Salty like hot dogs (and tears). Sweet like marmalade (and life).
Oh, April!
Daffodil
Of the months!
You instill
Joy, delight,
Hope, laughter —
Yes, laughter!
For after
The muddy
Wretchedness
Of March (I
Must confess –
While I don’t
Hate winter,
I notice
Hope splinter
At the ups-
And-downs of
Cold and snow)
How I love
To see the
Trillium
The snowdrops
The Lilium
I love the
Happy sight
Of flowers
And more light
The W3 prompt this week was to write a poem about April.
Lord, let me be a ten-tug worm
That stands its ground as best it can
Or grips its ground as case may be
While robin works as worm hit-man
Though odds are stacked against me e’er
Though I can’t win — not with this plan
Though life is ever hopeless for
The principled who’s no yes-man
Give me fight ‘gainst the stronger-than
It’s rare these days when I miss the W3 challenge, but I did this week.
The challenge was to write a nine-line poem under the title of ““Who am I & What is My Purpose?”
I am frustrated with my job. So. Freaking. Frustrated.
Today, I had a conversation that I walked out of shaking my head and saying, “I can’t.”
Then I vented to the HR person.
Then I went for a walk. On my walk, I saw a robin tugging a worm that wasn’t giving way. It was a losing battle for the worm. I think it always is. But, for half a second, I was rooting for that worm. I knew at best, though, it would get torn in half. Not much of a best, eh?
The worm gave way.
The robin ate it.
I continued my walk.
Who am I? I’m the kind of person who fights a losing battle because I believe in it.
What is my purpose? To (hopefully) make the yes-man think.
“Does our law judge a man without first giving him a hearing and learning what he does?” — John 7:51
people are
quick to judge
then often can’t
even budge
when they hear
facts that tell
another
tale. Lord, quell
my judgment
change my mind
let me be
open, kind.
This year for the A-to-Z challenge, I’m challenging myself to write a Cethramtu Rannaigechta Moire every day. I can’t pronounce it, but I can tell you that it’s an Irish poetic form that requires 3 syllable lines in quatrains. The second and fourth lines rhyme.
Additionally, I’ve been collecting questions for a few years — specifically questions from the Bible. I have so many questions.
Turns out the Bible is full of questions.
So, I’m using questions from the Gospel of John for this challenge.
Who are you? John 1:19
Who are you?
Who are you
Really? What
Do you do
That makes you
You — unique
Distinctive
So to speak
Why are you?
What is your
Purpose? What
Are you for?
Who are you
Really? Know
Yourself. Be
You. Now go.
This year for the A-to-Z challenge, I’m challenging myself to write a Cethramtu Rannaigechta Moire every day. I can’t pronounce it, but I can tell you that it’s an Irish poetic form that requires 3 syllable lines in quatrains. The second and fourth lines rhyme.
Additionally, I’ve been collecting questions for a few years — specifically questions from the Bible. I have so many questions.
Turns out the Bible is full of questions.
So, I’m using questions from the Gospel of John for this challenge.
How can these things be? John 3:9
Don’t explain
Don’t even
Try to — Just
Believe in
Mystery
“The wind blows…
You hear it…”
But who knows
Where and why
It begins
And ends, or
How earth spins
This year for the A-to-Z challenge, I’m challenging myself to write a Cethramtu Rannaigechta Moire every day. I can’t pronounce it, but I can tell you that it’s an Irish poetic form that requires 3 syllable lines in quatrains. The second and fourth lines rhyme.
Additionally, I’ve been collecting questions for a few years — specifically questions from the Bible. I have a big problem with people who think they know everything, especially religious people.
The more someone thinks they know God, the converse is true. I know less about God today than I did last year or five years or twenty-five years ago. I have so many questions.
Turns out the Bible is full of questions.
So, I’m using questions from the Gospel of John for this challenge.
They said, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How does he now say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?” Jesus answered them, “Do not grumble among yourselves...”
John 6:42-43
When something
Doesn’t make
Sense — grumble,
Complain, take
Offense. Right?
Life revolves
Around you
And involves
You even
If it does
Not. We’re so
Blind because
We can’t see
We can’t know
We think we
Do — but no
Take a breath
Take a sec
Think a bit
Doublecheck
Open eyes
Open heart
Grumble not
That’s a start
This year for the A-to-Z challenge, I’m challenging myself to write a Cethramtu Rannaigechta Moire every day. I can’t pronounce it, but I can tell you that it’s an Irish poetic form that requires 3 syllable lines in quatrains. The second and fourth lines rhyme.
Additionally, I’ve been collecting questions for a few years — specifically questions from the Bible. I have a big problem with people who think they know everything, especially religious people.
The more someone thinks they know God, the converse is true. I know less about God today than I did last year or five years or twenty-five years ago. I have so many questions.
Turns out the Bible is full of questions.
So, I’m using questions from the Gospel of John for this challenge.
