Faith, Hope, Love

Faith awakes from ancient dreams,
Calms the winds, hears our screams,
Stands to reprimand the waves,
Speaks—you need not live as slaves.

     But we reside in holes and haunts
     And crumble ‘neath desire’s taunts. 
     Offered playground swings on chains,
     We close the sash and wait for rain.

Hope, a hungry fire starts.
Sparks fly to light our hearts. 
We long for heritage and glory,
To be the hero of our story.

     But pallid lips quaff bitter brews;
     We search the dregs for any clues. 
     The vestige of our stumbled path
     Winds through weeds and down to wrath.

Wearing bold and vital colors,
Setting blazing wild fires,
Love, though we may never say it,
Bests our fine and whited harlot.

     Yet we, our remedy, resist;
     We wipe away our Lover’s kiss. 
     We hesitate before the altar
     Scorning freedom’s final offer.

Four Haiku on Hide and Seek

Out of breath
Into blooming shrub
Sister follows

 

In the closet,
a heap of shirts, shorts
and expectance

 

Blind count
Gritty fingers depress
The sneaky peeks

 

Fireflies
See you face down
In the periwinkle

Quotations: Forgiveness

From the book Gilead by Marilynne Robinson.  The character John Ames (a 77 year old pastor) reflects on his struggle to forgive his godson (the son of his pastor friend).  He has previously described his godson as mean.

…I spent the time thinking how it would be if Jack Boughton [John Ames's godson] were indeed my son, and had come home weary from whatever life he had, and was sitting there still and at seeming peace in that peaceful night.  There was a considerable satisfaction in that thought.  The idea of grace had been so much on my mind, grace as a sort of ecstatic fire that takes things down to essentials.  There in the dark and the quiet I felt I could forget all the tedious particulars and just feel the presence of his mortal and immortal being.  And a sensation came over me, a sort of lovely fear…(read more)

Beautiful Girl

Beautiful girl, you draw me.
I anticipate.  My eyes gaze,
like on a starlit night—they rise
to your skies and remain.

Though I am sometimes stuck
in the city you still appear, still
come through.  I look for you.
You are more than mere light.

So take me tonight, take me
to that country place.
Go with me to that dark freedom
and give me your full glory.

Let us lie close.  Bring a kiss.
Capture me with your bright face.
The stars are at the window;
They are drawn by our embrace.