Light

It begins inside

When You touch the heart, Lord

It radiates outward

Through eyes and actions

It illuminates the path

One step at a time

As I follow You

To walk in Your light

Just Keep Going

Just keep writing

When thoughts are fluttering

Through chaos

Just keep singing 

When the notes lock into

Contractions in the throat

Just keep walking

When the chill of autumn

Deepens into winter

Just keep reading

When the noise of the world

Threatens to overwhelm

Just keep living

In the midst of growing darkness

Life is still amazing

Rest

Rest

For the mind

Is as required as rest for the body

But how does one

Convince the mind to rest?

Is that where play comes in?

A Poet

A poet

Begins in a world of beauty

Challenged by the pain and hate

That devour all they are able to take down

Yet life is the goal

As the poet reaches for words

To ignite hope

The Watchers

Walking down the hill

We became aware of being watched

But as soon as we noticed

The silent statues and

Stopped

We became the watchers---

For the deer returned to motion

And silently wandered away

Magnifying Glass

Carried in a pocket

To be pulled out whenever the situation

Demands

To pull into focus

Whatever details are eluding

The naked eye

A simple piece of glass

Shaped to enlarge the question under 

Scrutiny

How often do I use

These words on paper as a means to a

Close-up view?

Research

Yesterday I had two questions

That I took to Google

The answers were amazing

And informative

Two instant learning sessions

As I spent a few minutes processing

The available information

Life isn't quite so instantaneous

The question bubbles to the surface

Only to be buried again

For lack of information,

Resources and practical experience

But then it comes full circle

And when the answer comes

So does the ability to follow through

And the question becomes

Accomplishment 

The President's Lecture

Yesterday

There was a lecture at the university

That I walked to

A brisk walk

In the sunshine

Of a November day on which the snow was

Melting

The topic was the power of

Simile and metaphor

To shape the world around them

Particularly how they have shaped

Canada

And our view of ourselves as a nation

Photographs

Today I work with the photos from the wedding

To put together a collection for family

A memory

Of family together celebrating

Even as we mourned those missing

And the photos will be a constant reminder

That some were missing

Good Morning

Twenty minutes to clear my brain

De-clutter the remnants of yesterday

Prepare to find words for today

As I come to this journal

To explore my life

Freedom

Coyotes crossing the road

A pair of wild dogs

Traveling through the woods

Then another pair

Going in the same direction

Wild dogs on the move in the country

Such a contrast to the city

Where a single dog without a leash and owner

Stands out as unusual

A well ordered city

Wrapped round and round

With rules to protect us

And yet in the woods

Freedom still steps quietly

Friends

A new book to open for the first time

An old book from childhood 

Tucked away on the bookshelf

To be returned to periodically 

The spectrum is broad

Interests are wide

And now movement is toward

Poetry

A new endeavour embraced 

When singing poetry

Has always been my way

Bible Study

The buzz, the murmur

The sound of people working

To finish an assignment

--And everyone finished

Then after tea

We shared our findings

In the group for all to know

Lord, it felt like a giant step forward

As each person contributed

To the sharing of work done

Poetry Six Months Later

A pencil in my hand

And suddenly thoughts become words

On paper

A different adventure dealing with

Words on paper

Sentences flowing from left to right all the way across the page work to explore questions for teachers.

But my thoughts for me

Lord, somehow the movement to variety

In line length

In word choice

With little or no punctuation

Frees my words enough to

Simply write every day

But next I want to add

Music

To take a story

And put it in a song

Quiet Morning

The week begins

With quietness

As I rest the fullness of the weekend

Tea is calling

To be enjoyed

After a long leisurely walk up Meadowlily

1 John

The buzz of people working in Your Word

Reading it, searching for the words

That focus us on the author's intent

Abide, Sin, Know, Love, Born of God, Light

And Fellowship

Each a key element to reminding believers

They already know the truth about the Son of God

And have eternal life

A letter in place to remind us

Who we are

And what we have

Because confidence in walk

Come from knowing this

Language

How does one learn a language

That flows as pictures through the mind?

The language has been written down

Composed into individual sounds

But not divided into individual words in sentences

Because of the flow within the meaning

One

To work together as a team

Can be elusive

As each person has their own focus

Their own drive

Their own goal to aim toward

And yet teamwork

Partnership

Fellowship

Call us to work as one body

Where each job is different

Yet essential

And working toward being one healthy whole

I Must Decide

I will not hate you 

Fear will flit through me and by me

On its way to being released--let go 

I will not hate you 

You have proved you can kill the body 

But you cannot do more than that 

I will not hate you 

For it is time to remember a man who came 

To die on a cross to seal my life 

And the lives of all who will believe in him

To seal my life forever 

I will not hate you 

November Flowers

Purple asters still appear in sheltered places

With the shortened brightness of goldenrod nearby

Each contrasting with the growing brown

Of dying greenery

As the landscape prepares for snow

Path For Poetry

Walk forward

And the path appears

Faith

Is required in every stage

As I step onto the path

Not knowing what the result will be

At present I'm writing poetry

Where Free Verse dominates

Even as I have tried some structured forms

Introduced in Avis Harley's ABC books

But now I am reading

Poetry handbooks by Mary Oliver

And I am captured by

"Rules for the Dance"

