This year I managed to do the following to both my brother and my sister, so I wrote this by way of apology:
What Forgetful Brothers Do
They mean to call you on your birthday,
They find they can’t get through,
Then what happens next
Is what forgetful brothers do:
‘I’ll email them tomorrow’,
They decide, and so they ought
But when tomorrow comes around,
Life’s crowded out the thought. Continue reading
Where now the fangs of yesteryear
That pinned us to the dust,
Reminding us of all our failures,
Weaknesses and lusts?
All shattered by a holy cry
As He hung on the cross,
And all I thought enormous gain
Is now but minor loss.
The ghosts that haunt our murky past
Now give us different pause;
To treasure His abundant love,
His mercy and His cause.
Come see the dance of life entwined
That flows throughout this place;
Come leave the dull and drab behind
And slow your frantic pace.
Come watch the dance of life entwined
Soak in it’s warming light;
Each dancer loves to serve its kind
And in their joy delight. Continue reading
As is tradition, each year on the anniversary of the first time I emailed the girl who is now my wife, I write her a poem and send it to her on the 1st of May with instructions to read it on the 2nd. Here is this year’s effort:
Thirteen Email Years Ago
Scattered thoughts, deflated hopes,
My lonely soul was on the ropes.
Resigned to life without a love
And then He sent one from above.
He used an unexpected route,
No lightning bolt or vision cute.
Instead a boy who liked to tease
And made us both feel ill at ease. Continue reading
What is eighty years of life
When eternity awaits?
A puff of dust, a flicker
That is gone without a trace.
And yet the choices we now make
Send ripples though the years
That will give young minds pause to think
And question their ideas. Continue reading
Where am I now? What is this place,
Its shadows etched upon my face?
Here scars of unexhausted rage
There monuments to pride.
There caves of self-indulgence,
Too many flaws to hide. Continue reading
Continuing the theme of contest entries, this is my entry to another contest, where it beat out a whole other entry to win, so I’m not sure that can really be counted as a victory. Entries had to include the words fire, ice, black and white.
Frozen Hope?
Huddled round a fire in the days of old,
Hiding from the ire of the burning cold.
Under the stars and the grey-white moon,
Comes hope from afar that will get here soon.
A fortress of ice that gleams in the day,
With beauty to entice down a dangerous way.
“Onward, you hounds! Pick up the pace!”
Drowns out the sounds of the maddening race. Continue reading
Well, I found out this week that my entry to a major poetry competition was unsuccessful, I didn’t finish in any of the winning places (that’s the last time I pay to enter a poetry contest). I submitted two poems, Once (Which I posted on this blog last year) and this effort:
Seasons
Forested deep purity
Dusted with a winter’s glow;
Crystalline perpetuity
Takes its place in nature’s show.
Fresh sunlight plays with diamonds soft
That glisten as they sing
In silent awe that drifts aloft
A peaceful offering. Continue reading
One from last summer, about my fourth son:
Walking
Taking my baby for a walk.
Enjoying the shadows that play across his sweet little face
As we move in and out of the trees.
A gentle breeze rustling the leaves, distant birdsong,
The calm clatter of pram wheels along the cobbled path.
Watching the curious look in his innocent eyes
As he takes in the scenery passing by.
Is there any moment more peaceful, more wonderful,
A greater advert for life?
The only way to make this memory any better
Is to share it with you.
As promised, here are the solutions, given as taunts to send the demonic Word Eater back to its fiery prison:
Solution One
Acrostic done bilingually
Reveals the word – reality
This was my undeciphered key
Now in shame depart and flee!
Solution Two
When needed goods are sold and bought
Value is the thing most sought.
This was my second scrambled thought
Now go, foul thing, back where you ought!
The Zwyckyverse 