But we’re not
Slaves! This makes
No sense. Free?
But it takes
Shackles to
Make a man
A slave! Us?
No one can
Enslave us!
We are strong!
We are free!
You are WRONG!
Ah, dear one —
You protest
Too much
In me rest
The truth will
Set you free —
Free indeed
You shall be
They answered him, “We are Abraham’s descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?”
John 8:33
This year for the A-to-Z challenge, I’m challenging myself to write a Cethramtu Rannaigechta Moire every day. I can’t pronounce it, but I can tell you that it’s an Irish poetic form that requires 3 syllable lines in quatrains. The second and fourth lines rhyme.
Additionally, I’ve been collecting questions for a few years — specifically questions from the Bible. I have a big problem with people who think they know everything, especially religious people.
The more someone thinks they know God, the converse is true. I know less about God today than I did last year or five years or twenty-five years ago. I have so many questions.
Turns out the Bible is full of questions.
So, I’m using questions from the Gospel of John for this challenge.
Hey — do you
Understand
What this is?
Please expand
My knowledge!
My small brain
Cannot grasp
(all in vain)
Mystery
And You are
Conundrum
Far afar
Yet You are
Also near —
In my dreams
You appear!
But I am
So perplexed
Please tell me —
What comes next?
So they were saying, “What does he mean by ‘a little while’? We do not know what he is talking about.”
John 16:18
I love this confession by the disciples — “We don’t know what he’s talking about.”
And I love even more that Jesus didn’t force them to ask the question. He knew what they were wondering and tackled it, explaining to them what He meant.
This year for the A-to-Z challenge, I’m challenging myself to write a Cethramtu Rannaigechta Moire every day. I can’t pronounce it, but I can tell you that it’s an Irish poetic form that requires 3 syllable lines in quatrains. The second and fourth lines rhyme.
Additionally, I’ve been collecting questions for a few years — specifically questions from the Bible. I have a big problem with people who think they know everything, especially religious people.
The more someone thinks they know God, the converse is true. I know less about God today than I did last year or five years or twenty-five years ago. I have so many questions.
Turns out the Bible is full of questions.
Dear Lord God,
Do I miss
The questions?
What is this
That I want
Most? Am I
Afraid to
Ask You? Why?
Yet You ask,
Sally, do
You want this?
Though You knew —
Long before
Your query –
You’ve known I’m
Too weary
To even
Realize
How good You
Are — and wise
Do you want to be healed? John 5:6
This is one of my favorite exchanges in John.
We’re introduced to a man who has been an invalid for 38 years. Jesus asks him, “Do you want to be healed?” which is a simple yes or no, but his answer is haunting and heart-breaking — “Sir, I have no one…”
So Jesus heals him.
This year for the A-to-Z challenge, I’m challenging myself to write a Cethramtu Rannaigechta Moire every day. I can’t pronounce it, but I can tell you that it’s an Irish poetic form that requires 3 syllable lines in quatrains. The second and fourth lines rhyme.
Additionally, I’ve been collecting questions for a few years — specifically questions from the Bible. I have a big problem with people who think they know everything, especially religious people.
The more someone thinks they know God, the converse is true. I know less about God today than I did last year or five years or twenty-five years ago. I have so many questions.
Turns out the Bible is full of questions.
So, I’m using questions from the Gospel of John for this challenge.
The door was ajar.
“Dare you to go in,” chided Magnus.
“What’s in there?” asked his little brother, Ulysses.
“Probably dead bodies. Maybe a few dead animals,” answered Magnus. “Just a bunch of dead stuff. Nothing that could hurt you.”
As if on cue, the wind blew a flurry of dead leaves past the boys with a dry rustle. A few settled in the open doorway. Ulysses instinctively stepped behind his brother, so Magnus was between him and the door.
“Dead stuff can’t hurt you, you know,” Magnus continued. “It’s dead.”
Ulysses cowered even more.
“Dare you,” Magnus said again.
The stone faces on either side of the door frowned at the two boys as if to say, DO NOT ENTER. The door creaked a little with the next gust of wind, like a low heavy sigh.
“Did you hear that?” asked Ulysses.
Magnus nodded. “Dead bodies moan sometimes. I read that in a book.”
The door moved, almost imperceptibly. Both boys looked at each other.
“Do dead bodies open doors?” asked Ulysses.
“Don’t be dumb,” answered Magnus. “Just go look.”
Slowly the younger brother tiptoed toward the door, looking back at his brother multiple times.
“Go on,” hissed Magnus.
Slowly, Ulysses placed a trembling hand the massive stones framing the door. With his other hand, he pushed open the door.
Suddenly, a hand from inside reached out and yanked him in.
Magnus screamed and ran.
The Unicorn Challenge: Write a story of no more than 250 words. Base it on the photo prompt.
Who/what is behind that door?! I wish I knew.