The desire to write singable poetry

Runs deep through me

A new path to walk toward

Not knowing the twists

Or the hazards

That lie before me

Tea

Loose leaf tea

A luxury

In this day of mass produced tea bags

Stored in tins

Arranged in the cupboard

And today

Their sticky note labels

Will be changed for magnets

Covered with hand made labels

Games

People play games

(And I don't mean Scrabble)

They arrange details

To control people

Then wonder "What happened?"

When the game whiplashes

Back 

Full force

On themselves

Then their anger

Erupts

All over the place

When in fact they

Were the ones playing games

With other peoples' lives

Wild Turkeys

Strutting single file

Crossing the road cautiously

Eyes open alert

Six awkward birds stalk

Arranged shooting game style but

Safe from hunters here

Tattered Curtain

The tree is wind tossed

As the howling of autumn

Arrives to pass through

Autumn Curtain

The seasons have changed

Our tree has yellowed

And the autumn curtain

Is tattered

As the wind brings down the leaves

And so bare branches

Will soon be all that remains

Silhouetted

Against the sky

Until the green of spring

Creeps back

This Moment

This task

The one that busies my mind and hands

Keeps my attention

Focused

To this point in time

Suddenly the clock or calendar

Intervenes

To amaze me with a snapshot

Of how much time has passed

But then I return

To the joy of now

As life is lived in this moment

Books

How do I remember

The most influential books

I have read?

1 John

Showed me You, Lord

And assured me I do believe in You

Philippians

Taught me

Joy is a choice

And I can build my life on that

The Mrs. Pollifax series

Gave me a life renewed by adventure

Even in the senior years

Lord of the Rings

Simply left me with hope

Sara Crewe

Overcame trials even when

Separated

From all she loved

A Tale of Three Kings

Encouraged trusting You, Lord

No matter how the human kings behave

Jane Eyre

Gave a rerun to Sara Crewe

As Jane overcame trials

While feeling all alone

The Paper Bag Princess

Outsmarted the dragon herself

And exposed the truth around her

Brat Farrar

Where I watched You, Lord

Sift the story

Through the evil

To find

Your truth and love

The Gospel of Ruth

With its extravagant partnership

Focused on loving more than enough

With loyalty and exuberance 

Note for Books

1. 1 John, a letter by the Apostle John found in the New Testament of the Bible.

2. Philippians, a letter by the Apostle Paul found in the New Testament of the Bible.

3. Mrs. Pollifax mystery series by Dorothy Gilman.

4. Lord of the Rings, by J.R.R. Tolkien.

5. Sara Crewe, a children's book by Frances Hodgson Burnett.

6. A Tale of Three Kings, by Gene Edwards.

7. Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte.

8. The Paper Bag Princess, a children's book by Robert Munsch.

9. Brat Farrar, a mystery by Josephine Tey.

10. The Gospel of Ruth: Loving God Enough To Break the Rules, by Carolyn Custis James.

Just Keep Writing

Deer sightings are common now

Just keep writing

The new draft of the story 

Has arrived for a rewrite

Just keep writing

Time spent in 1 John

Has become exciting

Just keep writing

The Karen language is

Opening up--slightly

Just keep writing

There's even a place in the calendar

For friends to visit

Just keep writing

And so I find myself

At my desk

Early in the morning

With paper and pen

And a sense of Your presence, Lord

Just keep writing

Wholistic

When we consider our health

We tend to heal better

If we treat the entire person

Rather than simply one symptom

The cough calls for syrup

The headache  calls for aspirin

But the person needs rest

And healthy eating

The whole person recovers

When the whole person

Is treated

Is language learning

Similar?

We have divided it into

Vocabulary and

Grammar and

Conversation

Perhaps we'll succeed

Better

Immersed into the language

With only necessary explanations

So the study of 1 John

Has begun

And together we are using

The "wholistic"

Approach to language

Acquisition

Solitude

Peace for thought

Solitude for work

But what happens when those around

Won't allow that as fully as it's needed?

Little work gets done

Frustration mounts upon frustration

What is so difficult

About solitude?

Apparently everything 

When one's family is extroverted 

A childhood of lone time

Teen years filled with long walks

Alone

And a room in which to read

And ponder

To plan 

And consider

Alone

We Remember

Would they protect others?

