Poems

For more of my poetry, visit The Island in the Middle of the Afternoon  .


A poem I wrote as an assignment for an art class(!) about an aesthetic experience. (2009)
To a Little Friend

The whirring of tiny wings,
   six miniature feet touch my hand.
I smile, delighted to make a new friend,
   a friend, although it is so small.

Such a tiny breeze you make,
   and how you tickle my skin!
Such a delicate little creature,
   yet one that is so little appreciated.

The little fly bends forward,
   as if it was a dog, smelling for food.
Its simple actions, cleaning itself
   or exploring my finger, touch my heart.

A fairytale tells of a quest
   for a dog small enough to fit in a walnut.
It seems such a waste,
   for a fly is just as simple, and very small.

Jet black, with a body almost invisible,
   it is so small and vulnerable.
Let me protect you,
   here is my hand for you.

Tiny fly, thank you for bringing
   the simple pleasures of life to me.
Your little life has no troubles bigger
   than scavenging for food.

You fly away from me,
   but soon you are back,
Wanting to be loved,
   just like us big creatures.

I long to stroke your back,
   but you are too small.
Let’s touch fingers instead,
   so I don’t crush you.

Perhaps it may seem strange
   to be so touched by an insect,
But you bring my heart such joy,
   simply because you are alive.

A reverence for life is a wonderful gift.
   It gives magical lenses
Through which I can see
   all the wonders of the world.

Little one, you are so perfect!
   God took great care to craft you,
Each wing, each antenna formed
   with the greatest skill in the world.

Your six legs, in perfect symmetry,
   your teardrop-shaped wings,
Antennae thinner than a pencil stroke,
   All of you small enough to fit in a seed.

Little fly, if God formed you
   so carefully, if He loves you so much,
How much must He love me,
   His very own child!

Think of the skill of the Master’s hand,
   forming all of His creations,
Small and great, it makes no difference,
   for He loves them all.

He makes no mistakes,
   but carefully guides each one of us,
Hoping that we will someday see
   how precious we are to Him.

Thank Thee, God, for this world,
   I thank Thee for wind in my face,
For peace that soothes my heart.
   Thank Thee, God, for tiny flies.

Yes, God IS there; I've felt Him. (2009)
Thy Arms

As I wake in the night,
I feel thee there,
Thy arms are twined around me;
As I rise the next day,
Thou art there, too,
Lifting me to heights that astound me.

When I lean on thy arm,
I need not fear harm,
For I am carried by thee still;
All that thou asketh is for me
To trust myself to thee--
To let my life conform to thy will.

Written for a friend, jeru24. It is also for all who feel alone. (2009)
Angel

All alone,
I sit and cry.

Who is there?
I feel a touch
On my shoulder.
Now I feel arms
Circling me, firmly.

Who is there?
I see no one,
Yet the feeling
Is so real.
I am not alone.

Who is there?
Why can't I see?

I'm here, child.
I am one to be felt,
Not to be seen.

I'm here, child.
I am light and truth,
I am love.

I'm here, child.
I love you.
I watch over you.
I am an angel.
You are not alone, child.
You are never alone.

Thoughts composed on a train (2011)
Thoughts Composed on a Train: 1/21/2011

I have lived a thousand years
   in what seems a single day,
I have known joys and fears
   clear as the sun's new rays;
Yet, in a thousand years of pain,
   one thing is clear to me:
I have been the one to gain
   from all that has come to be.

A psalm of Mariah. (2010)
As the fields in famine-time

As the fields that are cracked in famine-time
Thirst mightily after water,
So do I, which am an humbled,
Thirst after thee, O Lord.
My soul longeth for thee
And desireth the living water
To be poured down upon me.

O Lord, thou art my God forever.
My hope is in thee,
As the night hopeth
For the sun to rise in the morning.
So do I long to see the Son of God
To return with heavenly glory this day.

Imagining Charlotte holding our baby sister. (2010)
To Two Little Sisters

     Tick, tock, tick, tock.
Time passes
   a second at a time,
         then minute by minute,
                 day by day,
                             year by year.

         You were once
         tiny in my arms,
         but now you hold an infant
         so clumsily.

         She's your baby sister.
         Do you like her?
         Shall we keep her?
         I see you smile.

Time can be so fast,
                          years speeding by.
     But sometimes it is only
                 a day at a time,
         a minute at a time,
   one precious second, treasured forever.
Tick, tock, tick, tock.

This is a rondelet. A rondelet has one stanza of seven lines, with a rhyme scheme of A/b/A/a/b/b/A (the capital "A"s mean that those lines are repeated) and syllable counts of 4/8/4/8/8/8/4.(2012)
New Song

Praise ye the Lord!
Sing, all the earth, joyfully sing:
Praise ye the Lord!
Sing, heavens, in one holy chord!
Sing of our Counsellor1 and King,
Sing of the grace He died to bring,
Praise ye the Lord!

Footnotes
1  Here, I'm using the spelling of "counsellor" found in the King James version of the Bible in Isaiah 9:6, which reads, "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace." If you have listened to or sung Handel's Messiah, you will probably be familiar with this verse.