The flame burns bright, the words still flow
I’ve more to say before I go
The years have flown, I’ve seen so much
My mind’s alive, my heart’s been touched.
There’s reams now left for me to say
I’m grateful for each extra day
The presence of the Lord is here
The time is now, standup and cheer !
Love is the glue binding hearts together
Random acts of kindness are the tether.
EXCUSE ME, here I am in my ageing wheelchair, at my really old kitchen farm table, 38″ x 26″, circa 1900, with its aproned multi-turned vintage legs and truly discreet 1+” rollers on a beautiful Sunday morning having my usual breakfast of juice, black coffee in an ironstone mug, half a sliced banana and exactly 10 mini wheat squares with fat-free half & half ! Precise, right ? It’s early AM, this room has 8 solarfilmed windows, each 3′ x 6′, all covered by beige old fashioned lace curtains. With windows all open, the curtains rising and fluttering in the breeze, I can hear the church bells in the distance, there are 4 churches within a 2 block radius of my current residence. It’s like a symphony in carillon ! Waves of nostalgia wash over me and I am transported to a place almost 80 years ago in the past ! All this time yet that destination is not a mile away from here nor a minute away from my dearest memories ! This is about one of those cardboard signs my nana had in a streetside window, CURTAINS STRETCHED, 25 cents a pair. My grandpop was an ironworker ( Fagan, Tietjen & Lang, Federal, Todd and Bethlehem Steel ) and he made her an adjustable curtain stretcher which my agile childsized fingers could manipulate with the help of a small stepstool, also homemade ! My job after school was to take that agate pan full of starchwater and soaking lace, layering on as many panels at a time to dry in the afternoon sun ! As my nana would say, “idle hands do the devil’s work”. Haha, I don’t think he ever had a chance with me ! How about you ? By the way, that half-banana is low on my fav list but high in potassium, or is that an old wives tale ? Sincerely, Claire B.
There’s a world that’s out there, one that I shall never see
With all its magic music and such happiness for free
It reaches now to touch me with sights I have never known
Though I shan’t live to see it for my time is not my own.
I can sight the lights afar and do hear the distant sound
Distinctly in the twilight as the darkness closes round
And I’m sure that someone else will be right there to share it
As for me the truth is this, I’ve no strength left to dare it !
Oh ladybug where have you been
What kind of trouble are you in
I see you there upon the floor
How did you enter through my door ?
You must have hidden in the greens
Because my windows all have screens
There is a question I must ask
It will not keep you from your task.
Oh little bug you move so fast,
The good you do is great and vast
Your species spreads around the earth
When will we realise your worth ?
Oh where, oh where has Johnny gone
Is he back home upon the farm
Or has he found another way
To guide his life from day to day ?
What do you seek my darling boy
To help you more your life enjoy
What wonder is there left for you
Or miracles that you may do ?
I pray you give it greater thought
That in the web you won’t be caught
And render unto God your King
Obedience in everything !
I have trod a perilous path in my search for the Lord
And have paid a precious price much more than I could afford
I left my old world behind in search of His peace and grace
Knowing well in advance that I can never see His face.
Now the love of the Lord is beside me where ere I go
And the moments that He guides me are what I’ve come to know
The road is longer than I thought, much greater is its cost
It doesn’t matter what it takes without Him I am lost !
Sometimes the road is rocky, sometimes it’s dusty too
Sometimes it’s filled with traffic, sometimes there’s but a few
Along life’s road there’s trouble perhaps no happy end
This is no simple matter for each must find a friend
With all the grit and dirt, the rocks, pebbles and each stone
God never meant for us that we travel on alone !
Oh Cinderella are you still there
Is that you hiding beneath the stair
I’m sorry if your life went awry
I know you’ll give it another try
There’s a lesson I have learned from you
To myself I shall remain true blue.
And when my back is against the wall
I won’t be shy I will make that call
One-eight-hundred fairy A-I-D
Won’t you please come and help set me free
I’ve been a grownup for far too long
It’s time I chose to just tag-along !
My heart is full, my mind is clear
I want to shout to those who’ll hear
There is a God who watches all
He is the power that makes the call.
