Brave Daffodil

A lone brave daffodil lifts his tawny head toward late winter’s morning sun.  And just like that, spring arrives.  All around green living shoots poke up through the weary decay.

And hope rises once again.

Copyright S.T. Lloyd 2012

The Inescapable Curtain

The Inescapable Curtain

The dreams of youth germinate

Into cocoons of silky threads

Patiently woven over endless years

♥

Butterfly wings overburdened

By teary clouds

Find their final abode

Among fading flowers

Gathered in passing

♥

Memories collected

In our music boxes

Loose their fleeting hold

To awaken yet again

The dear voices of the past

♥

And the dance steps

Wind down and fade

Discreetly behind the curtain

When the box is shut

And the notes chime anew

On the shelf of our thoughts.

©Jean-Louis Mondon

Used  by permission

Read more: http://thelightseed.blogspot.com/2010/08/inescapable-curtain.html#ixzz2DvJEnA36

A Glimpse of Heaven

A Glimpse of Heaven (Sestina)

© S T Lloyd October 2012

He’ll gather the multitude of the ransomed

Where the streets are purest gold

In a land where no one shall ever grow old

And where burdens we’ll carry no more

When we meet on heaven’s shore

When Jesus takes us there

*

The light of His glory will shine there

As He walks among His ransomed

On the banks of that beautiful shore

His blood-bought jewels more precious than gold

Shall abide with Him now and forever more

Where their joy and wonder will never wax old

*

No more memory of the struggles of old,

Nor burdens we carried down there,

Only feasting on the delights of plenty in a place where there’ll always be more,

In gratitude we fall before Him, humbled and thankful children ransomed,

Our countenance glows as His does, eclipsing the shimmering gold

Like the glitter of the wind-swept water, there on that beautiful shore

*

Among us are those who stood before the human Jesus on Galilee’s shore

Having been there thousands of years already, though none have begun to get old

What wouldn’t they trade, of the choices they made, those whose preference was for Earthly gold?

What horror I saw on their faces below, as He swept us up and left them there

The invitation was extended to all, to answer His call, and be among the ransomed

But the day of Grace is extended no more

*

The sorrow and suffering we cannot know, of those pursued by Jesus no more.

Theirs an agonizing comprehension, when dragged by reptilic claws onto that other shore

Of that lake of fire, where they shall recall the words of that bothersome ransomed

Who warned them and showed them the words of the Sacred Book of old

And shall woefully mourn their flippant disdain, and casual dismissal of warnings there

Rebelliously clinging to Earthly pleasures, and the physical treasures of Earthly gold

*

Alchemy practiced o’er ancient mysteries, greedily prospected  the devil’s “fool’s gold”

Ever reaching higher, strove to break their bands asunder, and obain some ever- illusive “more”

Fumbling blind in futile aspiration of conq’ring God’s own throne, seating Self there.

Oh dreadful stench, vile river of sin, only death and decay do litter yon shore

Where beauty and youth, weighed by remorse, quickly ages decrepit, eternally old

Isolated torment, one solitary window, peers into heaven, to see the shining ransomed

*

See those who prayed, pled with tears, and warned, now strolling atop streets of gold clear as glass.  There across that unbreachable divide, whole and happy on that distant Heavenly shore

*

If only God would turn back time, give one moment more, oh how mistaken, how arrogantly they lived in that temporal, crumbling world of old. Oh just to sip the cool water of that sustaining river up there.  What crushing regret, bowing to King Jesus, King of all Kings,  never to be counted among the ransomed.

Bend In The Road

 

When we feel we have nothing left to give And we are sure that the “song has ended”– When our day seems over and the shadows fall And the darkness of night has descended.

Where can we go to find the strength To valiantly keep on trying, Where can we find the hand that will dry The tears that the heart is crying–

There’s but one place to go and that is to God And, dropping all pretense and pride, We can pour out our problems without restraint And gain strength with Him at our side–

And together we stand at life’s crossroads And view what we think is the end, But God has a much bigger vision And He tells us it’s only a bend–

For the road goes on and is smoother, And the “pause in the song” is a “rest”, And the part that’s unsung and unfinished Is the sweetest and richest and best–

So rest and relax and grow stronger, Let go and let God share your load, Your work is not finished or ended, You’ve just come to “a bend in the road”. ~ Helen Steiner Rice ~

“Reflection” a Sestina (inspired by Caddo Veil)

