Tag Archives: poetry

“The Summons”

This is a little poem I wrote while Becca was in Italy last summer. . .  It’s rather melodramatic and sentimental, but I’m quite proud of how consistent the rhyming is:

The summons is echoing across the waves,
To the one who slays and the one who saves.
The voice calls low, and thou must go;
The song of farewell hath found me.

I smell the tang of gulls and brine,
I feel thy hand slip out of mine.
Blow me a kiss, through the mist;
I know that it shall find me.

The black oars dip in the green waves fast,
I know our parting hath come at last.
Watching the foam, I’ll stand alone;
‘Till you come back to find me.

Hiding

A friend of mine has a private blog, and I have enjoyed reading it for several years.  She just got a public one recently, and I’m so excited to be able to link to her now!  She recently posted a beautiful poem she wrote, and I think y’all should read it:

http://scattered-scribblings.blogspot.com/2016/09/hiding.html

It’s beautiful.

Happy Sunday!

P.S. I think I’m officially giving up on Tuesdays.  School has started, and we’ve been rather busy.  (Ha.  Like I was doing book reviews before school started. . .)  Anyway, if I have a book I want to review, I’ll post about it whenever I can get a review written.  Sorry for the lack of posting lately.

God Shed His Grace On Thee. . .

I have been brushing up “America the Beautiful” on the piano lately, and of course it has been on my mind today.

Not on my mind enough to convince me to practice piano today 😉 , but I’ve still thought about it.  I first decided i wanted to play it when I read through all the verses; they are so beautiful.

I love all of them, but the last two lines of verse 3 have become a prayer to me.  For my country.

America!  America!  May God thy gold refine,
Till all success be nobleness and every gain divine.

Because you don’t have to look too far to see America is losing her roots in God.  Not all that we call “success” today is noble, and not all our gains are Christ-like.  I have been praying for our country for a long time.

But after I read Counted Worthy by Leah E. Good I started praying for more.

I started praying that no matter what happened in America, the church would rise to meet it.  That they would respond in a way that honored the Lord.  No matter what.

Our pastor was speaking recently about common core, and he said that the church often responds in fear or anger, and we must respond in love.

We are the bride of Christ.

We have victory.

We have the last word.

So let us stop responding in fear.  Let us stop venting our anger on those deceived by Satan.  Let us respond in love.

We are more than conquerors in Christ, my friends–if God is for us, who can be against us?

O beautiful for patriot dream that sees, beyond the years,
Thine alabaster cities gleam, undimmed by human tears!
America!  America!  God shed His grace on thee,
And crown thy good with brotherhood from sea to shining sea.

***             ★    ***

Have a happy Fourth of July, and go get yourself a copy of Counted Worthy, sweet readers.

 

** Excerpts from “America the Beautiful” by Katharine Lee Bates

King

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All that is gold does not glitter,

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Not all those who wander are lost;

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The old that is strong does not whither,

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Deep roots are not reached by the frost.

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From the ashes a fire shall be woken,

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A light from the shadows shall spring;

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Renewed shall be blade that was broken,

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The crownless again shall be king. (193)”

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien

“The Sacrifice”: Part twelve

Part twelve!  I have a feeling you guys are going to freak out about this one. . .

IMG_2140 The Sacrifice IMG_2136

 

Part Twelfth: Alone

Penelope stumbled onward, up the slope before her. Tripping on tree-roots and fallen logs, and large rocks, slipping on small ones. Branches and thorns tore at her clothes and skin, pine-needles slid beneath her feet—she scrambled blindly forward, her vision blurred by tears. She finally reached the end of the hills, with the mountains, rocky and frightening yet majestic, rising above her; and got her first glimpse of the dragon’s lair:

Continue reading “The Sacrifice”: Part twelve

A poem by Mama and Lucy

Beautiful Lucy with eyes of brown,

she never ever has a frown.

Beautiful Hanna with eyes of blue,

she always has a smile for you.

Beautiful Becca with eyes of blue,

she’s always learning something new.

Mr. Michael busy, busy,

round and round, he’s rarely dizzy!

Handsome Spencer, such a buddy,

he’s always ready to go and study.

Our new little birdie, who are you?

We just can’t wait to get a clue!

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Bind my wand’ring heart to Thee

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Come, Thou Found of ev’ry blessing,

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Tune my heart to sing Thy grace;

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Streams of mercy, never ceasing,

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Call for songs of loudest praise.

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Teach me some melodious sonnet,

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Sung by flaming tongues above;

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Praise the mount–I’m fixed upon it–

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Mount of Thy redeeming love.

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Here I raise mine Ebenezer,

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Hither by Thy help I’m come;

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And I hope, by Thy good pleasure,

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Safely to arrive at home.

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Jesus sought me when a stranger,

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Wand’ring from the fold of God;

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He to rescue me from danger,

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Interposed His precious blood.

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O to grace how great a debtor

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Daily I’m constrained to be!

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Let Thy goodness, like a fetter,

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Bind my wand’ring heart to Thee:

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Prone to wander–Lord, I feel it,

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Prone to leave the God I love;

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Here’s my heart, O take and seal it,

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Seal it for Thy courts above.

“Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing” words by Robert Robinson

Happy Easter, guys!

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Christ the Lord is ris’n today, Alleluia!
Sons of men and angels say: Alleluia!

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Raise your joys and triumphs high, Alleluia!
Sing, ye heav’ns, and earth reply: Alleluia!

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Lives again our glorious King, Alleluia!
Where, O death, is now thy sting? Alleluia!

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Dying once He all doth save, Alleluia!
Where thy victory, O grave? Alleluia!

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Love’s redeeming work is done, Alleluia!
Fought the fight, the battle won, Alleluia!

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Death in vain forbids Him rise, Alleluia!
Christ has opened Paradise, Alleluia!

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Soar we now where Christ has led, Alleluia!
Foll’wing our exalted Head, Alleluia!

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Made like Him, like Him we rise, Alleluia!
Ours the cross, the grave, the skies, Alleluia!

 

“Christ the Lord is Risen Today”
Words by Charles Wesley

Above all shadows…

In western lands beneath the Sun
the flowers may rise in Spring,
the trees may bud, the waters run,
the merry finches sing.
Or there maybe ’tis cloudless night
and swaying beeches bear
the Elven-stars as jewels white
amid their branching hair.

Though here at journey’s end I lie
in darkness buried deep,
beyond all towers strong and high,
beyond all mountains steep,
above all shadows rides the Sun
and Stars forever dwell:
I will not say the Day is done,
nor bid the Stars farewell. (888)

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, by J.R.R. Tolkien