The sun, the moon, the stars that glow
They are all part of His great show
The wind, the air, the planets too
Are part of His vast retinue.
There is no deed that goes unseen
Though it be ugly or obscene
He notes each act of kindness shown
And from which tree each leaf has blown.
This universe may never know
The depths to which His powers go
There is no wisdom so complete
That does not tremble at His feet !
Oh blessed Lord I cannot bear
The madness of this world we share
Please help us through these times of need
To vanquish those who will not heed.
Grant us the strength to stand up tall
Declare our choice before the fall
His time is near, He’ll not be late
This world is all His vast estate.
Who are we, only passersby
And on His care we all rely
Please help us Lord to do our best
We know that You’ll perform the rest !
There was a child that used to be
Wide-eyed and cheerful, full of glee
And then one day all got to see
That grownup person who is me.
I’d like to be the way I was
But that can’t be I’m sure because
Along the way we took a pause
To teach us how a grownup does.
One finds that learning’s never done
The process blurs once you’ve begun
No guarantee ’tis always fun
The race continues till it’s done !
When I was young and meek and mild
I knew the manners of a child
But as I grew and aged a bit
My ways improved I learned to fit.
It seems to me that age must share
Abilities of love and care
Yet caution all to patience earn
As one by one each takes a turn !
The poet paints a picture but not with paint and brush
His words create the image there’s music in his touch
Each has his own conception there are no two the same
Tis an old profession and Shakepeare’s favorite game.
Some think the words are foolish and pale in empty air
Please remember David and his Psalms we all still share
His words were so profound they will live forever here
They brought us close to God they will never disappear !
I had a dream the other day
I dreamt the winter washed away
Oh what a joy and sweet surprise
There’s no more snow to greet the eyes !
Let’s on with rain and flowers bright
In colors that astound the sight
The bounty that the winter brings
Are vistas where God’s beauty sings !
When I was but a little girl
Each word I learned was like a pearl
Infused with wisdom I would learn
Throughout my life and in my turn.
The words were short and to the point
Have faith in truth don’t disappoint
Trust in the Lord with all your soul
And keep your eye upon the goal !
Now that was very long ago
Things haven’t changed that much you know
Sometimes I wish I weren’t grown
And that my seeds had not all flown
But this is true I can’t deny
God rules my life since I’m knee high !
There is a world that lives inside
the covers of a book
Where anyone who wants can hide
or peek or sneak a look
For in the world of make-believe
some words can set you free
Where you can stay or take your leave
or learn who you can be !
Now books are truly curious
they teach us many things
Some sad, some glad, some furious
some happiness that sings.
I do believe it would be bad
without a book to read
How could we know if all we’ve had
did fail or did succeed ?
The children have all gone to bed
No lollipops are in their head
No sugar treats or pleasant dreams
Vampires are in right now it seems
Why are they born so very old
Like little men and ladies bold
What happened to our Jack and Jill
While tumbling down that famous hill ?
I think it’s called progressive time
And paid for with another’s dime
The truth is it’s been tried before
But failed to win or even score !
EXCUSE me, have you heard of Sir Edward Dyer (1543-1607), Earl of Oxford, English lyric poet and attributed author of “My Mind To Me A Kingdom Is” ? Today, a chilly Sunday morn, these 7 words were my waking thought ! I am not a suspicious sort but I question the reason, I should like to learn where these words emerged from. Perhaps we live an alternate life within our private dreamworld ? Or as my mother was prone to point out to me quite frequently, I possess an overactive mind, aha ! Back to my original observation about this poem written mid 16th century, please take time to research original 8 stanza, 48 line piece of melodic perfection ! Once again I credit my English mentor, Lorena E. Fry for introducing this depression-era child to the pure joy of words ! Can you imagine what it must have been like for the ancient Greeks to participate in the Socratic Circles of Plato’s time ? Or to stand in the Pit of the Globe in 1600 London ? Where would we be without the vocal power of the pulpits of life ? I’ll close with Dyer’s last stanza:
My wealth is health and perfect ease…….My conscience clear my chief defence
I neither seek by bribes to please……………Nor by deceit to breed offence
Thus do I live, thus will I die…………………….Would all did so as well as I !
