There’s ne’er a sound upon the street
Not e’en the thump of running feet
One cannot hear the music beat
From cruising cars most indiscreet.
No blaring horns, no clacking sound
There’s only silence all around
I wonder why most city folk
Think country living is some joke ?
I see the frost upon the bough
I know the weather’s colder now
It seems the winter has appeared
Clad in its ever bright white gear!
The clock that’s on my kitchen wall
Marks time through winter, spring and fall
While summer days may melt away
To leave behind each yesterday
With warmth to hasten any claim
To love or joy or hope or fame !
The shards of light sift through the blind
And leave too many threads to find
That weave along life’s weary road
For those who strive with burdened load.
The way is coarse and over done
At times it’s o’er before begun
If we could seek just one more toss
With God, we’ll strike up one less loss !
Oh Lord, oh Lord, I wish that I could be
A little star upon the Christmas tree
That would glow brightly there night after night
From dusk till early morning light.
I’d like to be a crystal ball that spins
And for each time it stops somebody wins
Or if not that a sturdy knight of old
Who rescues damsels in his suit of gold.
I’d rather be a dreamer on a cloud
Than melt away into a busy crowd
But most of all I wish that I might be
Included in God’s blest community !
There are these days that come and go
When pain is all I ever know
It seems I can’t remember how
It used to be before right now.
I simply get too tired to think
And ofttimes tremble on the brink
But I recall that God is there
And hears our every single prayer.
I only hope my timing’s right
Perhaps this will be my tonight
Oh Lord above, look down on me
And share a bit of sympathy !
I glanced out o’er my yard today
To watch leaves slowly drift away
As one by one they sailed on by
A gust of wind made each one fly.
It seemed as though they spoke to me
But silence is their destiny
There’s too much that I need to learn
The list is long, it’s turn by turn.
I often wonder what we’d do
If nature had a word or two
So you and I might understand
What is the message of the land !
How my heart yearns for the days of yore
Before life’s heartbreak slipt through the door
And left behind an unholy mess
That I deal with now without redress
I have learned to accept God’s decree
In its unbending finality !
There is a land where dreams are made
In sunny glen and evening shade
Where every day contains a chance
Again to find life’s lost romance !
Perchance that hope might come to be
Some wish filled with sweet ecstacy
Wherein the heart that knew regret
Despite its pain, learned to forget !
Perhaps for those who’ve passed this way
Our Lord above has made delay
And metered out a final shot
To give it all this life has got !
Oh Lord, dear God, let not my weakness show
Oh Lord above, help all my strengths to grow
I’ve been Your servant for most of my life
Through pain and sorrow, abundance of strife.
You’ve taught me how to be humble and fair
To give all I’ve got and something to spare
The words in my mouth and deeds that I do
All of this my Lord, is a gift for You !
The tender shoots have gone to bed
They chose to doze in spring instead
The cherry trees have gone to sleep
The willows now no longer weep !
All of God’s seeds are taking naps
Avoiding all the snowy traps
The season sure makes one big mess
With slosh and cold, I must confess.
Think of all the joy it will bring
When God appears in early spring
Returning treasures we had lost
To snow and ice and winter’s frost !
There’s so much snow upon the ground
Midst signs of winter all around
The wind is cold and icy breathed
It mixes with the air that’s left !
The signs of warmth rise here and there
While smoking chimneys pierce the air,
Fireplaces through the winter’s night
Will shed their pleasant warming light.
The shadows dancing on the wall
Invite us now to taste it all
With friends and neighbors far and near
So all may reap the seasons cheer !
Where the moon comes over the mountain
And the stars disappear in the sea
There’s a statue rains in a fountain
In a special place they call Trevi.
In the past I have been there often
It’s such a heavenly place to be
As I remember how hearts soften
And the day I’ll return there to see !
Seems winter came in one fell swoop
The cold rushed in all whoop-dee-doo
The rains they staged a wild deluge
For sure they weren’t playing Scrooge.
The icing on the cake could be
It downed the leaves on every tree
Tis not true New Years Eve as yet
How much more busy can it get ?
Oh, Child of God, so pure and sweet
The earth paid homage at your feet
Great wars were fought to save Your name
Your Image garners world wide fame.
You are the Sum of what we are
Yet, You have never travelled far
How wonderous that You should be
The Key to God’s eternity !
When most of the darkness leaves us
And we are at last all alone
There’s no one left to deceive us
We are basic’ly on our own.
In the midst of our lifetime’s storm
When good sense and health have vanished
Imagine that this is the norm
And what’s left here has been banished.
