The Puddle

There, I went and did it without even realizing it.
I forgot myself again.
I got so bogged down with all the stuff of life,
My thoughts swirled in meaningless, overlapping circles.
Words flying this way and that in some
Mixed jumble of complete and utter nonsense
Until I sat down, let loose the wildness inside,
And set my pen free without agenda.
No trying to make something happen…
No forcing myself into predetermined structure…
No frustrated, half-done slips of something…
Just me rambling around in a muddle,
Content to stir things into nothingness,
So I can finally, finally relax and let loose
With grinning drivel.
Somehow that helps more than all the exercises
I could ever put my mind through.
The mental picture is priceless, too.
Imagine me at five years old
Stamping in a puddle in the parking lot
Till all the water is splashed out and
The puddle is gone.
That’s me now, stamping around in my brain
Till all the cohesion scatters into little droplets and
The forced, frustrating bits of thought are gone!
Releasing it all relieves the burden.
I do not have to do anything but sit, stare,
Type idiocy and see where it takes me.

Coherence

Clarity sparkles like the sun glinting off the water.
Thoughts flow smoothly along
Following the light toward a definite goal,
(It all makes so much sense!)
Till vision takes shape, and words
Start falling into place one by one or
Sometimes phrases at a time…

My story unfolds itself into a comfortable couch.
Here I lie, feet up and reclined, listening
To the relaxed rumble of coherence turning
Chaos into logic, making sense out of nonsense.
Peace by pieces is settling inside me
Filling my soul with reminders of His goodness.

There Are Stars!

There are stars! There are stars!
So, I stare with the eyes of a child-
Forever awed by the sparkling lights
In the wide open blackness above me.
The oh-so-familiar shapes whisper wonder
Into my soul as I track them across the sky.
Some I can name and some I cannot, but
I don’t care… I just like looking.
The early morning moon beckons me to
Stop, to watch, to wait for sunrise
Until earth’s own star beams brightly
In the endless deep blue overhead.
Something inside me still searches, though,
For pale moon and fading starlight.
I cannot wait for the marvel of
A clear night sky to return, because…
There are stars! There are stars!

For Jeff

He was my friend.
Somehow, I always expected to see him again.
Walking through the halls, talking on the phone,
Coming to see me and make me a little less alone
At this big giant desk in a big empty room.
He’d say, “Hello, sunshine!” just to make me smile,
Or sometimes he just came and stood and stared in silence
And we could ‘not talk’ just as well as talk.
Gravelly voice, beard, glasses, and a head full of stuff-
Computer trivia, interesting stories, and
He sure did have a sense of humor about him!
But he was ready to get down to business, when
I mentioned my schoolwork or problems popped up.
His phone would ring… it seemed it always rang.
Someone always needed him right then “yesterday,”
And off he would go around the floor or onto the elevator.
I’ll never put mints out on my counter again without
Thinking of Jeff-he was my primary customer.
He loved his family and his pets in simple ways.
He was always ready with pictures of Darby or Hannah.
He honored his religion with his heart, and
He was his own person at the same time-
Very definitely himself and nobody else
From Waffle House coffee to motorcycles and dogs.
He was an integral part of Finance and
He was my friend.

Listen

Listen to the wind.
Listen to it sing,
Roaring through the trees,
Or just a gentle breeze.
Its voice is strong and sure
With melodies so pure
The angels sing along
With harmonies in song.

Listen to the stream.
Listen to it dream,
Rushing through the rocks
So sweetly as it talks,
Telling all it knows
While the water flows,
Pouring out its story
For Creator’s glory.

Listen to the flame.
Hear its loud refrain,
Crackling with glee,
Singing wild and free.
The burning purifies
As wood hums through its cries
Freed in suffering,
Creator’s praises ring.