Category Archives: Poetry

My poetry. Mostly Collects

“You will continue to take chances and be glad you did.” – Fortune Cookie

And so I will continue to buy my lottery ticket
to the good life every time I fill up for gas.
Not in the hope of striking it rich someday 
but more in the knowledge that, with
the opportunity to remove the thinking cap
I wear on a daily basis, I will better
be able to see my next dance steps with life.

“…and a branch shall grow out of his roots.” – Isaiah 11:1

Holy tree in the forest,
whose roots descend into the ground 
further than the reach of the nimblest of fingers,
in these beginning moments of winter
when the first feel of the chill wind numbs
and surprises us into awareness,
turn our being still into preparation,
not only for the long season ahead,
but also for the seasons yet to come
where fruit follows flower following bud.
Amen.

Color in the Morning

Sometimes the best statement 
said about God is left unsaid.
The good news to be declared
can be done so by the rising sun
rather than with words which bring
any distant look back from the horizon.
Taking care of the present moment
is the best way to take care of the future.
Notice how the moving ripples
made by a hastily thrown stone 
on the surface of a once calm pond
move outward together in time.
The mind will find relief whether
intended or not.  Recognize when
awareness can be given a rest.
Be glad in continuing to take
chances where the treasure 
remains unknown.  There will be color
when the flowers open in the morning.

“How can an age which is so devoid of poetic imagination as ours be truly religious?” – Reinhold Niebuhr

Perhaps people hesitate now before shedding the blood
which atones for failures, indiscretions and ignorance.
In hesitation, comfort can be found while taking away
any sense of the poetic dance moving between lines.
When was the last time any of us fell to our knees
begging for the cup of death to be removed?
We need that fall before we begin to write new poems.

Insights

Revelations for the ages
can be found at the bottom
of garbage cans.

Beware of writing which reads,
"There is no love in this book."

Decisions between relationship 
and judgement should never wait.

Perhaps we are put on this earth
to help one another live with the 
questions.

One can never live with integrity
and, at the same time, let God
off the hook.

To Uncover

Front porch sitting is the best kind of sitting
for discerning the simple from the complex.

Diamonds live along the roadways of the journey.
Moses took years before deciding on his path.

Let the little ones crawl on their way to finding
what interests them most in the moment.

Not all clues need to be discovered.  Some
are best left for the children to uncover.

Cherish the friend who knows the difference
between sharing and listening with the heart.

Then, and not only then, will you find support
for each other on the long walk towards home.

More Clues

Outside you go -
And if you are able
Look on the table.

Since you're outside
Look by the slide!

Go to the porch
That's the thing!
Could you find a clue
Near the swing?

A piggy by the door -
Is it in the back?
Holds another clue
For you to track.

Inside again,
Take a deep breath.
A clue awaits
Under a blue toy chest.

Watch Snow White,
And Peter Pan, too!
Under a chew toy
A clue waits for you!

You are almost done -
Two "Poohs" wait for you
In Balyn's room
Is a treasure for you.

               - Cynthia Nelson

And he did the same with the cup after supper… – Luke 22:20

Holy Host and Divine Server,
who shares a table with no boundaries,
break the bread of life in our midst;
lift the cup of salvation to our lips;
for we keep scrambling to satisfy
our security needs with little time
to tend our need for truth 
which can carry us into the next age
where want and need
and where wants and needs
come together in one cup
from which we all drink together.
Amen.