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Archive for the ‘Free Verse / Poetry’ Category

Naturally

Posted in Commentaries, Free Verse / Poetry, Social / Political, tagged , , , , , , , , on March 26, 2013| 3 Comments »

How readily we bemoan our condition

Yet how lethargic we are in changing direction

 *

How ardent our cries for justice

Yet how timid our esteem for the law

 *

How tightly we hold to our opinions

Yet how weakly we grasp the truth

 *

How easily we resent those who expect something from us

Yet how relentless are the demands we make of others

 *

How eager we are to speak

Yet how loath we are to listen

 *

How brash we are in our vanity

Yet how crippled we are by our insecurities

 *

How carelessly we forget our blessings

Yet how meticulously we record our offense

* 

How fervent we get about things we cannot change

Yet how languid we can be about the things that are ours to do

 *

How reluctant we are to accept a God who would hold us accountable

Yet how easy we blame Him for the problems of the world

 *

How quick we are to expect grace

Yet how grudgingly we dispense mercy

 *

How voraciously we feed our appetites

Yet how famished we find our souls

 *

How formidable our cynicism

Yet how fragile our hope

 *

So in need of redemption

Yet so unwilling to yield

 

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Soul Food

Posted in Free Verse / Poetry on December 28, 2012| Leave a Comment »

Why are you downcast, O my soul?
And what has caused you to become troubled within me?
Did He not say that His grace would be sufficient for us?
Is there something else that we’re looking for?

Why are you so weary, O my soul?
And what has caused you to become anxious within me?
Did He not tell us that His joy would be our strength?
Is there something else that is fueling us?

Why are you in such despair, O my soul?
And what has caused you to become disturbed within me?
Did He not warn us that “all that is seen” is perishing?
Is that where we thought our help would come from?

If He is for us, who or what can be against us?
If He is with us, how can we be without hope?

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Homegrown

Posted in Commentaries, Free Verse / Poetry, Parenting / Family, Satire, Social / Political, tagged , , , on September 12, 2012| 1 Comment »

There are a lot of philosophies out there about the best way to raise children, but I’ve noticed that the fruit of many of them isn’t particularly worthwhile.  In that vein, I offer the following bit of satire. 

 

 

Homegrown

I tried to give them all the things I never had

And now they feel entitled to everything they want

*

Anytime they were hungry, we’d run through the drive thru

And now they can’t seem to endure anything that’s not fast and easy

*

Whenever we went to the store, I’d get them a little something

And now they struggle with spending money that they don’t have

*

When they played sports, I made sure that everyone got the same trophy

And now they expect the same pay as the people who actually show up to work

*

I taught them that every person gets to decide what they accept as “the truth”

And now the only thing they seem to believe in is themselves

*

Every time they had a bad coach or teammate, I pulled them off the team

And now they refuse to work for or with anyone they don’t like

*

Anytime they struggled in a class, I’d storm the doors of the principal’s office

And now they blame everyone else for their problems

*

I taught them that freedom was their unalienable right

And now they feel like nobody can say anything when they’re wrong

*

I made sure that they didn’t have to work like I did

And now they’re not willing to work like they need to

*

I did everything for them

And now I’m raising their kids

*

I gave them every advantage

And I can’t understand how they turned out this way

*

I wonder what’s going to happen if I ever need their help

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50 Shades of Gray

Posted in Commentaries, Entertainment/Music/Sports, Free Verse / Poetry, Opinions, Social / Political, tagged , , , , , , on July 31, 2012| 1 Comment »

There must be 50 shades of gray

Maybe even more

But they’re nothing more than shadows

And a place to lose our way

*

No one ever sets out to be a hypocrite, or a liar, or a cheat

Yet, every day we find a way

*

It’s not the things we call “evil” that so entangle us

It’s the things that we’ve justified as being “good”

*

It’s the pursuit of “having it all”, that so often costs us the things that matter most

