preparation

take this iron prophet

go to the brook

Cherith

a hot-forged knife cutting out impurities

as sharp wings etch air

coal-dark

carrying bread

and the brook Cherith cuts

quenches

until time for the refiner’s fire

Zarephath

the place of widow’s faith in

ever-renewing bread

and prophet’s pleading for resurrection

till purged

tempered

faith honed to razor-edge

to cleave hearts to worship

the fiery prophet

climbs Mount Carmel and

calls down God’s

fire

.

(1 Kings 17:2-24, 18:36-38)

Cherith means ‘cutting’, and Zarephath means ‘refiner’s forge’.

late

with a shake of inexpert wings

he thrusts

dark neck rising

from water to slickness

gingerly testing an unfamiliar surface

one wary step

another

webs digging in

caution personified

as he realizes

thin ice is the signal to

fly

now

traveling

gone

all gone

red stars of maple

supple trails of willow

feathery tops of white grass

all gone

flown away with the

southering geese

into the pink-edged wings

of late clouds

resigned to November

when November comes

i look for stark beauty

sere golden reeds

rippling to the reflected blue edge

of an overcast sky

a single scarlet leaf

caught

in an empty branch

the ancient high calls

of a v-wedge of dark birds

escaping the frost

naked trees spiked on a

burning sunset

and the faint silver music

of a lonely cold

star

Apple Blossoms

.

apple blossoms spangle chestnut hair

a smile crinkles a soldier’s face

a beautiful shower for a beautiful girl

the kiss goodbye

all she can see are apple blossoms

 .

two springs pass

another letter written

enveloped with apple blossoms

don’t forget

i am waiting for you

 .

the telegram

missing in action

the letter returned

missing in action

inside apple blossoms dried dead brittle

still sweet-scented

hope

 .

fall and winter waiting

come bitter spring another telegram

the body (his body)

will be sent to you

 .

old graveside apple tree

flaunts new bloom

apple blossoms star the folded flag

on his face they lie like fragrant tears

or a kiss

goodbye

1000 words of November

This is about how I feel right now.

 

lost

we desire life

clinging

digging our nails in we fight and are

overwhelmed

the original hopeless cause

.

we dream fountains and elixirs

everlasting youth

heroes semi-divine

granted immortality

clones

cryogenics

time travel

.

we imagine life after death

zombies

vampires

ghosts

revenants

restless spirits

haunt the

edges

of our minds

(why if we want to live

are our images of

living

after death so

frightening?)

.

or on a religious front we believe

a spirit floats to

heaven or

sinks

to hell

never mind the text

“the dead know

nothing”

.

all this because a

snake

twining around a tree

hissed

“ye shall

not

surely die”

and we swung around

ears pricked and rushed to

death

with hands held out

(forgetting we’d had immortality

before)

.

we will not fathom or accept

the long sleep

the end

so we do cling (self-blinded

stubborn) to a

lie

.

and the snake

laughs

.

.

I believe that when you die, you sleep — no consciousness, no wafting to heaven, nothing.  Your body turns to dust and you know nothing until Jesus’ second coming.  For more in-depth information, feel free to go here or here — a much better explanation than I can give.

so sad!

Les Mis is coming to Minneapolis and tickets *start* at $97!!! :’( and that’s for the nosebleed section. I definitely don’t have enough money to support my highbrow musical tastes. Pooh.
On the bright side, I’m still eligible for the SPCO’s 20-30 club. $10 tickets for any seat, any concert Only 9 more years though till I have to have enough money to pay full price…

*www.i-need-a-money-tree.com*

All Hallows Eve

the days shrink

the night frays the edges

a little more

every morning

the sun is later

deeper shadows and darkness is

coming

.

flowers wither

stems straggle and trail

brown

limp

the year grows cold

so tiredly

.

“do not go gently”

.

time to remember

to make our nests warm

pull our memories around us

this laughter

those tears

that life

wisped away in the smoke of burning leaves

.

in the shadows what waits

in darkness we know nothing

ghouls

monsters

goblins

we give face to

fear

of our own mortality

.

“do not go gently”

.

let the dark trickle in

an impulse

a choice

a flood of the other side of us

and one more light is

gone

.

better to cling to light

turn towards day

the morning star

not the wicked red points of

eyes

in the dark

.

when we see the hovering shadow

as the year creaks to the end

do we choose to fight that

darkness

or embrace it?

allow evil within the walls

or turn and cast up a defense

of light?

.

“do not go gently”

.

“Stay with us, Lord Jesus; it soon is evening, and night is falling.”

what i’ve been doing

28 songs scanned

8 quarts of tomato puree canned

and 3 pints of apple butter canned

1 large pot of apple butter cooking

1 messy church cleaned — or at least enough for now

2 classes taught (1 good 1 bad)

1 post-observation conference and the accompanying paperwork (grr)

2 piano lessons

1 pot of stew made — and eaten

1 pot of beans cooking

5 loads of laundry done

1 grocery shopping list done — almost!

5 books read

now…

back to clean the church some more!

 

That is all.

(except that it wasn’t all today.  Some of those were yesterday.)

 

Is this a poem?