Micropoems

I am embarking on a project to write poetry for at least 5 min a day. I am choosing random words from my magnetic poetry collection to inspire me. Today's word is "charm" and here is today's poem:

Charm

I wear a ring as a charm
to remind me to be bold
To be myself, to hold myself
in highest regard

To remember my compassion
my heart, my humanity
To help me love beyond myself
and reach out to those in need

What happens when I can't sleep

Occasionally, when I can't sleep, I write. This might turn into a song:

In the city,
I walk,
There is both light and shadow.
The buildings,
Are tall,
Casting all these shadows.
And I rest,
In the shade in the day,
Where there are shadows.
Like the other lonely, needy, souls,
Who find rest where there are shadows.

I dunno. Interesting idea, yes? I might have it in me to write another verse for this one.

I am now going to drink some decaf tea and try to get at least four hours of sleep. I feel depressed and tired just writing that. With minimal sleep tonight, here's hoping for a good night's sleep tomorrow!

Another Lullaby

Every once in awhile, I get a good idea for a song. Last fall, I participated in sort of a Bible study wherein the goal was to create something artistic in response to a Psalm. The psalm our facilitator chose was Psalm 91. For that project, I collaborated with another musician in the group to write a song, which turned out great! I wish we had time to record it.

That being said, I had originally wanted to write a lullaby based on this Psalm. Last night, I think music and lyrics finally came together. That, and I wanted to write a lullaby for my friend Laurel and her new son. I had written one a few years ago when her daughter was born and I wanted to continue the tradition.

I'm going to visit this weekend and I know Laurel and Daniel are going to love the song I wrote for their son.

Here are the lyrics:
Oh child, close your eyes and sleep,
I am watching over you,
Rest in the shadow of my wings,
I hear your cry,
But do not fear,
Have no fear,
I am here

You can get a preview here. But shhhh! Don't tell! It is going to be a surprise!

The Music in Me

Concentrating
But not thinking
My fingers move of their own volition
My body tenses
My mind is free
The physicality of memory moves me
Outside myself, but inside
the music encompasses me

Reflections on my younger self

When I was young, I was:
an adventurer, a trail blazer,
an obstacle course builder and conqueror
a high swinger, a wave jumper, a wind runner

I was an artist, a sculptor
a creator, story-teller and performer
a composer, a believer, a dreamer

I wanted to be found.
I wanted to be a friend.
I wanted to be alive.

Partial Christmas Song

Home again on Christmas Eve
My brothers hang lights on the tree
My sister sings while I play
carols on my guitar.

We all sing on the way to church
It's the only day all year

We light our candles
raise them high
Sing about a silent night

We sing
O Silent night
O holy night

Simple Autumn

Verse 1
In autumn
The leaves change
I stand there
Contemplating
The wind blows
My face gets cold.

Verse 2
In autumn
The leaves fall
I stand there
Colors swirl 'round
I see them
Red, Orange, and Brown

Chorus
In autumn,
Nothing stays the same
In autumn
All the colors change
In autumn, In autumn
Everything will change

Verse 3
In autumn
I see how
Everything can change
The night grows longer
But there is
Hope in change

Chorus
In autumn,
Nothing stays the same
In autumn
All the colors change
In autumn, In autumn
Everything will change

Ending
But there is hope in change

One Lane Road (redux)

On a journey…

It has been said that the path is straight and narrow,
but this road I have taken has unexpected turns
As it clearly lies before me
The asphalt undisturbed
Someday this path will lead me home
Because I know that God has guided me
To this one lane road

(Originally published 7/30/04)

Lullabye for V

Peace, peace, rest in my love,
Sleep, sleep, close your eyes, little one,
When darkness falls,
Do not fear,
Precious one, I am here

The Last Leaf

The last leaf on the maple tree
Looks lonely to me
Holding on
With regret that it cannot hold on much longer
"If you let go,"
I tell the leaf as it shivers in the winter wind,
"You will fly."

Orion

Orion keeps me company when I walk at night,
We are old friends, Orion and I.
His presence a familiar solace,
When my thoughts are heavy.
The hunter chases my anxiety away,
And if he shoots his arrows they fall as stars,
Fiercely blazing against the dark,
Leaving marks of hope upon my heart.