*

There must be 50 shades of gray

Maybe even more

But they’re nothing more than shadows

And a place where we can hide

*

No one ever sets out to be an addict, or a prostitute, or a thief

Yet, every day we find a way

*

It’s not as much a question of our history

As it is the conclusions that we’ve drawn from it

*

It’s ultimately self-deception that paves the road to self-destruction

*

There must be 50 shades of gray

Maybe even more

But they’re nothing more than shadows

And a place for us to perish

*

No one ever sets out to be a pedophile, or a rapist, or a murderer

Yet, every day we find a way

*

Many of us choose to explore our dark side

But none of us ever finds the bottom of it

*

The poison gets harder to detect when you take it one drop at a time

*

There must be 50 shades of gray

Maybe even more

But they’re nothing more than shadows

And only the light can set us free

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Looking At You

Posted in Free Verse / Poetry, Heart of "The Father", Parenting / Family, Personal on June 28, 2012| Leave a Comment »

I see the reflection of your face in the mirror

As you give yourself yet another disgusted look

I can hear that little voice inside your head

As you wonder what I must think of you

 *

But if there’s one thing we’ve never really agreed upon

It’s the question of your worth

You imagine that I simply put up with you

While I think of you as God’s special gift

 *

You see a woman who’s getting older

While I see all the years that we’ve shared

You see the wear & tear of the miles

While I’m reminded of our amazing journey together

 *

You see a woman who’s lost her shape

While I see the mother of our beautiful children

You see all the things you want to change

While I see the things I never want to live without

 *

You say that love is blind

But I say that it has x-ray vision

You say that I am biased

And I wonder why I’d be any other way

 *

How could I separate my heart from all the love that we’ve shared

Or my mind from all that we have learned together

How could I ever look at you like some stranger on the street

And divorce myself from the understanding of who you really are

How could I ever look into your eyes

And not see the soul that has so often touched my own

 *

We are like two old trees

Whose roots and branches have become intertwined

It’s no longer clear where one ends & the other begins

And the only way to separate us would be to cut us into pieces

 *

If you wonder what I see when I look at you

I see love

I see beauty

I see my destiny

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Immovable

Posted in Free Verse / Poetry, tagged on May 23, 2012| Leave a Comment »

Though there are many who claim to know me

There are few who’ve ever seen my face

Though there are many who claim to seek me

There are few who are willing to turn or listen

*

Though I am very old,

I am not concerned about being out of style

And while I am set in my ways

I cannot validate your accusations of intolerance

*

Indeed, I am unyielding

But what is the value of a sword that bends at the armor of its adversary

Or a shield that succumbs to a fiery arrow

Or an anchor that lacks the strength to grab hold

*

My pillars were built to protect you

But you flee them as though they were a cage

My wings were meant to shelter you

But you prefer the cover of darkness

*

I come to set you free

But find you ensnared in a lie you’ve named “freedom”

Without me, you are a prisoner of your own mind

And a slave to your selfish impulses

*

My banks were meant to bring you cool fresh water

But you’ve chosen to live within a swamp

You’re waist deep in your own filth

And sick from drinking of the mud

*

It is my heart to help you

But I cannot waiver to your will

*

I am not compelled by your eloquent arguments

Nor manipulated by your tears

I am not impressed by your tantrums

Nor am I swayed by the latest opinion poll

*

I am not damaged by your slander of my character

Nor offended when you “dislike” my status

I am not lonely when you “un-friend” me

Nor intimidated when you picket outside my door

*

You can choose to ignore me

But I will not go away

You can choose to disagree with me

But it only makes you wrong

*

“I Am” the “Truth”

I was in the beginning

I will be in the end

And I will not be moved

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The American Spirit

Posted in Commentaries, Free Verse / Poetry, Social / Political on March 2, 2012| 1 Comment »

Despite the Judeo-Christian principles that our forefathers weaved into the fabric of a once fledgling republic, I believe that a spirit has emerged throughout the development of our nation.  That spirit could rightly be characterized as the “American Spirit”.  Some might suppose that this could be synonymous with “The Holy Spirit”, but I feel certain that it is not.

 *

The American spirit:

*

Demands that there be justice

But it disdains the limitations of the law

 *

 It reveres the abstracts of tolerance & unity

But it mocks those who dare contradict it

 *

 It craves power & authority

But refuses to yield to them

 *

The American spirit:

 *

Admires the concept of truth

But prefers the art of rationalization

 *

It believes that it is blessed to give

But it would much rather receive

 *

It appreciates good sportsmanship

But it exalts winning at any cost

 *

The American spirit:

*

Is passionate about its ideals

But it holds nothing as truly sacred

 *

It is willing to acknowledge God

But it refuses to fear Him

 *

It is an inherently religious spirit

But not a holy one

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Who Are You Looking At?

