Thursday, October 30, 2008

Delusions of Grandeur

We struggle
Pushing hard
For results
Earnest work
Attempting to earn our way
We strive
We are diligent
We are urgent
We are determined
To become
Self-sufficient
Our success, they say
Is determined by our effort
Our failure, they judge
undermines our worth
And yet
Rain falls
On the just and the unjust
Storms destroy
Possessions of the wealthy and the poor
Ships sink at sea
Great ones and small ones alike
Our security
Our self-sufficiency
Our assured survival
Is but a (persistent, comforting) illusion
All of it - every moment
Of disaster
Of good fortune
Of peace
Of joy
Of sadness
Passes through Your Own Hand
We curse circumstances
You allow
We pretend we have some control
Our pride, masking our fear
Hiding our knowledge of our own inadequacy
Prevents us from looking
To the One Who set the Universe in motion
The One Who crafted every last detail
Who Knows All
Who Is All
Who invites our reverent reliance
Our relinquishment of our illusions
In the end, we recognize
You are working it all for our good
And the only real security
Or freedom
Or peace
Is trusting You

Monday, October 27, 2008

Whining in Rhyme

I feel like I've got nothing to say
And lots of words pent up inside of me
I feel like I've got nothing to give
What talent I have flails aimlessly
I feel like I'm all emptied out
And yet, I feel something growing inside
I feel like I'm ready to give up
Still somehow I keep fighting, staying alive
I keep rushing forward then sliding again
I wish I could cut myself a little more slack
I feel ready for something to start anew
To release the old hangups that hold me back

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

In the Seattle Public Library




Light streams in
Through steel and glass
Illuminating humanity
Interspersed among
Voluminous wisdom
Silence broken by
Clicking technology
Soft laughter
Whispered conversation
Scattered about
Absorbing
Creating
Refining
Surrounded by
Works already refined

Thursday, October 16, 2008

John Hughes, You Know Us Well

A contest from Backpacking Dad
Caused poetry really quite bad
So much to consider
(and update on Twitter)
But maybe I've something to add

Remember the scene with the bike?
Long Duc Dong and the girl that he liked?
They are bouncing around
'Fore he lands on the ground
A study in cross culture psych

The girl on the bike is Marlene
She's famous for only that scene
And having big breasts
Not being suppressed
For fully clothed sex (fairly clean)

Marlene's an improbable lover
But that Dong, he desired no other
I hope I'm like her
It will cause quite a stir
If a Chinaman makes me a mother

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

October Morning

Sky like a pencil sketch
Empty of color
Puddles reflect lines of gray
Descending from clouds
Smothering sunlight
Rain keeping time against the window
Distorting
Obscuring
Muting colors
A mockery of Monet in
Army green and sandstone

Friday, October 10, 2008

Louisville Haiku

Old houses creaking
Wind whispers under doorways
Wood yielding underfoot

Tuesday, October 07, 2008

Before Waking

A knock on the door
Opens to a familiar face
Unsure, searching
For welcome
For forgiveness
From the hesitation
Behind the half-closed door
After an eternal moment
Two foreheads rest on
Opposite sides of a door post
Leaning in toward each other
Moving to touch
One step closer
Simultaneous deep breaths
Exhaling apprehension
Slowly inhaling possibility
Stepping around the door
A sandpaper cheek slides
Slowly against a smooth one
Dropping to a shoulder
Breathing in memory
Then pulls back
Eyes meet again
Unsure, still questioning
Answering, one pair of
Hands finds hips, the other shoulders
Lips succumb to gravitational pull
And one foot reaches to close the door

Monday, October 06, 2008

Why, When, Will, If, How, Then, Who

Why do I struggle
Why do I flail on my own
Why don’t I reach up
When I look back
When I curl in
When I stand stymied, straining
Will I ever be
Will I ever know
Will I ever have, forgetting
If only I look up
If only I breathe deep
If only I ask and knock and seek, suddenly
How You provide
How You delight
How You pour Love down and
Then my wheels spin again
Then I grow and learn and move on
Then peace floods into
Who I am because of You
Who I will be because of You, and I know again
Who You are

Sunday, October 05, 2008

Regret in Flames

angry words pour out
waves of fire
gaining speed
lava boiling over from
the abyss of fear
anger scorches earth
turning trust to ashes like
an ancient tree
destroyed by lightning
anger resounds like thunder
obliterating reason's quiet calm
it leaves a solitary figure
crouching in a barren wasteland
suffering and charred
wounded and alone

Friday, October 03, 2008

Four for October

Fall means dark early
Sun rising later, urging
Sleepy slow mornings

Fall means cool breezes
Stirring colored leaves to drop
Crunching under boots

Fall means hot chocolate
Lit pumpkins smiling over
Family dinner

Fall means brisk evenings
Contently swinging on
Porch swings in sweaters

Wednesday, October 01, 2008

On Meghan

she has always made me laugh
it’s reassuring—no matter what
even when I am boiling over
even when I am angry at her

when I am sad or lonely or hurt
she deftly spins words and expressions
into infectious comedy
irresistibly overcoming my best defenses

she is fiercely loyal
do not cross her—this is no joke
she takes me under her wing
and she alone may henpeck

woe to the attacking outsider she detects
she is more likely to forgive
a deep wound to her own heart
than a slight to mine

she wants the best for everyone
even the ones on her enemies list
she sees problems as an invitation
to delve deep and offer the very best solution

she has a wonderful plan for your life
and no fear of sharing it
her relentless helpfulness floats
along the current of her compassion

she keeps me grounded and uplifted
she cuts through even the best disguise
yet her cynicism is often her own illusion
ineffectively guarding her tender heart