Ready to Make Friends with Poetry? ⟶
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from the archives, J.L. Collins 2012
Josh Groban is heavenly hollering “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring.” The sweet and gentle resolution of the violin and oboes slows me down to hear your soft love. Not the out loud from the rooftops kind, but quiet as the roots of a tree digging down in the dark, seeking support where we need it….
Ecclesiastes 3:11 (KJV) 11 He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world** in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end.” **from the Hebrew, ‘olam’–“concealed, i.e. the vanishing point, (generally) time out of mind, (practically) eternity continuance, eternal, everlasting, …
When my mother was taken by cancer at the age of 55 and I was 33, there was no estate to divide, no money to deposit, no silver to share. After she was gone, I wasn’t saddened by the loss of anything tangible like an inheritance, but because there were questions I would never have answers…
The city of New Orleans has a singular reputation for laissez les bon temps rouler (“let the good times roll”) no matter what time of year. During Mardi Gras, though, the celebrations take on an over-the-top frenzy that is hard to match. We lived in New Orleans in the 1970’s and saw this dress-up carnival…
Pears thunk and plop on barren, yellow grass alone, uncarried. The tree bore fruit but there is no one to eat thereof. (is it still a tree?) Upraised branches, so much verdant waterspray towards the sky, still and soft against the blue– but no one to see. (is it still a tree?) Oaken limbs, worn…
“Personally, I know little about God, whoever he is. If he is. I realize, however, that to some, he’s downright awesome. From Gram’s description, I picture him like a raptor with a sky’s wingspan, exhaling love’s oxygen on his hatchlings, feeding them comfort and truth and power straight from his beak.” -Sugar Birds, Cheryl Bostrom…