Walking

Someday my friend,
We'll go walking again,
Talk about where we've been,
What we've seen,
How we've grown,
What we've learned
As we walked alone,
And how much better
It is to walk together
No matter where we go.

Summertime

On this wistful August day,
I watch the sunset in sadness,
Knowing that summer is slowly fading away.
The whimsical breeze grows cold,
As the chill of fall takes hold.
With regret I wish,
This once,
That it would last a little longer...

Summertime

Haiku

Tired and lazy
Not a good combination
Caffeine anyone?

Adversity

For D-

God has a plan
We don't always understand
We are called to perservere
And do our best
Without fear of failure
or the future
or the unknown.

Sometimes our dreams die in spite of our best efforts
Because they are OUR dreams, not God's.
It is through adversity we learn to succeed
Knowing that we can do nothing,
And that we are broken
Because then we learn that our success is not our own
And is given to us by God alone.

And sometimes, when we think all is lost
Yet trust in Him who is infinitely able,
We achieve more than we could have dreamed,
And count it a miracle.

Unresolved

On a sunset walk
We had good conversation
Shared some laughs
Made some observations

But then
I got analytical
You thought
That I was being critical...

Well, that was never my intention
This miscommunication
No time for explanation

Only awkward tension...

But then you called
To apologize and make amends
But things
Just haven't been the same since then
And I
Just want to know if we can still be friends...

______________________________________

It's hard for me to let it be
I know I need to let you think it over for awhile
But don't take too long
Because I really like your smile...

Blue

Cellos sound blue.
Blue like the depths of the ocean
Sweetly, nostagically blue
Brought to life by a bow drawn across strings
Even happy sounds have sadness lurking beneath
Much as the sea happily winks on the surface
But is serious and darkly blue
down below
in its heart of hearts,
where few have ever been
or are likely to go.

Hope

I hurt because you are hurting
I do not have the words to help
And I do not envy your broken heart

But I do know that because you are strong,
You will grow stronger
Your love will grow wiser,
And your faith, deeper

Do not lose hope
because God loves us more than we can ever know or imagine.

Prodigal Son

For you, Ryan, who requested to see more kids songs on the blog...this is a song I wrote:

Once upon a time
A long time ago
There was a kid
Whose dad loved him so
But he got so tired
Of being told what to do
So he told his dad,
"Give me my money I'm leaving you"

His dad got a sad, sad, look on his face and said,

"Okay son, but I just need to say...

I will always love you
No matter what you do
Whenever you come home again,
I'll be here waiting for you.

The kid took his money
And went into town
Bought lots of stuff
Had lots of friends around
One day he found
All his money was gone
All his friends left him
He wound up feeding some hogs

He got a sad, sad, look on his face and said,

"I wonder if my dad told me the truth..."

I will always love you
No matter what you do
Whenever you come home again
I'll be here waiting for you.

The kid thought to himself,
"Well, I know my dad
I'll beg for a job,
And he'll take me back"
So he started home
And when he got near
His dad cried out,
"Son I'm so glad you're finally here!"

His dad got a glad, glad, look in his eye and said,

"Cook a feast, we're havin' a party!"

I will always love you
No matter what you do
Whenever you come home again
I'll be here waiting for you.

Life, perhaps...

On a journey…

It has been said that the path is straight and narrow,
but this road I have taken has unexpected turns
As it clearly lies before me
The asphalt undisturbed
Someday this path will lead me home
Because I know that God has guided me
To this one lane road

---

So Ryan tells me:

Okay this has nothing to do with your post. I was just thinking if life is a journey and God is in control, are you taking detours, or is God leading you through the scenic route? Enjoy the beauty of the day and the trip as it will be a long one :)

Yes, the journey is long. I think God is in control, but I can't help but take detours sometimes. I always wonder, am I making the right decisions? Or is this all a part of God's plan? Can God use me in spite of myself? In spite of my bad decisions? Or bad choices I make in life?

I really do think that God can use us no matter where we are, and brings us back to the correct path when we make wrong choices. Hopefully I learn from my mistakes, and continue to walk more confidently on the road he has set before me.

Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path...