Our fathers, brothers, sisters and uncles

Travelled far overseas

To aid another people

Facing the hostility of invasion

So many died

We remember their loss

So many lived

We remember their victory

And still protection calls to us

As a new generation

Goes out to protect from tyranny

We remember

We remember

The New Sound

Languages have different sounds

Unique tones

Which can make learning a challenge

To find the new sound as an adult

One that was not part of your own communication

Growing up

Try it

Get it wrong

Try it again

Eventually a small success

But fleeting

Until the sound finds its place 

Solidly in the speech pattern for today

Learning

A life of learning is an amazing

Endeavour

Books, lectures, hands-on experience

All contribute

To growing day by day

As I simply walk with You, Lord

The pressure of school

With exams and essays

Is finished

But the exhilaration to know

And to grow

Remains

A constant element of life

A Walk To Church

Through the city

One step at a time

To be part of Your people

Together

The autumn leaves

Still hanging in brilliant colour

Or drying on the ground

Provide

The scents of an ending season

Even as new people

Meeting You

Signals renewal and

Life eternal

The Neighbour

To welcome the neighbour

In need

We must trust You, Lord

To reach out to the stranger

In need

We offer help to You, Lord

My right hand making muffins

My left hand preparing tea

My feet walking many miles

Offer You to another

With love

Musical Poetry

How do I learn to write

Musical poetry?

Read it?

Listen to it?

Attempt

To create it?

Language Quirks

Dearly Beloved

We are gathered together . . .

Why does the two syllable 

Beloved

Become the three syllable

Beloved?

Blessed are the peacemakers

For they shall see God . . . 

Why does the one syllable

Blessed

Become the two syllable

Blessed?

Stature

Emphasis

Importance

Focus

The possibilities are many

But where do I look for 

An answer?

Home

A place for head to rest

When the eyes close 

A place for meals to be

Shared together

While we discuss the day

A place out of the 

Distractions of the world

A place

Of our own

Company Coming

A phone call made

An invitation issued

Friends will come for a visit

Poem

Compact

Life in a nugget

With a spark of fire

That ignites hope within me

Angels

Creatures

Of the spirit

Persons living loyal

To the holy One they can see

Always

Friends

Quiet

Yet abounding

With thoughts and ideas

Provoke me to consider life--

My books

Seagull

Bold squawk

Demand for food

Circling far overhead

Alight to scavenge in the sand

Mine! Mine!

Smile

A light in the eyes

Spreads a curve across the mouth

That touches another soul

Written To Spoken

A new day has arrived

Before the sun has risen

Changing the 

Darkness to light

Every moment is important

Finding steps forward

Going toward dreams

Hoping for joy

In each place along the way

Just

Knowing words

Left alone on paper

Manage to impress

Nobody unless they are read

Ongoing endeavour

Pursued

Quietly to offer thoughts for

Readers

Silent

Thoughts expressed

Until the silence is broken

Vacant space reverberating

With the spoken word

eXalting

Yet another conversation

Zeal for dialogue

Control

How much are others

In control

Of our choices and actions?

To find the balance

Between using individual 

Giftedness

While still remaining

In community

Is a daily challenge

For each of us

Knitting

Needles

And yarn produce

Things to wear for winter

A variety of sweaters

And hats

Home

The world is coming to this city

From my home I can get around

Via Trafalgar Street

Twenty minutes of walking

Finds a Muslim high school

In the east

Or a Buddhist temple 

In the west

Show a sample

Of the changes happening

As the world continues 

To move to me

Words

To express my thoughts

One tiny piece at a time

Words are built on words

Bicycle Path

Running

By the river

On its was through London

Miles of pathways cocooned inside 

Wildness

Rewrite Update

Yesterday the first rewrite

Was completed

Today I check for typos

Then email it

It doesn't seem quite real

And yet is feels entirely natural

As this step is finished

Just Keep Singing

Joy expressed

Needs more than words

Sometimes

The music joins in to declare

The depth words alone can

Miss

Prayer for Healing

Paul prayed for healing

Three times

But Your answer was Your presence

And with that he was content

But Paul also saw You, Jesus, heal people

On many occasions 

Now Lord, I pray for me

I don't know how my healing 

Would glorify You

But I ask Lord--

That You be glorified

While I am healed

--the baldness on my head

--the lack of strength in my left arm

--the cough that interferes with life

I have been drawn to this position before

To pray for personal healing

But here I am once more, Lord

Only Your power can accomplish this

So I leave it with You

But I do ask: Please, Lord, heal me

Deer Again

Andrew is excited

To be seeing deer

Again

Three yesterday

As we walked up the hill

While the sun was 

Rising

Pink behind the trees

Making the woods

Silhouette

What Bubbles Up?

To sit at my desk

With pencil in hand

Considering what to write

Poised

To capture

Whatever bubbles up

Lord, my sixth month begins

Today

And still I enjoy

Being at my desk each morning

To lay hold of thoughts

With words