posting poetic prose
17 Apr 2019 9 Comments
in free verse, story Tags: crucifix, dust, flame, heaven, hymn, island, pyre, smoke, towers
Dark-vowelled smoking columns aspire ruin
as dust-tongued, forested roof caves innavely;
water-spoken island surrenders to timbers
of flamed and lillified heaven-circling pyre.
Aghast of tragedy, fire-dwarfed gargoyles are
hearting a tear-culled Paris in hymnally tone
to dignify bell-voiced ash of towering ages;
above rubble, The King’s cross, power-gilded stands.
Linking to dVerse poetics with Laura Bloomsbury and loving the hyphenate-coined words by poet Dylan Thomas (as featured in my poem).
29 Nov 2018 7 Comments
in free verse, scripture, worship Tags: angel, annunciation, flame, glory, messenger
At heaven’s high command,
a white-hot beam of purest light
penetrates time and space
to touch our tiny blue planet.
In a peasant cottage,
silence is muted by
an alien presence; the
whispering whir of mighty wing.
Flesh crawls with palpable terror
as the dazzling creature, a holy flame,
fixes its piercing gaze on one
wide-eyed, trembling maiden.
“Do not be afraid.”
Surprising, melodious words
uttered by molten-gold messenger
to an ordinary girl who pales
in wonder, what can this mean?
Glory’s courier speaks favor—
words of prophets coming true
Spirit of I AM will overshadow you,
virgin chosen to mother Messiah.
Her eyes lower, palms sweat,
as dry lips answer from her
wildly-beating, totally yielded heart,
she burns but does not disintegrate.
“I am the Lord’s servant.”
(Originally posted in 2012 as “advent: trial by fire”; later, expanded and focused. I was privileged to read this at our church Christmas Eve service 2016, 2018, 2019!)
22 Mar 2018 22 Comments
in free verse, scripture Tags: breath, eternity, flame, keeper, life, soul
And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. -Genesis 2:7 (KJV)
the soul
is a spark
is a flicker
is a flame
lit by holy fire
fanned by living breath
exhaled into existence
encoded in DNA
embodied in flesh
enveloped in love
to live
to learn
to laugh
to lament
until death separates.
never extinguished
ever released
to an eternity of life’s choice:
with or without the Keeper of souls.
Inspired, in part, by the scribblings of the beautiful souls who are dVerse Poets.
18 Jul 2017 30 Comments
in quadrille Tags: children, faith, flame, light, love
when faith fails,
humanity refuses the Light
rebel hearts and minds
enveloped by darkness
devolve to beasts.
seek stranger sex but
cannot commit to love;
civilization crumbles,
children are crushed.
when wind blows,
flickering flame will
be snuffed out…OR
burst into blazing torch!
Connecting with dVerse Poets for 6th Anniversary and “flicker” quadrille (44 word poem) prompt.
18 May 2017 20 Comments
in list poem, scripture Tags: flame, hope, petrichor, rain, swan, tomato
Sharing with dVerse…fits earlier prompts for list poem and sensory play.
hope smells
like fresh petrichor
of welcome spring rain
hope tastes
like first juicy tomato
of sun-ripened summer
hope sounds
like migration call
of swan o’er autumn field
hope feels
like flickering flame
of log in winter hearth
For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.
(Romans 8:24-25 ESV)
a poem in my pocket 