carousel

down by the river
that some can't pronounce
old painted horses
get ready to dance
someone's nostalgia
preserved their wood hearts
so kids can come ride
if their iPad is dead
around and around
with benches between
up and down
at a pace quite serene
for those who can pause
leave the merry-go-around
laugh like the child
they left far behind
its garish paint pairs
with music of tin town
and none can quite say
what that is about
who's twirling who
around and around
a break from the spin
on an old painted horse
getting ready to dance

burning

a red sun rises in a smoky sky
a dying world fallen prey
to consequence-free people
o my land what have they done?
my heart aches for your stately trees
once a sea of green far as sight
now embers and blackened trunks
the outcome of supreme thoughtlessness
i've lost my escape ring somewhere
there is no longer an exit from Jadis's world
toil and trouble, smoke and ash
i must find hope under this sickly sun
forgive even the worst of these
know in time i will find the door
leave forever this wounded life
come further up and further in

let go

i'm finding there's an echo
in the corner of my mind
just when i think i've caught it
it's nowhere i can find

although it resonates
as clear as any bell
my mouth can't form the letters
its meaning none can tell

i hear it in the heartbreak
of every dear old friend
and in each stranger's smile
with problems i can't mend

i'm learning how to listen
to what i can't explain
and find the grace i know
still flows through every vein

for every futile effort
to mend this broken life
is now a chance to see
the way to end all strife

i'm finding there's a hope
apart from you or me
the broken veins can't lie
there's truth to set us free

gardening

i swear i pulled that yesterday
its leaves now start to show
i didn't get the root
and stop it thus to grow

i swear i watered faithfully
that lovely little flower
so why is it all wilted
and dying more each hour

i swear i pruned that rhode
to keep it in its space
but now its little neighbour
can't see the sun's warm face

i swear the work just never ends
here in this growing garden
my back is sore my fingers ache
for whining i beg your pardon

i swear i'd rather let it go
and sit and watch tv
'cause is there anything to fear
from things i cannot see

i swear the years turn quickly
some three or four are past
the blackberries crept along
the house succumbed at last

FACT: Himalayan blackberry (invasive species in USA) can eat an entire house in 3 to 4 years.

"You were running well; who hindered you from obeying the truth? A little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough." Galatians 5.7,9

midsomer

i've been round the world
just a couple of times
seen heartache and beauty
even witnessed some crimes
my back has been pierced
by a trusted friend's blade
and try as i might
the memory's stayed
seventy times seven
so noble and grand
but hard to walk out
as if i had planned
when words burn like ice
in the hot sleepless night
i think of what's next
if i'm ready to fight
can my heart still believe
as i step on in grace
that love covers all
with a peace from His face
i know what it cost
my own sin and wrong
so i choose Him each stumble
in His strength i'm strong

pensive

Achebe's title resonates in this
fallen world a herald of things
to come like the handle on the
third drawer down or the person
walking out of my life and I
wonder that any of it can
surprise me but inside the
caged bird still serenades
the blue yonder she will
never see and hopes for shadows
yet to come and I place a few
more treasures in the open
kerchief before knotting it
securely to the polished stick
another day another charade
helping lives torched by crises
keeping my peace until the
whistle sounds and my time
here ends though I know not
what dreams may come I sagely
see the hand dealt and trust
He knows each step of my
journey on and while goodbyes
never get easier I choose to
treasure what is good and
leave the rest where it lies 

when it's raining

i'm smelling woodsmoke
in the air
feeling drops upon my skin
a thousand piercing sensations
remind me of a place i once called home.
how did it come to this
when did i think i could
figure it out
make it work
be loved
the ache in my side
like rainy arthritic pain
but younger fresher throbbing
what's missing in the fall
verdant gardens barred

i'm seeing blurred faces
hearing the soft pitter-patter
on my windshield
the myriad of memories
burning home the truth.
when i found Him i could
lay my hopes on His
strong shoulders and know
rain comes and goes
His love endures all heartache
those buried dreams
missing in colder days
waiting behind a gate
i've yet to walk through
still ahead

so bring on the drops
i'm laughing precipitously
the day will come
when all is made clear