just like that

just like that
the evening comes with a chill
street lights flicker early
wrap the blanket round
wasn't it yesterday
thought the heat never ended
prayed for rain
now the grey days begin
the last raspberries of summer
still burst on the tongue
flavour of warm days past

what's here was gone
what's gone will come
again

the scent of wood burning
as shadows lengthen
the wind bites
another year is dying
burying missed moments
golden happy hours
perhaps a heartbreak or two
close the door
turn off the lamp
pull the covers close
just like that

front porch

that step still creaks
the roses still sway
and the breeze is sweetly fresh
when i touch the knob
the memories flood
of a thousand yesterdays
picnics on blankets
songs by the fire
the days my skin was less scarred
i remember your laugh
the smile in your eyes
it made everything seem alright
walks in the sunset
stories at bedtime
the taste of a pancake at dawn
the smell of your shirt
the flop of your hair
i'm seeing you right where you were
as i pause on the verge
let the thoughts fly
inanimate careless things
i can't stop the past
from sweeping in strong
but i can kiss goodbye to the hurt
so bravely i come
i'll open the door
thanks for leaving the light on

newness

i'm facing today with my hands lifted high
trust falling into His arms
my eyes are wide open to all that He's done
ready for what comes next
the way that the trees wave praises in silence
seems new in the morning's light
keep silent you hills and rocky crevasses
my lungs are filled with His song
each simple smile or wind through the flowers
speaks hope to my aching heart
for He promises truth though the dark closes in
so i'll hope against hope once more
as children taste treats with superlative joy
so i shout to the heavens
i remember those times when i wept in the night
finding joy comes with the dawn
though i can't see the way from off of this ledge
His wings will carry me
and when over Jordan i finally stand
all will be by His grace
the walls will fall down and the enemy flee
and i'll bow to my knees in awe
what storm are you facing with waves billowed high
you can sleep in the bow
knowing He silences wind with a word
rest in His power and care
He promises never to let your foot stumble
your way is sure and free
awaken each morning His mercies to claim
His presence will guide you through

flashback: August 2014 - Airports

Airports are enjoyable places for me. Places filled with beginnings and endings, goodbyes and reunions. Places that hold the promise of adventures and friends to come.
They are full of harried and hopeful people, people running to a new day or away from an old. They are the embodiment of wait in all its glorious sunny-sky, blue-carpeted, magnificent drudgery.
Small kiosk shops entice over-packed and cash-strapped travellers to indulge in one last gift or souvenir, a tangible testimony to the end of a memory. Distractions abound for the wanderer facing an uncertain future.
In fact, the essence of inability to control anything once you entrust yourself to the machinations of the system transforms me into a child, content to accept whatever the journey may bring. My seat is fixed. I cannot speed the plane, and should it be delayed and I miss something, another route will be offered.
Today I joined a group sending off a friend and ended up being the object of two toddlers' affections. I walked hand in hand, talked, jumped and thrilled at the airport with a Chinese one-year-old and an Egyptian two-year-old.
Together we lived a moment of joy overshadowed by farewell and though they sensed it and clung to me I believe my exuberance and love shielded them from the despair they cannot yet elucidate.
And for me, the love of strong-willed toddlers ministered to my heart in the deep places where I am wrapping my little fingers tightly around the Infinite loving Abba as I totter on uncertain ground to new experiences.
Joy can abound when the way forward is dark.

Ich weiss nicht wohin Gott mich führt, aber ich weiss, dass Er mich führt. 

kismet

what beautiful walls you have

intricately carved with trees

distracting and protecting

from the garden within

why is there no gate

in your walls of design

i catch perfumed flowers

and i long to see more

here’s a space repaired

a door once opened in

now you’ve bricked it over

what caused the closure

where once a pathway stood

did others wander freely

this barricaded route 

would you let me in i pray

i promise i won’t trample

but carefully enjoy

each lovely secret recess

don’t you know gardens

were made to be shared

bird on a wire

the air is tingling with familiarity
yet nothing is how i remember
perched on the cusp of a new day
like a million leaps before
but there's no lion's head here
i know a leap is not enough
no bridge is hiding invisible
instead all i see is space
the wide blue yonder
i'm a bird on a wire
this time i will soar free
sprouting faith is required
beyond anything before
i'm tempted to cling
this weak deceptive wire
when my heart reminds me
each time You provided
way after way after way
how can i stay in fear
when the future is forever
now i'm swaying in hope
You will fill my eagle wings
as i fall giving You my all

shadows on the wall

insubstantial yet beautiful
flickering in golden hues
a dying day's delight
crisp black outlines
blurred by sun's last rays
as if the day were enfolding
its arms to say adieu
beckoning to a substance
just echoed not entailed
it leads me on to glory
to what will come instead
until the sun stops shining
until the night reigns full
i'll yearn to hold the hope
that calls within my soul
don't settle for the shadows
believe a new dawn waits
though soft and so inviting
they but a doorway make
i will bow in expectation
until the morning comes
this faith will never fail
beyond the veil it breaks