Monthly Archives: February 2010

Boys in the Balcony

Posted on by

They were fighter planes
the size of bubble gum wrappers

We weren’t supposed to chew gum in church
might make us cough and start a chain reaction
might fall out in the offering plate

What if it popped during “hallowed be…”
would that make God angry…

“God,” whose name I could trace with my finger
in the wavy grain of the oak
my mother sat upon so properly
my father so uprightly

Except when a brave B12
one engine out
tumbled from the balcony for a crash landing in
Mrs. Parker’s auburn wig

The pilot nearly died in that fire

 

This poem received honorable mention in the 2007 Utmost Christian Writers novice poetry contest: www.utmostchristianwriters.com/gallery/gallery329.php


Related Images:

Salvation Army

Posted on by

Ring your bells
wring your hands
fingers cling to splintered wood

The handle of the bell
fits the crease of your palm
like a bookmark in a ragged book

Ring your bells
wring your hands

Who will read your story?

(1991)

Related Images:

Bound

Posted on by

I travel the tracks –
steel serpents
bruised beneath my heels

Feet crush rocks,
skip ties,
trip across nails –
heavy spikes, suitable for
the next crucifixion

Broken cross
tie, falling foot
print, my God, my
God, the train’s late

I will
keep walking;
I am
bound by choice

Related Images:

words fail

Posted on by

She died at six days old. I attended her funeral this morning. I’ve been out of touch with the couple for some time and didn’t even know they were expecting until she was born. She wasn’t breathing at birth, had some seizures, and was rushed to the children’s hospital. I saw pictures of her at three days with a tube in her mouth and a cold-cap on her head to control brain swelling. Assorted tubes, wires, machines everywhere. More pictures, lots of beautiful black hair. Glowing baby skin, bright eyes, round cheeks, arms stretched above her head. Then the news last Wednesday.

My heart aches for my friends. They tried for three years to conceive and she was their miracle firstborn. Seeing the father cry as he spoke of the blessing she was… words fail…

I was almost afraid to look at her, but I did; my heart needed closure. Another swell of tears. That sweet little girl, sleeping peacefully in a pale pink dress in a lace-covered white bassinet, will live on. Her heart and kidneys will give two more children hope for life. I will never know the full purpose of her short time on earth, but when I think about the impact of that one act of love… again, words fail…

Related Images:

Walking already?

Posted on by

Trevor Jordan took his first steps a few days before turning 11 months old! So he’s my earliest walker. He’s also my fastest growing weed! Jaron, at age 2-1/2, just recently outgrew some 18-month sized clothing that went straight into baby brother’s closet! Oh how I wish my precious final baby would stay little a few moments longer. Sometimes I try to cradle 5-year-old Melody like I did five years ago and it feels good for my heart, not so much for my back, but the trouble is that she doesn’t even like it. She’s having growth spurts, going to school, using scissors and glue, kicking a soccer ball, reading whole books, cooking with Mom, correcting Daddy’s grammar. I love what my children are becoming but I sure do miss the baby days when they never screamed “no” and ate all the pureed vegetables in the bowl. Big boy Jaron’s terrible fits are subsiding and Trevor hasn’t learned that martial art quite yet, so I do love this phase of our family, but oh, if I could only hold each of them as a tiny newborn one more time……..

Related Images: