candle light Poetic Bloomings

 

“So carry your candle, run to the darkness
Seek out the lonely, the tired and worn
Hold out your candle for all to see it
Take your candle, and go light your world”

        (From Go Light Your World by Chris Rice).

 

Candlelight

 

“Go Light Your World,”

the theme song

of my daughter’s mission trip

when she traveled

with Teen Missions

at the age of fourteen,

ignites memories

every time I hear it

of her boarding a bus

with a duffle bag

about as big as she was

learning to light the world

in the country of Jordan,

now in Arizona

lighting a little corner

of the world

as an RN

keeping a little one

breathing.

crime Poetic Asides

 

Lacking Lullabies

 

I shouldn’t watch crime shows

Before I go to bed.

I dream all through the night

Of those who want me dead.

 

Of those who are abused

And running for their life,

Of crimes behind closed doors

Of a husband and wife.

 

Of murders and mayhem,

Of abductions and pain,

Of unsolved mysteries,

With no one left to blame.

 

Of robberies and heists

And all those things you dread.

I shouldn’t watch crime shows

Before I go to bed.

Dream Poetic Bloomings

 

The Ultimate Country

 

I dream of going to Australia

To see the kangaroos.

And traveling to Switzerland

Taking in amazing views.

 

I’d like to go to Mount Fuji

And make the uphill climb.

And it would be wonderful

In Israel to spend some time.

 

I also dream of Singapore

Where super trees glow at night.

And to visit Norway

To see the Northern Lights.

 

I want to go to Egypt

And experience ancient things

To Iceland and New Zealand

And the Philippines

 

I’ve been to Ireland, Scotland, England,

Wales, Germany, Italy, France.

I’ve been to Peru, Kenya, Panama

When I had the chance.

 

But all are merely shadows,

And none can compare

To my home with God in Heaven

And I dream of going there.

gone fishing, Poetic Asides

 

There are no rats racing around here

I’ve grown distracted, I fear

While some folks are wishin’

They could go fishin’

I’m spending days that are mere

travelogue, Poetic Blooming

 

Fernweh (fairn-vay)

 

When my friends greet me,

they’ve stopped asking, “How are you?”

instead they ask, “Where next?”

 

Where Next? Alaska.

I’m always nervous about

jumping through airport hoops.

 

But despite the delays,

the missed flights and even airport overnights,

I’m always eager to do it again.

 

I’m not sure what drives me.

It’s like the strange longing people have

to be parents and raise children.

 

Despite the pain, all manners of cost,

the worry, the runny noses, the demands,  

people will always be driven to populate the earth.

 

It’s unexplainable this fernweh,

this ache for distant and unknown places,

the desire to board boat, plane, train or car.

 

But as long as this desire and ability exists,

I will run, fly, ride, drive with it,

and take in this amazing world.

 

 

 

 

 

 

competitive Poetic Asides

 Attitude

 

All my efforts

at competition

usually puts me

on the losing end.

 

Even when I compete

against myself.

 

I often play a game of attitude

to see if I can beat myself

 at being more joyful.

 

The thing about competing

against yourself,

you both win and lose.

Me Time, Poetic Bloomings

 

Me and Thee Time

 

I remember

going to the bathroom

and locking the door

was about my only me time,

while I heard the little ones

searching for their mom

or big ones

searching for their caregiver

outside the bathroom door

making various noises:

callings, cries, noisy toys, knocks, shouts.

 

Now, it’s at my discretion

to take some me time praying, reading,

writing, crocheting, playing my uke,

painting, watching shows, studying,

working in the yard, cleaning, cooking,

taking walks in the park

or hikes in the woods

and traveling hither to yon

while my husband

does about the only

thing he can do since the strokes

sitting in front of the computer

keeping track of money in and money out

or watching the games

or old comedies from the sixties.