Big Sky Buckeye

A writer's journey continues

Deliverance from Troubles

Posted on May 24, 2020 by bigskybuckeye

The Bible offers a rich source of thanksgiving, hope, and deliverance as Psalm 107 inspires the text for this poem.

From Psalm 107:1-2: “O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; for His steadfast love endures forever. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, those He redeemed from trouble.”

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Thanking our Lord above

Seeing His wondrous deeds

His Holy, steadfast love

All humankind, He leads

Overwhelming distress

Crying out to the Lord

Discovering His light

Living by His accord

Bringing us from darkness

Satisfying our thirst

Saving us with His light

Loving us, always first

Filling endless hunger

Breaking these sinful chains

Reaching out to His light

Trusting God, with the reins

Halting all wickedness

Calming all stormy winds

Healing us with His light

Forgiving dark-filled sins

Praising our Redeemer

Hearing cries, not ignored

Delivering His light

Giving thanks to our Lord

Thanking our Lord above

Seeing His wondrous deeds

His Holy, steadfast love

All humankind, He leads

Photo by Miguel Á. Padriñán on Pexels.com

From the words of American pastor and Christian author, Charles Swindoll: “Circumstances occur that could easily crush us. We can hand the circumstances to God and ask Him to take control or we can roll up our mental sleeves and slug it out.”

Rugged Beauty

Posted on May 22, 2020 by bigskybuckeye

Have you ever visited any of America’s western badlands? Some of my travels have allowed the me the privilege to experience these wonders of nature.

A panoramic view of the Painted Canyon Overlook off of Interstate 94 near Medora, North Dakota and Theodore Roosevelt National Park.

Hidden beauty, waiting to be found

Western badlands, ready to be crowned

Nature proclaims its rugged features

Wildlife views from its austere bleachers

Kaleidoscope of creatures around

Falcons, eagles, deer, bison abound

Barren environment, a wasteland

Native tribes nicknaming this “bad land”

Slippery clay gumbo, sinking sand

Fur trappers evade these harsh badlands

Timely erosion unearths treasures

Fossil beds offering up pleasures

Late spring rains transform the quiet view

Green velvet covers buttes, right on cue

Sleeping landscape erupts with color

Prairie flowers dazzle and holler

Brilliant colors reflect morning’s light

Ravines, gullies paint prismatic sights

Another view of the North Dakota badlands. If one looks closely, there is an American Bison in the center of this photo.

My journeys out West have allowed me to visit three of America’s treasured badlands: Makoshika State Park (near Glendive, Montana), Theodore Roosevelt National Park (near Medora, North Dakota), and Badlands National Park (near Rapid City, South Dakota).

Visions of Love (Tanka Series #1)

Posted on May 21, 2020 by bigskybuckeye

A Tanka is a Japanese form of poetry, which is related to its cousin Haiku. The poem uses 31 syllables covering five lines (with syllable counts following a 7, 5, 5, 7 and 7 sequence). An effective Tanka uses personification, metaphors, and similes in its construction, and it performs well in expressing a mood, a thought, or a feeling.

Love fills the cosmos

Dancing among twinkling stars

Destined to shout out

Galaxies singing with joy

Witnessing marital bliss

mountain under starry sky during nighttime

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Love breathing with joy

Smiling with each encounter

Spanning countless miles

Igniting one connection

Nurturing with every kiss

Photo by Gustavo Fring on Pexels.com

Love struggles at times

Drowning in desert valleys

Clawing for ways out

Traversing each mountaintop

Shouting with joy, a new start

Photo by Taryn Elliott on Pexels.com

Serenity’s Rain

Posted on May 20, 2020 by bigskybuckeye

Witnessing an early morning rain inspires the visions for this poem. It is amazing how a view through an open window can bring forth images to write from.

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Replenishing parched, barren land

Serenity’s rain, from God’s hand

Quenching desert’s eternal thirst

Nature smiling, joy now disbursed

Nourishing life with loving pride

Flora and fauna, at God’s side

Touching each leaf, stems from God’s love

Hues of green, colored from above

Singing with praise, birds bless this scene

Creation glowing, dazzling sheen

Sharing splendor, feeling at peace

Morning rain, grants life a new lease

Listening closely, hearing now

God’s serenity, takes a bow

Photo by Sofie Vanborm on Pexels.com

Haiku Series #77 (With God)

Posted on May 19, 2020 by bigskybuckeye

Following

God tells Joshua

Meditating on His Word—

Still crucial today

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His Grace

Being born of God

Overcoming life’s trials—

By our faith alone

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Eternal Hope

Tough times approaching

Trusting, now and forever—

Depending on God

crop sportswoman doing exercise with kettlebell in gym

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Monday Memories: A Whisper

Posted on May 18, 2020 by bigskybuckeye

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Hearing a far, distant whisper

Delicately spoken

Soothing words

Speaking in a special voice

Familiar sounding

Decades ago

Whispering over and over again

Barely audible

Peacefully said

Taking one on a journey

Distant city

Tranquil feeling

Listening for the whisper again

Silence now

Returning when?