Posted in Free Verse / Poetry, Heart of "The Father" on January 31, 2012| 1 Comment »

In the pre-dawn hours of the morning I find myself at the sink

Splashing water in my face

And as I catch a glimpse of the weathered visage in the mirror

I can’t help but wonder what it sees

 *

Does it see a husband?

Or just a man who has a wife

 *

Does it see a father?

Or just a man who has children

 *

Does it see a man of genuine conviction?

Or just a man who is self righteous

 *

Does it see a man of true character?

Or just a man with manners

 *

Does it see a man who speaks the truth?

Or just a man who can be good with words

 *

Does it see a “follower” of Jesus Christ?

Or just someone who has adhered to the “Christian” brand

 *

Does it see a child of God?

Or just a man who holds religious beliefs

 *

Does it see a man who is truly being transformed?

Or just a man who has cleaned up his act

 *

Does it see a man that is filled with God’s own Spirit?

Or just a man who is filled with his own ideas

 *

And as I stand

Struggling with who I may or may not be

The Lord plainly says

“You’re staring at the wrong face”

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Beautiful Truth

Posted in Commentaries, Free Verse / Poetry on January 12, 2012| 1 Comment »

If you come to me

I will try to tell you the truth

But I must warn you

My story is likely to change

 *

You see, the things that I hold as true today

Aren’t necessarily the same as they were a year ago

And if I keep growing and learning

It follows that they will be different a year from now

 *

It is not truth that is changing

It is my understanding of it

It is not my desire for honesty that is growing

It is my capacity for it

 *

As a young man I thought I had a grasp on truth

But now I see that the truth is too big to hold in your hands

The human mind cannot fully wrap itself around truth

In fact, it is truth that wraps itself around our minds

 *

The truth is like a mountain

Too thick to be penetrated

And too heavy to lift

Ultimately, all we can do is journey towards its shrouded summit

 *

It is made of solid rock

And we can choose to build upon it

Or fall upon it

Or have it fall upon us

 *

It is a foolish man who believes that the truth is somehow subject to him

Or moved by his disapproval

Who thinks that he might bend it by his will

Or outrun it in his strength

 *

To some the truth is terrible

And to others it is beautiful

But regardless of our perceptions

Ultimately truth will prevail

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Diary of an Angry Protester

Posted in Commentaries, Free Verse / Poetry, Social / Political on January 9, 2012| Leave a Comment »

Here’s my take on some of the recent protests.
*
This is the hour of our discontent
A defining moment for our generation
It is a time to stand and demand our rights
A time to shout from every street corner
*
Where is our piece of the American Pie?
Who will pursue our happiness?
This is supposed to be the greatest nation on earth
Where is the prosperity we were promised?
*
We believe that every generation should do better than the last
And that our kids shouldn’t have to work as hard as we did
We believe that education is the most important thing
And that teachers ought to do a better job of motivating our kids to learn
*
We believe that the government should do more for the people
And that it shouldn’t cost us more in taxes
We believe that corporate America should provide good, high-paying, non-polluting, jobs
And that they need to keep prices low for us working people
*
We believe in:
Global Warming
Instant credit
No down-payment
No interest for one full year
The convenience of a drive-thru
Weight loss, without diet or exercise
Relationships, without commitment
And in “Just Do It”
*
We don’t believe in:
Smokestacks
Standing in line
Waiting our turn
Doing without
Being told “no”
The daily grind
Growing old
Or that the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few
*
We want:
Free WiFi
Tax breaks
Paid vacations
Cost of living increases
Affordable health care
High yield, no risk, investments
Early retirement
And the rich to share their wealth with us
*
These desperate times have spurred us to action
As angry words fill our blogs
We are creating websites about our adversaries
And camping out in the public squares
*
And if all of this fails to bring about a change
We are willing to go even further
Like initiating an international Twitter campaign
Or maybe even a boycott of Starbucks
*
The revolution has begun!

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