Another airport
Airplane’s absent arrival—
Audible anguish
Beauty beckoning
Bouncy, boundless bonanza—
Bubbling brook below
Creative chaos
Curious colossus climbs—
Construction conceives
A tautogram is text in which all words start with the same letter. Historically, most tautograms are written in poetic form. The above tautograms are written in the Japanese-inspired style of Haiku.
The inspiration for this poem comes from an essay written by William E. Farr, “Troubled Bundles, Troubled Blackfeet: The Travail of Cultural and Religious Renewal.” This essay is part of a larger collection of writings that link Montana’s past with its future in the book, MONTANA LEGACY.
Facing an uncertain world
Life asking questions of “when”
Intertribal wars threaten
Hostile danger setting in
Preserving Blackfeet culture
Each passing generation
Saving sacred heritage
Hold for next generation
Ritual artifacts cache
Spiritual lives won’t rest
Supernatural visions
Medicine dreams will attest
Honoring warrior life
Holy treasures speaking out
Collected and safeguarded
Sacred bundles carry clout
Filling with key elements
Common and natural sought
Feathers, hides, shells, horns added
Teeth, wood, bones . . . each with a thought
Passing on these rituals
Mother Earth, Creative Sun
Guarding life’s sacred relics
Legacy, father to son
Gentle breeze blowing
Autumn leaves fluttering down—
Fading memories
Pollen count drops low
Refreshing air we now breathe—
Morning rains arrive
Morning’s early dawn
Fog blankets each creek and pond—
What mysteries wait?
Your mind is a magnet. You don’t attract what you need or what you want; you attract who you are.
Stay in your heart.
From Psalm 118:1: “O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His steadfast love endures forever!”
Rejoice and be glad in our God
His steadfast love endures forever
Giving thanks and praise to the Lord
His goodness shall reign forever
In our distress, God hears each cry
Without fear, we follow His way
His Peace driving away our fears
His Mercy filling up our hearts
His voice calls us to His refuge
Our confidence rests with the Lord
His Word comforting our sorrows
His Love healing our many wounds
From Psalm 118:24: “This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.”
His Holy Son, our cornerstone
Salvation arrives at the Cross
His Grace delivering His love
His righteousness covering sins
God, the Father, blessing Spirit
Through His beloved Son, Jesus
His Wisdom showing us the way
His Manna feeding hungry souls
God’s infinite strength, our fixed Rock
All foes challenging us . . . vanquished!
Rejoice and be glad in our Lord
His steadfast love endures forever
From Psalm 118:29: “O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, for His steadfast love endures forever.”
When the Lord calls you to an assignment beyond your abilities, rely on what you know about Him and His promises. You will discover that our faithful God always empowers us for the work He wants us to accomplish.
From Deuteronomy 1:30-31: “The Lord your God, who goes before you, is the one who will fight for you, just as He did for you in Egypt before your very eyes, and in the wilderness, where you saw how the Lord your God carried you, just as one carries a child, all the way that you traveled until you reached this place.”
Quiet autumn afternoon croons
Turning crystal white much too soon
Tree’s colorful, festive heart breaks
Collecting endless white snowflakes
Guarded weather forecast tonight
Predicting quickest shot of white
Overnight, all signals splinter
Transforming autumn into winter
Morning arrives, sharing delight
Witnessing a land, white and bright
Massive neighborhood tree now frowns
Missing some branches, crashing down
Silence broken, machines at play
Blowing heavy, wet snow away
Others working as busy bees
Shoveling sidewalk paths, now free
Laughter punctuates winter’s air
Watching children, playing in pairs
City avenues filling with cars
Sliding and crashing, near and far
Winter’s sense of humor snowballs
Spoiling autumn’s last curtain call
But wait, a few days down the road
Coming back, fall’s last episode
Days numbered, autumn’s final turn
Waiting for winter’s cold return
Lurking nearby
Obeying God’s commandments
Filled with His righteousness
Vanquished
Our fears
Life’s every trouble
Praise the Lord’s goodness
Deliverance
From God
Through His Son
Defeating sin and death
Salvation
From Isaiah 64:4: “From ages past no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who works for those who wait for Him.”
Facing life’s dark, endless afflictions
Waiting with patience and new hope
Turning to our Holy, mighty Lord
Reaching for the Spirit’s steady rope
Seeking maturity and insight
Receiving God’s plan, sacred foresight
Witnessing our Father’s faithfulness
Flowing as a gentle river, His love
Nourishing hungry souls from His Word
Touching us, Holiness from above
Continuing to teach, God reaches out
Instilling our confidence, let’s shout
Waiting with patience for our Father
Sending His goodness to those who seek
Filling compassion with steadfast love
Offering Salvation, mercy speaks
Trusting God’s divine wisdom each day
Following His Word, showing the way
From the words of American pastor and Christian teacher, Charles Stanley: “Waiting isn’t easy, but rushing ahead of the Lord can short-circuit His plan. Be patient while God works out the details.”
Seeds sown and watered
Only God provides the growth—
Living with purpose
Through grace and mercy
God offers us Salvation—
Won by our Savior
Trusting Holy Truth
Discovering our new self—
Our true home in Christ
Big Sky Buckeye 