Photo by Keenan Constance on Pexels.com

Beholding a New Day

Posted on May 17, 2020 by bigskybuckeye

Our Heavenly Father, we rejoice and humbly receive your precious gift of a new day. Our hopes burn brighter as we give thanks for your blessing of this gift. Amen.

Photo by Valentin Antonucci on Pexels.com

Emerging each morning, a new dawn

Waiting outside our door, neatly wrapped

Walking next to us, God understands

Bringing us love, never feeling trapped

Designing His gift, a new day calls

Witnessing God’s deeds, each day unfolds

Allowing us, to live out each day

Feeling His Grace, hearts never grow old

Guarding us during times of trouble

Opening gates each day, His stronghold

Trusting in God, never forsaken

Singing His praises, humble yet bold

Kneeling and praying, as this day ends

Rejoicing, in all our Father sends

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From Psalm 9:10: “And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you.”

Elfchen Series #16 (Biographies)

Posted on May 16, 2020 by bigskybuckeye

Mark Twain

Writer

Mississippi River

Tom and Huck

Classics of American literature

Humorist

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Louis Pasteur

Microbiologist

French born

Researcher of vaccinations

Saving thousands of lives

Remarkable

Photo by Miguel Á. Padriñán on Pexels.com

John Wayne

Actor

“Stagecoach” fame

“The Quiet Man”

Saddles up “True Grit”

Legendary

Photo by Juanjo Menta on Pexels.com

A Writer’s Way

Posted on May 14, 2020 by bigskybuckeye

silhouette of trees and mountain under blue starry sky

Photo by Sindre Strøm on Pexels.com

Discovering words with something to say

Penning poems and stories every day

Draining cups of coffee, right on cue

Feeling emptiness, like singing the blues

Holding on to thoughts, waiting to give birth

Sailing onward, words waiting to unearth

Painting with dazzling textures, shapes, and hues

Viewing sketches, filling these eyes with clues

Searching for future poems, like twinkling stars

Linking verses while traveling to Mars

Crafting words, really not science you see

Navigating this writer’s mind, feeling free

Seeking prose, lost deep in this writer’s soul

Uncovering a few, making each day full

Looking for stories, over each rainbow

Finding inspiring words, eager to flow

Drinking more coffee, than one should consume

Creating endless text, now ready to bloom

Grasping this pen, creating one more tune

Drafting a masterpiece, ready by Noon

Writing encounters monumental quests

Hoping these words will always pass all tests

Honoring these writing moments, so sweet

Dreaming of fashioning each splendid treat

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Darkness in War

Posted on May 13, 2020 by bigskybuckeye

Eve Conant interviews her mother, who was born in 1934. Her National Geographic article, “Caught between Hitler’s troops and Stalin’s: How one family escaped,” captures vivid memories of her mother living in Kiev when Germans invaded the Ukraine in 1941. This poem attempts to capture the darkness of war, then ending with the light of freedom. This May marks the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe.

brown house on selective color photography

Photo by Matheus Bertelli on Pexels.com

Memories of war, never fading

Dreadful darkness, haunting many lives

Living as refugees, now homeless

Caught between nations, bloody war thrives

Millions facing harsh deportation

Never to return to their homelands

Surviving in freezing factories

Providing labor in foreign lands

Escaping from a train, fate calling

Always moving, life stays on the run

Sleeping outdoors, sometimes in cold barns

Blistered, painful feet for everyone

Witnessing death, in deserted fields

Scars of war, visions never ending

Eyes and ears skyward, fearing warplanes

On the run, danger not pretending

Surviving life’s dark, brutal escape

Recalling this journey’s final trek

Arriving on American soil

Drawing freedom’s card, from life’s new deck

Photo by TheUknownPhotographer on Pexels.com

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Following

His Grace

Eternal Hope

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Mark Twain

Louis Pasteur

John Wayne

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