Sincerely, Claire B.
Now Mary was the special one
God picked to bear His only son
From Judah’s tribe she had to be
Samuel vowed to Ruth’s Jesse !
Descended from son David’s clan
His grandson who was called Nathan
Was that forebear of Miriam,
Her name was changed to Mary then !
Now Joseph was descended from
King David’s young son Solomon,
Oh what confusion this must be
Describing Christ’s birth history,
It is so hard to learn these facts
I should have picked the Book of Acts !
Tis true I may be made of clay
I’m not descended from an ape
Nor am I here for just a day
There is for me but one escape !
I loved someone so long ago
He couldn’t stay, he had to go
There was another path to take
It mattered not what was at stake !
His rendezvous was preordained
It left no future to be gained
One can’t refute the final score
While knocking on heaven’s front door !
Sometimes I think that I could be
A noisy frog under a tree
With leaves so strong they seem to float
Upon the stream much like a boat
And there to be called Captain Frog
Who sails about and keeps a log.
Perched on my head a sailing cap
That while afloat I still can nap,
In storytime this tale is told
About a frog and princess bold.
I harbor thoughts now ever since
That I might be that froggy prince
But feel a magic kiss, how odd
For even frogs believe in God !
Of all the times we do recall
We laughed and hugged and had it all
The world seemed like a better place
Day started with a happy face !
Can you remember how we cried
When trouble came or someone died,
Life had a value way back when
What changed it all so quickly then ?
Has it occurred to you to find
That we are facing life’s decline
Where dreams belong to yesterday,
Hopes come and go and fade away ?
The tender thoughts that filled our mind
Those years ago have waxed unkind
And selfish seems to be the word
Describing acts both seen and heard.
What brought us to this hapless end
Where we are forced here to defend
Our love of God, our pride of land
Our self respect, our helping hand ?
EXCUSE ME I need to access WIKIPEDIA ! I awoke this AM with 100’s of questions in my head and a need to check out this “BLOOD MOON” because it rings a familiar bell. Well I was right but online didn’t help ! There I was researching the pages of the world’s most read tome, can you guess ? And there IT was; JOEL 2:30, ACTS 2:20 and REVELATION 6:12. Thank God for my memory, although my mother was convinced that my ability to remember was the result of all the eggs I consumed as a kid ! As a child of the Great Depression, eggs cost 5 cents a dozen or were free when you uncovered an occasional fowl’s nest in the bushes. Eggs were called brain food in those days, can’t imagine why since hens appear to be brainless ! Only creatures I ever saw that frantically ran around after their heads were chopped off ( like a chicken with its head cut off ). No kidding ! You’ve read my post about candling eggs to check if they were fertilized ? Remember 5 cents a dozen as opposed to $ .75 for a capon ? Simple economics ! Well, back to Blood Moon, any opinions ? What’s with “beating plow shares into swords and pruning hooks into spears” ? That’s totally backwards ! “Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision” ? Any answers ? God bless us all ! Sincerely, Claire B.
Have you seen the morning haze
Filter through the misty glaze
Before the sun just arrives
To shine its light in the skies ?
Have you spied an errant star
Shining bright but quite afar
Or the flock that’s overhead
Intent upon being fed ?
Such happenings will occur
Days to come and days that were
Precious words of Solomon
Nothing’s new under the sun !
I wish I had a quiet space
To patch my dreams and to replace
The worn out parts of shattered hope
That need research new ways to cope.
I’d like to think that there remains
A wistful thought which still contains
The wisdom that God’s left behind
For those of us who are not blind.
The special traits that used to be
A part of our resiliency
Have faded into lost success
And only add to our distress.
The times we knew, forever gone
Like dinosaur or mastodon
Can it be true, we’ve lost our way
Is this to be our judgement day ?
The wind and rain came pelting down
To leave my senses all aground
One question that I asked aloud
Can life progress under a cloud,
Are we all bound to be possessed
By causes old and thoughts distressed ?
Oh, what I’d give to find release
In pleasant joys and joyful peace !
The fantasy of modern day
That won’t attempt to melt away
And hides behind a false facade
Is that no one is fooling God !
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Claire V. Bogdanos 