Judith

I see in Master’s paint thy Art intent

And hear through ancient pane thy voice content.

Judith, has thy work, painful labor, spent

Brought thee peace; Understanding, even yet?

What seest thou, Woman, that thine eye enthralled,

Is so keen to cut through this earthly pall

And pierce the Veil of being, uncovering all

Inside that fills Man’s rusting love offal?

With stare and wonder that smiles dangers hide;

Rapt, curious, thou calmly set aside

Translucent layers of his lovely guise,

Until Truth, piece by piece, lies undenied.

Holofernes, late, saw beauty - amazed,

And overturned, he dreamt thy mind dazed

By rich wine, smooth form - not Calling obeyed.

Judith, what Hope lies ‘neath thy shredding Gaze?

_________________________________________

Judith Beheading Holofernes - Caravaggio

Go Back Home

I been yearning for a walk-about; 

Ready for a change – time to

Move along,

Pick it up and put it down, head out for the stars; the Big

Long Gone.

I been traveling for a billion years, 

Riding a hard old rock. It’s such a

Long, long trip.

But I can tell that now I’m here, that it’s time to head

Back home.

Gonna leave here someday -

Go it alone.

Maybe live in the wilderness

Where the water falls.

Maybe be the first one on Mars;

The last one alone.

Gonna leave here someday –

Go back home.

I been burning through this world all right; 

Red eyes in a trance – trying to

Make it by;

Lit it up and hit it hard, spread out on the plains; set fields

On fire.

I been going on my murky way; 

Trying to stay intact; to hold this life

Together.

But there comes a day I’ll get tired, Son, and I know that time

Grows near.

Gonna leave here someday -

Go it alone.

Maybe live in the wilderness

Where the water falls.

Maybe be the first one on Mars;

The last one alone.

Gonna leave here someday –

Go back home.

______________________________________________

Lyrics for my friend Brad Koehn's song "Go Back Home", April 26, 2015

Original poem, "April Fools" , April 1, 2015

Earthquakes, Volcanoes, and Springs

It’s raining again - April in Denton.
I’m shaking again - quakes in old downtown.
The world is smoking – Chilean volcanoes.
And I still got nowhere else to go
To get away from thoughts of you
And find some peace.

Light’s dripping again – filling the big bowl.
The roof is leaking – shakes are getting old.
I’m still asking why he attacks my soul,
But I still got no one who loves me so.
Just can’t take my mind off of you
And find some peace.

Water is falling again – it’s raining me in.
I’m dreaming again of mountain springs.
Flint’s breaking again – wilderness of Sin,
And I still got no fox hole to crawl in
To hide from a life without you.
I need some rest.

Chorus
I need some rest amidst the storm
Some comfort from my troubles.
I need to sit with someone warm
And enjoy
Some peace in all this turmoil.
______________________________________________
April 24, 2015

Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord,
at the presence of the God of Jacob,
who turns the rock into a pool of water,
the flint into a spring of water.

(Psalm 114:7-8 ESV)

Am I a Slave?

I wondered aloud,
Am I a slave or am I a freeman?
Who holds on to my leash
And won’t let me go?
So, I turned around
To see I was dragging a loved one
To be sold outside the gate
For a few shekels.

She Welcomes You

You, who fed her and you who did not,
You, who watched her play in the fields and kept her safe,
You, who just watched, spit, and laughed,

You, who shamed her and you who did not,
You, who sowed her pretty dresses from ugly sacks,
You, who told her not to come back,
She welcomes you.

You, who took her with you everywhere,
You, who taught her things she never wanted to know,
You, who should not have let her go,

You, who left her when she needed you,
You, who found her song and taught her to sing better,
You, who sought to stifle her spirit,
She welcomes you.

You, who told her to trust their kind plans,
You, who betrayed her; placed her in a filthy pen,
You, who freed her from all your sin,

You, who hypnotized and shocked her mind,
You, who tied her hands and then forced her in the van,
You, who sat for hours; held her hand,
She welcomes you.

And
You, who married her; became her hero,
You, who carried her when she was broken,
You, whom she rescued without you knowing,

She welcomes you.
Grace and peace to you,
Brothers, sisters, friends,
Who loved her well.
Doctors, officers, cruel men,
Who abused her – well,
Grace and peace to you,
She welcomes you.
Truly, she does.

_______________________________________

On behalf of my mother, her heavenly Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ; by the blessings of Grace carried to the hearts of the saints through the power of the Holy Spirit; and in honor of this, her birthday, I want to sincerely welcome you to the Kingdom Feast and the peace she enjoys by virtue of the forgiveness of sins.

Sepia Sunset

Sepia sunset -
Can you taste it?
The Light is like
Golden honey spread thin
On hot bread.

Congratulations, Dustin

Well, old friend, I heard you reached

A goal that most will never see,

The full repair of all you own; each

Mower finally has its filter dust free.

And for all your work you should be proud

Though wisdom says never to say aloud

That your to-do list is looking kind of empty

For free-loading spirits lurk in every crowd

And who knows but they might hear

That now you've got some working gear.

So, congrats, friend, and do you think tomorrow

I might drop by just to say hi and borrow

A few things to put in your aired-up wheel barrow,

Like well-oiled chainsaws or an unloaded trailer?

Some full-loaded nailers or a shotgun-not sawed off?

Perhaps some wild kid clothes or your chipped-dish washer?

What I’m really looking for is one of those fancy sweet-potato unmashers.

And look, friend - if you don’t mind, if you’re able - throw in a few

Six-foot folding tables or maybe that now-clamping wood workbench.

And how about that not-worn-out-wire-rope cable?

Really be best if you already had that wrapped on the winch.

Congratulations, Dustin.