post-Christian nation
still wrestles with her past sins
may God have mercy
america the beautiful(ly broken)
23 Nov 2022 1 Comment
in senryu, Uncategorized Tags: america, mercy, sins
aki no koe (autumn’s voice)
21 Nov 2022 18 Comments
We’re grateful to live where autumn ripens into a real season. Fields of corn and soybeans dry, then die to be harvested by hungry combines. The trees shed their modest summer greenery and commence puttin’ on the ritz in shades of russet, rich brown, gold, and burnt orange.
We’ll admit to overdosing on pumpkin: picked from pumpkin patch, decorating our doorstep, carved into jolly jack-o-lanterns, made into moist muffins or perfect pie, sipped as pumpkin-spice flavored coffee or chai.
We all enjoy sitting closer with family or neighbors around blaze of bonfire, roasting sticks in hand, as the sun goes down. Even the dogs and cows put on warmer coats.
when outdoor temps dip
make s’mores in microwave
marshmallows puff up
Linking to dVerse poets where Linda Lee Lyberg hosts autumn haibun. Photo of my grandson who is 3 today!
life is brief
04 Nov 2022 5 Comments
in haiku, scripture Tags: breath, life, mist
we’re but passing mist
our lifespan a breath of God
shadows seen through fog
James 4:14
disconnect & despair
08 Oct 2022 7 Comments
in lament Tags: communication, fear, integrity, intimacy
whose eyes are windows to the soul
why do dark orbs seem lifeless?
where does one go to find comfort
when look away, turn inward?
cannot escape matrix of mind
confused thoughts circle nowhere
conflicted feelings cloud the heart
consequences prove painful
leave parents; later, spouse and home
lean into self-reliance
learned fear of real intimacy
lest empty self be disclosed
force cannot move one to love or
form friendships deeper than surface
for communication requires
foundational integrity
______________
Traditional Mongolian Meter requires quatrains written in lines of 7 to 8 syllables, each line head-rhymed with alliteration being a prominent element of the form. Grace at dVerse explains a head-rhyme as being “the first consonant of each line matching.
in real time
05 Oct 2022 18 Comments
in Uncategorized Tags: dreamers, older, poetry, remodel, retirement
retirement arrived
finally unexpectedly
what does it mean??
too tired / put on new wheels
older & wiser (we can hope)
still too young to die!
(Lord willing)
got some good years ahead
to leave lasting imprint
(or learn at last to listen)
golden & embolden
dance a brave attempt
who cares / what
people think
be the real (old) you / me
restless dreamers
remodel our lives
unparalleled
committing
random acts of poetry
interlude
02 Oct 2022 Leave a comment
autumn’s lost robin
standing guard in our back yard
protects last apple
transition takes time
28 Sep 2022 2 Comments
in rhyming verse Tags: boxes, home remodel, moving, treasures
“so when is moving day?”
some people want to know
for us, it isn’t just one day
we like to move in slow!
a year ago we purchased house
(now it’s been even longer)
as we remodel step by step
the feel of home grows stronger
first, old windows must replace
peel popcorn from the ceiling
plain doors and cupboards to remove
each mess we make needs dealing
a crew comes in to texture,
ceilings and walls they paint
we’re trying to retire…
do all ourselves? we caint!
design a stone face fireplace
and nail barn wood on wall
saw, stain and poly (bases covered)
new cabinets installed
meanwhile, back at farmhouse
i’m organizing stuff that
we’ve accumulated over years
past time to say, “enough!”
to pack in box, give, throw away
can be hard to decide
when love is moving memories
old treasures offer ride
each time i drive to new house,
i bring a little more
basement done, put books on shelves
down there full boxes store
plank floor, appliances are in
it’s time to move the rest
sons and wives take many loads
you know, they’re just the best!
it’s taking time to organize
(waiting on dining set)
he builds a shed, re-does garage
no, we’re not finished yet!
yo is a saint, bro!
18 Sep 2022 5 Comments
in latin formality, the roman
catholic church names saints:
Augustine, Teresa, Peter, Francis,
but we protest(ants) read our
Bible as saying we’re all saints
(all who believe, anyway) yeah,
you…you…you, and me, too!
thattsa holy whole lotta sainthood
sooo y’all (all of us livin’ in da ‘hood,
that is), let’s live…gotta live alive!
live in the light of the knowledge
that we, yes, WE (you and me)
reflect the very Glory of God which
we see in dear face of Jesus Christ!!
and remember now, it’s HIS glory
(not our own) so live humble-like
‘cuz we’re just jars of clay holdin’
the most precious treasure, the
Holy Spirit…jars fired in his kiln
and offerin’ his light to dark world,
go on now, bro, let the light SHINE!!
___________________________
Inspiration from sermon by Pastor Tim Ouwinga (entitled “Called to Be Saints: Humility) and 2 Corinthians 4: 6 & 7…and my bro, Dale.
heron’s haunts
14 Sep 2022 9 Comments
in ekphrastic Tags: abandonment, death, gloom, loneliness, marsh
crickets ‘n crawdads sing off-key
in surreal dream left condemned
on river surrounded by marshland
of carolina’s backwaters…look away
like empty windows that stare coldly
as lonely boat cradles dead body in
hull…cut memory loose, let it drift
through mind’s dark tunnel beyond
plaster and bricks’ clayed dilapidation
Written in response to d’verse ekphrastic prompt featuring art by Lee Madgwick. The previous evening, I’d watched the film, “Where Crawdads Sing,”based on book by same title.
smellybean…then eat!
26 Aug 2022 6 Comments
in poem for children, rhyming verse Tags: candy, jellybean, sweet
“Love, but be careful what you love,” (Augustine)
if you ever have an extra jellybean
whatever flavor is fine to my bellybean
juicy burst of sweetness tastes swellybean
but one’s not enough, we can tellybean
let’s go down to the local delibean
and buy biggest sack they sellybean
brilliance
23 Aug 2022 2 Comments
in haiku Tags: clouds, glory, God, morning, sun, sunrise
morning sun breaks through
rain clouds radiate glory
God smiles with favor
c’mon, man!
19 Aug 2022 2 Comments
in rhyming verse Tags: Afghanistan, Biden, border, national debt, president
Mr. Biden, see southern border?
we do believe in law and order
you must protect Americans all
and finish work of building wall
immigrants need line and gate
but now pour in without restraint
since you’ve extended invitation
drugs/sex traffickers invade nation
and what about Afghanistan?
your evacuation had no plan
abandoned friends to awful fate
left weapons there (terrorist bait)
Afghan women’s rights now gone
children’s school studies done
cut short dreams of future bright
Al-Qaeda’s back, ready to fight
all you know is how to spend
another billion, when does it end?
we taxpayers must pay the bill
for national debt we cannot fill
a president without a clue
stumbles over word and shoe
I do not like to make a fuss
but two more years may ruin us!
a poem in my pocket 
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