shards of glory

shard, a noun, related to the word shear, to cut off when a verb or, when
shear, a noun, a strain in the structure of a substance produced by pressure,
when its layers are laterally shifted in relation to each another
shifted, broken, many pieces jumbled
on this the eve of remembering my first breath
i'm awed
amazed by glory
some memories in the mosaic
stained glass of my life
sparkle, undimmed
others cut, leave me breathless
still bleeding
yet i step back, take a walk in the Son's light
see that without Him it's senseless
but with glory the shards
coming together
catching His light
are beautiful because
He is beauty
so i can laugh in the midst of pain
i can rejoice in my Maker tomorrow
He holds my hopes in His hands
one day these shards, produced by pressures
will melt together in transparent loveliness and
glory, a noun, high renown or honor won, a halo worn in heaven
magnificence humbly received now offered back to the Author if it all

on the familiar road

where have you been?
don't you understand?
we thought
see, he was unlike anyone
we mean, there have been teachers before
but he was special
we thought
miracles
not just those but also his words
burning inside
we thought
as if every dream in our hearts
were finally coming true
our day had come
we thought
all those broken places would be
worth it somehow
all would be made new
we thought
but we were wrong
in one tragic moment
everything
we thought
changed
and he died
our hopes died
what we thought
died
but now
the whispers say something new
we don't know what to think
what are you saying
could that all be true
that all is made new
we don't know what to think
but our hearts are burning
stay
break the bread
we think we need you
can you be here yet gone?
can You just be?

weary days

one less hour of my life
sucked away,
      as the count said to Westley
so how is that saving me anything?
the sand's already running through
my clenched fists
      the hourglass beyond repair
the faces around me behind windshields
lined with smiles that don't quite reach
from lash to lash
and i wonder what i'm saving
      less, rest, less, dreams
the sun rises regardless of the race
regardless of the hands that try to grasp it
i measure time but is it really measuring me?
it marches relentlessly
days stuffed full of doing, busy
     are those hours i want back?
"my heart is aging i can tell,"
as Rich sings my heartstrings
let these burdened days become wings
let me learn again how to sing
though hard pressed on every side
let me find a way to say
    "as You wish"

baby steps again

what's the lesson you're learning today
what's the part that you're given to play
when everyone's gone
and you're standing alone
what are you going to say?

how do you stay on your feet
how do you make each end meet
when all the balls fall
and there's no one to call
can you keep off of the street?

maybe it's blessed that you see
when your strength isn't all it need be
you come to the end
all you need is a friend
who can come to your rescue quickly.

His grace is sufficient today
is the one thing i'm learning to pray
when stress fills my cup
and i want to give up
i'm finding the strength to obey.

what's the end to this story i'm writing
what's the end to this battle i'm fighting
if i know Who wins
and He's conquered my sins
then my dreams of the future are bright'ning. 

Valentine's Part 2

theme: breakup

i woke up this morning with you
in my head and thought to
call to hear your voice and
in the delicious warmth then
came the icy thought
that stopped my heart
no more
you will not call nor will i
for we are no longer
in a moment the small word
three letters
fell
and carried with it
all the hopes and
dreams of our future so it is
no more
and painfully true comes this
thought that you
who i loved
chose to walk away
so i will stay alone
in this sunny room while the
chill grips my heart
until i think of you
no more

Valentine's Part 1

(this 14 February i decided to pull some poems from the archives. the first was written over 5 years ago and the 2nd as part of an assignment--not related to anything i was going through at the time. i thought as i re-read them they both fit on this day to celebrate romantic love. enjoy)

if this is love
the smiles the laughs
the way you talk about your past
the memories i never shared

if this is love
the way you spin me close
your words weaving spells
those eyes that sparkle

if this is love
comfortably near you
a mind that reads mine
dreams trembling on my tongue

if this is love
it's harder than i dreamed
more amazing than a sunrise
a high price worth it all

spring thoughts

spring has come
again
another year has turned
tender flowers slowly open
surrounded by green grasses
drinking in cool showers
the scent of daphne on the breeze
the valley blooms
beneath frosted mountains
the brown drought a memory
held only by dead trees
i marvel at transformation
such beauty makes me giddy
its fragility
only enhances
poured out with abandon
for the joy to come
though love be crushed
rejected and denied
the reminder of spring comes
new life awaits
though forsaken
though buried
love will triumph