Ropes Course
I was glad
for the training
and for being strung up
like a marionette
when the rope
I walked on
swayed uncontrollably,
throwing me off,
and I dangled
among green pines
thirty feet above
the forest floor.
Prayer is like that,
a tether to the unmovable
so when you slip
you don’t slam
to the ground.
Friends Indeed
At times,
Friendships
Are born from need
The hen
That gets pecked to bleeding
By other hens
The puzzle piece
That seems to belong
To another puzzle
The wounded
Requiring crutches,
Bandages or surgery
The towel
That’s been through the ringer
Who needs sunshine and fluffing up
The summer storm
Blowing through
Searching for calm
The raging river friend
who sucks you in
to all of their busyness
Then there are friends
Who only bring a smile
The ones you aspire to be
They’re all friends.
But the latter—lilac fragrance
on a spring breeze
Regina
Reaching out with a smile
Even going the extra mile
Grace flowing thru generations
Interceding for the nations
Now and always, a true friend
And on her kindness, we depend.
Of Expressions and Hearing
A favorite time of the nature program,
for children and teachers alike—
sharing at the morning circle
the highlights of the week,
or maybe even lowlights.
We hear about awards,
baseball, wrestling, gymnastics.
We hear about accidents,
falling out of trees, scraped knees.
We hear about vacations and visits.
Play dates among friends.
Pet news of cats, dogs, rabbits,
horses and even one special turkey
that, like a dog, insists on being petted.
But I don’t always hear what’s going on.
My hearing aids aren’t doing the job.
Just one little reason of many little reasons
why this third year of the nature program
will be my last one.
It’s hard to express what I’m feeling—
Restlessness, frustration, sadness,
wariness, relief, peace, excitement.
Yes! Excitement for a new life chapter.
Of Lava Lights and Jigsaw Puzzles
At times I feel
like a blob in a lava light,
constantly shifting and changing shapes,
bumping into glass walls
and other blobs.
At times I feel
like a 2,000-piece jigsaw puzzle,
no, not just one,
several dumped out into one big pile
and I’m still trying to sort myself out.
At times I feel
like a treasured child of God
and when I feel like a blob or a jigsaw puzzle,
He reassures me that He is the light
and He puts me together one piece at a time.