I stand and gaze upon my unfamiliar face

I find it hard to look into my eyes

And view a distance that transcends the skies

I miss the panorama of the stars

And long to see the light within them glow

I will settle even for a glimmer

 

For even cooling embers give a glimmer

Though sadness etches time across the face

Oh how I miss that lovely glow

That once emanated from those eyes

The light of a million stars

Can never again light up these skies
Would that I could fly to those skies

And capture in a bottle all that glimmer

Once flashing from those dying stars

To look into this face

Into those eyes

Oh how they once did glow
Like candles glow

Like summer skies

Those flashing eyes

That glittering glimmer

The youthful face

And golden stars
I’d love to skip and dance among the stars

Swallow moonbeams and glow

And then how radiant my face

Would shine my light into the endless skies

What a glimmer

In those eyes
Those darkened eyes

Which see no stars

Which sense no glimmer

No more do they glow

Just empty skies

A sullen face

When did the light depart from those eyes which for so long did warmly glow?

When did the darkness overtake the stars which once did sparkle as diamonds in the skies?

What would I give to once more see that glimmer when I gaze into this face.

============

Caddo Veil is a wonderful poet who blogs here at wordpress and I was inspired by her writing, to attempt this poetry challenge.  A sestina is a rather complex and structured poem whereas most of what I do is fairly free-flowing.  In this case, unlike all my other poems on this blog, the sentiments expressed did not flow from the mindset I was in at the time I wrote it, but rather it was an exercise in playing with pre-selected words as one might play at arts and crafts.

Kaleidoscope

Kaleidoscope

As the years melt away

And my life passes by

I watch it become more distant

Like a star up in the sky

Of course it is no secret

That this world is full of sadness

There’s so much to fear

Faith is lost among the badness

I think it is not wise for one

To view one’s life through a microscope

Looking closely at the disappointments there

Better to view it through a kaleidoscope

Casting bright colors

Over what one sees there

Better to see with the eyes of ones heart

Not thinking too much on the way

For the heart can forgive and understand

What the mind would condemn right away

I’d rather believe in magic

In clowns and happy children

In a world of fairy tales and bubble gum

I’d rather believe that God has a plan

And that there’s good in everyone

It’s hard to see the world

Through a child’s eyes

But there’s still that child in me

And I hope she never dies

For the child doesn’t know

The child only feels

The child can always love

And the child can always grow

This is my prayer today, Lord

Please always keep my heart open

Give me courage and strength to get me through this life

Please let there always be some of that

Happy little girl

In the sister, daughter, mother, friend, and wife!

Copyright: STLloyd 1990

One Perfect Day

We climbed atop the meadow hill

And looked down on the town

We walked beneath the apple trees

And bent their branches down

We sniffed their sweetness, let them go

And ran to race the stream

It laughed at us, so we sat down

To look, and rest, and dream.

Then we went around the bend

Where sweet the violets grew

And cool winds came and kissed our cheeks

And bade us welcome too.

“I love you mummy”, Jerry cried

I answered with a kiss,

And prayed, “God give all mothers

One perfect day like this”

 

Charlotte “Teagie” Markell 1935 Better Homes and Gardens

On Grapes and Apples

The grape sits under the glare of the sun. Exposed. With prolonged heat it ripens to sweetness.  But the sweetness comes forth only in the crushing.  If the grape remains hard it will elude that reducing process and it’s juice remain bitter.  Redemption comes only in the yielding.

The Word is alive and sharper than a two-edged sword.  Created in His image, He gave us all the gift of the word, written and spoken.  Sharp.  Able to penetrate deep unto healing or destruction.  The more finely-honed that edge, the more intricate places it can reach.  Words can sever things delicate and tenuous.

Under the guardianship of human nature, the administration of bestowed gifts results in Adam, Eve, an apple and death.  Laid on the alter and death’s stinger removed, the gift can be annointed and used for its’ proper purpose.

Words are a precious gift.

From childhood we anticipate the long-awaited day we will make our own choices, only to one day discover that we have been making them all along.

Copyright 2010 STLloyd

Matthew 7: ¹⁶Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?¹⁷Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.¹⁸A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.¹⁹Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down,and cast into the fire. ²⁰Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.

Amos 9:¹³Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that the plowman shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes him that soweth seed; and the mountains shall drop sweet wine, and all the hills shall melt.

Proverbs 25:¹¹A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver.

Proverbs 7:²Keep my commandments, and live; and my law as the apple of thine eye