Back in Time

Walking along the ancient canal towpath fills my mind with thoughts of years ago . . .

Early morning walk, going back in time

Autumn’s breath creates thoughts, filling with rhyme

 

Trekking along canal’s ancient pathway

Thoughts caress past moments, plenty to say

 

Gentle breeze, sending leaves twirling on down

Mind arrives at different time and town

 

Dreaming . . .

 

More simple times, without high tech living

Days invite, delightful and forgiving

 

Riding bareback along this old canal

Looking for trees to climb with school-age pals

 

Fishing one final time, nearby pond waits

When icy winter comes, change to ice skates

 

Creepy, storm-filled nights, reading classic prose

Edgar Allen Poe’s words, scary shadows

 

Looking for literature’s lighter themes

Whitman, Hawthorne, Melville adding to dreams

 

Quiet evenings filled with family time

Gathered around for radio’s primetime

 

Crisp, fall afternoon, gridiron titans clash

College football rivals looking to smash

 

Romance blossoms, courtship takes center stage

Life filling with sweetness, each turning page

 

Back to reality . . .

 

Journey runs into closed gate at Rager Road

Turning around, grateful for time borrowed

 

Looking forward to walking here real soon

Fondest memories, let them sing a tune

 

A quiet place for fishing, conversation, and winter ice skating.

Life Winks Back (Haiku Series #102)

Novel Approach

Hero’s life seems stuck

Unanswered questions abound—

Pausing, writer’s block

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Exhausting Day

Feeling overworked

Watching over eager lad—

Guardian angel

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Motivated

Running to the bus

Excited for his school day—

Pizza pie for lunch

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Grace from Above

From Micah 6:8:  “He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?”

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Filled with mercy and love

God’s Word becoming flesh

Grace and truth, Christ proclaims

Spirit comes to refresh

 

God’s message resonates

Resist dark temptations

Gives grace to the humble

Receive His salvation

 

Believing in Jesus

Saved by “Amazing Grace”

Love transcends from above

Light shines upon each face

 

Doesn’t look for our faults

Our Lord never keeps score

His grace given freely

Loving us, evermore

 

Transformation through faith

Raising life from the dead

Unfathomable love

By grace, and blood Christ shed

 

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From the words of American pastor and Christian author, Charles Swindoll:  “Grace operates apart from the response or the ability of the individual.  Grace is one-sided.  Grace is God giving Himself in full acceptance to someone who does not deserve it and can never earn it and will never be able to repay.”

Our Father’s Treasures (Haiku Series #101)

Good Shepherd

Leading precious sheep

Rod and staff always comfort

Caring tenderly 

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Invitation

Call upon the Lord

His love fills with righteousness—

Accepting His Grace

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Cherish

Our Father is near

Safeguarding our hearts and minds—

Rejoice in His peace

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Living with Patience

From James 5:11:  “Indeed we call blessed those who showed endurance. You have heard of the endurance of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful.

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Totally unexpected, overwhelming

Lingering cracks appearing along life’s road

Tripping, stumbling, and finally crashing down

Shattering confidence, from life’s heavy load

 

Floundering, drowning . . . caught in river’s rapids

Endlessly swimming, lost at pool’s deepest end

Feet never finding firm ground, dour fear arrives

Replacing life’s daylight with night at each bend

 

Life’s turbulence teaches us lasting patience

With the Lord, with ourselves, and with life’s curve balls

Fumbling life’s slippery game ball once again

God’s love sends patience after every fall

 

Endurance of Job, life’s journey shall require

Living with patience, frees us from each briar

 

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From Galatians 5:22-25:  “By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.  There is no law against such things.  And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.  If we live by the Spirit, let us also be guided by the Spirit.”

Journey with God (Haiku Series #100)

Faithful

Daily walk of faith

One step after another—

Following Jesus

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Go High

Love be genuine

Feed enemy with goodness—

Overcome with good

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Found

Lost in wilderness

God’s GPS brings us home—

Walk never alone

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Monday Memories: Silent in Darkness

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Sitting in darkness

Feeling so lonesome

Dealing with sadness

Silence still fearsome

 

Waking at night

Harsh dreams exist

Silent images in sight

Dark visions persist

 

Feeling infinitely restless

Nearly every day

This mind will confess

Nothing but gray

 

What voices speak

To a lonely heart

No one to greet

Needing a restart

 

This world filled

With eerie muteness

No longer a thrill

Never a kindness

 

Who hears at all?

Silence sadly grows

Landing with a fall

No embers glow

 

Forget this life

So long ago

No more strife

Waiting to go

 

Too much “stuff”

To deal with

Darkness is enough

This life drifts

 

Special love lost

Many years ago

A ring is tossed

Away it goes

 

Empty, shattered heart

Now freezing cold

Alone in the dark

No longer bold

 

My Lord, my God

Bring light to bear

Be an awesome God

Help one to care

 

In total blackness

Of a lost night

Words of brightness

Feeling so right

 

God’s truthful voice

Speaks loud and clear

Brings a perfect choice

No longer in fear

 

Cutting the quietness

Like a warm knife

God brings sunniness

Saves another life

 

Falling to knees

Now in prayer

Sad emotions flee

This soul cares

 

Kneeling at the Cross

Laying down sins

Repentance, now costs

Accept Christ within

 

Beholding Christ’s Salvation

Help to break out

Heart fills with elation

Lighting a shout 

 

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Wisdom for a Lifetime

From Proverbs 2:2:  “Making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding.”

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Pursuing God’s Holy truth

His hand keeps life’s fires burning

Fear and respect the Father

His desires always churning

 

Guarding life’s path of justice

His knowledge opens our minds

Preserve lasting faith and hope

God’s persistence always binds

 

Seeking God’s honest insight

His love preserving our hope

Witness both past and future

His view from stars’ telescope

 

Offering life a fresh look

His mercy brings a new day

Hear God’s blessed instructions

His dominion lights our way

 

Accepting God’s sacred Word

His wisdom enriching lives

Treasure Holy commandments

His teaching forever thrives

 

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From the words of American pastor and Christian author, Charles Swindoll:  “The thing we have to do in our walk with God is to listen carefully from day to day.”

Beyond Compare

From the words of English novelist and poet, Mary Webb:  “Nature’s music is never over; her silences are pauses, not conclusions.”

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Creation’s wonders, lasting treasures

Beyond compare, by any measure

 

God’s unique Spirit molds, creates

Earth living as His domain, first-rate

 

Forests dazzle with matchless beauty

Witness to our Lord’s sacred duty

 

Animal species roam, some quite rare

Others appear to be everywhere

 

Distinctive flowers color the land

Their music soothes, like any jazz band

 

Unequaled majesty reaching high

Rugged mountains climbing to the sky

 

Creatures with their eccentric pursuits

Actions showing off, fun attributes

 

Man taking note of what God has done

High praises, He stands second to One

 

One and only one master designs

Each day, smiling at His nature shrines

 

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From Genesis 1:29-30:  “God said, ‘See, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit; you shall have them for food.  And to every beast of the earth, and to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.’  And it was so.”

Life’s Ebbs and Flows (Elfchen Series #30)

Needing Patience

Morning

Internet outage

Experiencing suspended animation

Blank screen stares back

Stuck

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Breathe

Perfection

Constantly searching

Patience wearing thin

Never will be content

Impossible

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Precious

Always

Forgiving everything

Kind and compassionate

Never holding a grudge

Puppy

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This series of poems (written in the German-inspired style of Elfchen or Elevenie) shares a total of eleven words in each poem, with a sequence by line of one, two, three, four, and one words.