Inspiration

Beyond the sugarcoated nuserynameled rhymes,
Wands no longer waving, castles in decline,
Past the golden carrots lemmings love to follow 'round,
Dreams of ease and riches now in pieces on the ground,
When Lucy and her diamonds are seen nowhere in the sky,
Puff the magic dragon's taking Chantix on the sly,
When Mister Rogers sends regrets he cannot be your friend
And Captain Kangaroo elopes with Mr. Moose's twin,
You may awake to find you're not in Kansas anymore,
Surrounded by the jungle's heat you hear the Lion's roar,
All these things, though good intended, serve as launching zones,
Take the leap of faith and find the Life behind the koans.

Lurking in shadows a sadness has been,
A moody reminder, paradise lost,
A spoiler that spins thick webs of chagrin,
Bleak sepulchers stinking, "GUILTY" embossed.
And lying therein, with days passing by,
Fading remembrance of transparent skies.

While life continues, bleak baggage and all,
Around sunken anchors water still flows,
Bringing a current of hope, a call
To waken a will ensconced within woes.
Can strength be mustered, chains be breached,
Web be unraveled, surface reached?

In anticipation of life unchained
A door may appear, Heaven disguised?
Hope lives that it leads to a life unstained,
Fear grows that it harbors more joy denied.
Will freedom reward all those who explore,
Or deeper despair, deeply deplored?

To think there's a chance that Heaven will ope

Creative decay happens...
A mammoth of the forest falls
A path for sizzling sunlight appears
Tender shoots respond, grow,
Feed on the fallen, recycling the years.

Creative grief looms...
A mountainous emotion zooms
Testing
Arresting the will
But, in the end, stilled
Perseverance crests the hill.

Creative worry calls...
Bottomless stress
Unsettledness
Wall of despair, ball of dismay
A puzzle with pieces missing, mislaid
Much can be gained from the angst, the rune
Humbled, refocused, head bowed, heart tuned.

One evening recently a dear friend and I sat talking about the fact that though she was praying and seeking God for clear direction, she seemed to receive no answer and couldn’t “see” the way she was supposed to go. As I listened to her, it became clear to me (isn’t it always easier to see/hear God’s direction for someone else than for ourselves?) that God had her exactly where she was for a specific purpose. She was unable to see where God wanted her to go next because He had called her to hide (and rejoice!) for a season under the shadow of His wings.

And can it be
The canopy of God's blessings
Extends out to me,
Even me.

And what is man
That you are mindful of him?
A fleeting breath
A whispered prayer
There...and then gone.
His days are numbered,
Joys can be few,
Perhaps you are mindful of him
So that, in kind,
His mind can be full of You.

Just what would happen, God,
If nations turned to you,
Loved like brothers, sisters,
Did as they'd have each do?

What if greed and gain
Resigned as highest quest,
What if each bare soul
Were seen as honored guest?

The courtrooms, echoed halls,
Would close for lack of use,
The homeless, hungry, heckled,
Would slip the stalking noose.

Veritas and valor
Could once more live in schools,
Replacing pulseless pallor,
Devitalizing rules.

Kids could fall asleep at night
Knowing in the morn
Their parents, married, kept the light
Of love safe through the storm.

It's just a dream, of course, I know,
And futile as the Wind
That blows throughout the world in hope
The madness would suspend.