummet to the ground
With the blowing of the wind.

Neither the seasons of life
Nor the storms raging winds
Can shake its foundation.

In the quiet strength of its boughs
It upholds the drifting snow
And the feathered nests of the birds of the air.
Its aromatic balsam symbolizes an innocent life,
And soothes the soul with its fragrant oil.

Take great care in the presence of the pine tree,
For its needles will prick and sting at the touch of the
Unrepentant heart or the careless of spirit.

But for all who seek the mystery of its life giving branches,
And the beauty of the tender green shoots,
He whispers your name:

“Come, let the gentle stirrings of the wind
Dance within you as you caress my soft pine needles
With the tender stroke of a child’s hand.”

Look at the pine tree and be refreshed in spirit,
For He is like the green pine tree.

From the Garden to the Cross

2009-06-04T16:51:00.000-07:00

Let me hide behind the trees
Cover me with greens and leaves
Until with nature I am one
In this garden I’m undone

Cover me with ferns and branches
Hide my sins with second chances
So that I one day appear
As the One who brought me here

It is now in utter anguish
That my heart must fully languish
Cover me so I’m unseen
But as a paltry laurel green

But if in my despair and dread
I were to grace my Savior’s head
Then for this blessing will I live
As a crown for God to give.

2009-06-03T06:59:00.000-07:00

BonBon_029

In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”
Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”

“How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”

The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. For no word from God will ever fail.”

“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.