A Hearing Chased
By Frank Daub
When Affirmation is sought by pen,
then
Appreciative voices ought
To be accumulated -- by thoughtful
listening.
But approval is hard to come by.
Putting words in the proper space
Eradicates the message
Of the sender’s assumed face.
Once read, appreciated --
then turned leaden.
The sender tries another voice.
Stillness, thoughts depreciated.
Not by sender’s choice.
Watch for the claws – beware
A pause
Of trying.
It would be better --
A silence kept –
A message fading, then dying.
I am strong,
I am in control,
Today is my day —
I wrote this on the 10th of May.
On the 26th, I waited.
Two days before nineteen,
I did not want gifts,
Only love, only care, only effort.
A long wish at 12.
On the 28th, it was my birthday.
The clock struck 12, he did not.
At 6:30, a formal happy birthday arrived,
And it hurt me a lot that day.
I wrote my faults that night:
Overthinking,
Overloving,
Over-expecting.
But today I know,
Loving too much was never a fault.
Waiting for love at midnight was never too much.
My only fault was calling my love a fault.
Man is God’s Affirmation --
Awesome essence of our being;
Man’s ability to create and
Destroy – man’s capacity for
Love and hatred. We are
Fearfully formed, having been
Made In God’s Image. As God
Does we are commanded to do.
Children of the Father, Mother, Son
Principal – heirs to all that is
And ever shall be. From the dawn
Of the Beginning and before – The
Great I Am. From the last days
And on into infinity; let that mind
That is God’s Mind be also your mind.
Let that gentle heart of Christ be your nature.
Christ~ our Divine Love Covenant.
As Christ said; what you ask the Father
In my name will be given to you – learn
How to faithfully ask...and how to remain
Open to thankfully receive. Blessings.
back to teaching
and breathing again
to be away from children
for any length of time
took all the colors away
watching four-year olds
laugh, run and scream
winter coats
in the drizzling afternoon
sensing God smile
hiding behind
skinny tree trunks
dolls and trucks,
redirection
lessons through tears
and the calendar
a structured day
my humbled heart
sings:
“I am home”
my love, God.
I want to spend
The remains of the night
with my husband.
He is my soul,
as you are my husband, God.
I lied.
I read the cards.
I saw hope in the first card,
and offering in the second.
In the third,
I saw light
that was being offered,
right when I needed it.
Thank you, Lauren.
I believe in you,
and God,
and sisterhood,
and love (and/in)
life.
"God bless you..."* keeps on reverberating
warming hearts, vanquishing despair
igniting hope toward reaching-out
echoing vibrancy of "Take care" bliss
midst "You can do it by the Lord's strength"
as faith drives the spirit of service
while love propels kindness to glow
radiating "Be well and healthy"
since "You are loved, and surely blessed."
*Numbers 6:24 The Lord bless thee, and keep thee.
December 23, 2025
2nd place, "LOVE LANGUAGE OF YULETIDE" Free Verse Poetry Writing Contest
Sponsored by Nette Onclaud; judged on 12/25/2025
As Yuletides wash Gaia in curvy song
affirm Love for Self and all, short or long
knowing Life blossoms, bells chiming blessings
Strive to live moment by moment
surrendering in Trust a truthful must
acknowledge Inner Voice, core’s choice
assert Serene Sublime Stirring Spirit
candescent within community care
flaming forth Gratitude for New Earth dare !
_________________
____________________
FIRST PLACING : STANDARD CONTEST
[Sponsor : Nette Onclaud
Contest : Love Language of Yuletide
23.12.25]
It was a wonderful year -
nineteen hundred and eight-five,
the first time I'd known mutual love.
Physical touch was our love language,
and yet we were eight thousand miles apart
when calls were a week's pay...
and so, you sung words of affirmation,
your voice on cassette, the Christmas carols
that so touched my heart.
Seems like all I could see was the struggle,
haunted by ghosts that live in my past.
Bound up in shackles of all my failures that I'm being reminded of,
wondering how long it's gonna last.
Then YOU look at this prisoner and say to me,
"Child stop fighting a fight that's already been won".
Now I am redeemed and YOU set me free.
So I'll shake off these heavy chains
and wipe away every stain
and know that I'm not who I used to be.
This is ME.
Weak I became
Wrapped in a heavy cloak of guilt and shame
Lost and unable to reclaim
My feet were once firm
now trembled with fear
Afraid to stand before the Lord, my heart unclear
But God, in his mercy, sent me angels of grace
Who listened to my story and showed a gentle face
They helped me rise reminding me of God's love
And whispering to me, "You are not alone, God loves you, and he'll receive you with open arms."
He will embrace you and dress you in nice clothes
Like the father did for the prodigal son
"Welcome, welcome, welcome home" " he'll say to you
With no judgment, no condemnation, just pure love
I was blessed with words of affirmation and encouragement,
With their tender love and support,
I felt peace, and my heart renewed.
These are the people we all need
A blessing to the soul
A reminder we're not alone, making us whole
Let's help people with ears that hear and words that heal
And pray for one another, that love and hope may appear
A-S B
AI Boo Boo
“Eh? I Boo-Boo?”
Charm Disguises Evil
It Conceals It;
Doesn’t Heal It.
Evil Has No
Feelings, It Has
Nothing To Be
Hurt.
Fabrication Is Wove
With Threads Of
Finer Fabrication;
With Illusion Left
Deluded At It's Core.
Natural Creation
Expands With
Infinite Unique
Beauty Beyond
All Charming
Comprehension.
Into Every
Concealed
(Or Un-Concealed,)
Real Formed
Dimension!
***
AI Can Be
Very Very Very Very
Pretty, Cutie-Pie!
But:
Remember Why.
-Gray Squirrel
06-30-2025
(A lone voice whispers)
Will you do more to avoid an eternally broken heart?
Do you need a proclamation of truth, which one can pursue, to define your life?
Well, if so,
Here's one whispered in a deep dream
Just for you
In the end
To have loved true
Purely and transformationally
With kindness and compassion
When you stand before the God of your religion
Before you transcend
You'll be judged worthy, and your happiness will extend, beyond that final meeting
With whom, or whatever you follow, at your world's end
For good souls like you,
if you do, are never condemned
(C)
Copyright John Duffy
The day you
discover
that it’s you
who makes it all right
Is the day you
uncover
what destiny holds true
— and prophecy foretold
(Villanova University: March, 2025)
There, contrasting stark and grey,
From which it stands apart,
It sprouts and blooms in striking pose,
Despite a bane of art.
It reaches out, attracting fame
In willingness to love.
Seems hope that frees itself from doubt
Is worth the knowledge of.
I will bury the thing I was in
the person I am now
I will
know peace again
I will
hear the song again
I will
look outside and see my children
I will
feel the sun again and it will be amazing
I will
look behind me and my pain will be a memory
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