When the new replaces the old
And life seems to have gone astray
Remember we once were that bold
But short of a permanent stay !
I feel the chill that’s in the air
The trees outside are stark and bare
There’s ne’er a plant that shall survive
Too cold last night to stay alive.
When morning calls what will we see
God’s version of tenacity,
A world reviving from cold’s blast
Whose entity doth last and last.
Through warm or cold and wet or dry
God’s plans’ not ready for goodbye
So loosen up, get on the track
It’s time to take His wisdom back !
A simple meal by candlelight
To take the chill off winter’s night
A table set with antique lace
Warmed by the glow of an embrace.
The silence that accompanies
This sudden chill before the freeze
While God and man try to maintain
The quiet calm that shall remain !
I love You Lord, what e’er You do
In hope and love and world peace too
For joy and laughter, good times all
I hear the birds and heaven call.
My heart sings out, it hums a tune
Transports my spirit to the moon
I hear the wind, it speaks to me
Reminding me God’s love is free !
I am afraid to take a peek
My heart’s been playing hide and seek
I do not know what I can do
Or when the time to mourn is through !
Tis all I pray, help me think straight
Perhaps, remember if I ate,
But more than that it’s quite extreme
Life has become a vacant dream.
However much the time may take
I beg You God, give me a break
Teach me to standup on my own
Don’t let my heart turn into stone !
I hear the echo of the night
Secede to early morning’s light
Each day begins again anew
The world and I still miss you too.
As time moves on the vision fades
With faces lost in vast parades
While we who here remain behind
Have memories that will remind !
I had a dream the other night
And wakened with an awful fright
I felt the ground just slip away
While all my world lay in decay.
It seemed to me I was alone
Some place that was a danger zone
I rose quite slowly from my bed
To take a look around instead.
I said ” Thank you ” I am okay
” Please help me Lord to stay that way ”
I’ll be more cautious late at night
Who dreams to wake with such a fright ?
The night arrives so swiftly now
The moon too soon will make its bow
Hurrah, say we, but what is there
Beyond yon tree, a blinking stare ?
Who is it there, who hides from me
Reveal yourself, so I may see
Who thinks to play a game or two
Let’s wait to see if I catch you !
Oh my, oh my, you brazen guy
You have escaped into the sky
And left me wishing that I might
Join you one day in magic flight !
I hear the bells on Christmas Day
Their old famiiar carols play
And pray the Lord will understand
That soon His birthday is at hand.
It matters not what day that is
For all our days are truly His
The steeple bells ring sweet and clear
To celebrate the Christchild’s here !
My old companions, there you are
We’ve been together near and far
And seen a lot, the three of us
Like some elusive omnibus !
We’ve traveled far and traveled wide
You’ve never been long from my side
Adventures, well, we’ve had a few
Just you and me and Andy too !
Perhaps I’m not too old to see
Your friendship has been good for me
When in a pinch, you both are there
I think you are my bestest pair.
Your cotton hands seem fingerless
Your hair’s red yarn is quite a mess
Your clothing has not changed one bit
But everything is sewn to fit.
I love you Ann and Andy too
How would I get by without you
I know your stuffing’s getting worn
But none the less, we’ll carry on!
Sometimes I can’t help remembering
My great grandma’s house in early spring
Oh such joy those old visions bear
Of beaches, sand and the salty air.
The wonderment of childhood may be
The remembrance of past memory
And lifestyles that have all gone astray
With the pleasantries of yesterday.
I wish that I could capture the time
Instead of watch as our lives decline
So sad, dear Lord, what was meant to be
Got lost in this new posterity !
I pray for you, my darling boy
With all the strength I can employ
There is no way I shall escape
Concern for you, to know you’re safe !
Whomever thought this heart would break
Knew right from wrong, make no mistake
I miss you now and ever still
To meet again, pray God we will !
Like all the dreams you’ve ever dreamed
And all the plans you ever planned
Like the currents in the river
And all the ridges in the sand
One whisk of mighty ocean wave
That does quite often go astray
Maybe a mighty blast of wind
Stalls, waiting to come out and play
Like all the fishes in the sea
And all the birds that fly up high
The simple clasping of a hand
Accepts it’s time to say goodbye !
The early dawn creeps o’er the hill
The world about seems calm and still
Tis all this peace at breaking morn
When hopes and dreams must be reborn
The silence brings a short respite
Escaping most of night times fright
As aspirations rise once more
To knock again on each front door !
Claire V. Bogdanos 