Best Shepherd Poems
It's raining again, grey neon skies,
washing away suppressed surfaces,
to reveal unhealed wounds,
to scars the eyes cannot see
sometimes they bleed.
Some say words heal,
but I resist to express them,
because I'm afraid of my vulnerabilities,
anxious about tears I've never cried.
You only see the smile,
no one remembers that naive boy,
waiting at the window
for the shepherd who forgot his flock,
and he was no black sheep
if only I could reach him now
so he would not grow up like he did not belong,
stop searching for something,
he did not know how to find.
Stop composing that melancholic symphony,
recycling emotions, he did not understand,
I would tune his piano keys,
repair his violin's broken strings,
but
there are too many silent secrets,
blood stained walls will never reveal.
You left me behind,
with an empty toy box,
taking with you childhood hopes,
so ensued a vacuum of darkness -
sucking me deeper into confusion.
I remember watching you walk away,
along a path of overgrown weeds.
If it was not for the gift of mum's marbles,
I would not have laid an alternative path,
creating my protective bubble,
so I could float away, from all the troubles
until I lost them too.
Tell me father,
how was I to become a man?
You pushed me upon my knees,
like a cherry blossom in the wind.
A victim of your sins,
struggling to rise in adolescence,
I kept faith in the path of marble,
grateful for the guidance of my bubble.
After years of silence
upon your final sighs,
watching you die without words,
tears exploded for a stranger,
forgiving broken promises,
forgetting your crimes -
cursing stubbornness and bitterness,
thinking maybe it was me,
not just you
questions that will never be answered.
Today I stand before your bed of marble,
no need for a bubble, I feel no emotions.
After all I am a product of my childhood,
and you were a result of your own.
Silent One
18 August 2019
Beside the still waters he leadeth me
Shepherd of my wandering soul
I do not want for anything, you see,
My shepherd has made me whole.
I have walked the treacherous path
But I did not need to be afraid
The rod and staff my shepherd hath
I can lie down in both sun and shade.
When I am tired and, oh, so weary
He renews my spirit, replenishing,
Restoring my spirit when I am dreary
Goodness and mercy are my finishing.
I shall dwell in the house of the Lord
And drink of the living water of life
The shepherd gives to all his adored
Who seek peace and flee from strife.
Written June 3, 2021
#40 on Best New Poems List
Poetry Soup
June 10, 2021
Watery eyed thoughts came,
Zap! Pow! a short circuited brain.
Inward turned burned ocular pain,
too many thoughts to restrain
I’m a cheap sheep making my mistakes again.
Smell my seared wool going down the drain.
Ba, ba, blackishly wishing I was right as rain.
Words accessed by my fingertips
help to quicken my sheepish heartbeat
Yet I bang on my keyboard, DELETE, DELETE!
Ripping out digital scores, sheet by sheet.
Never once listening to what other sheep bleat.
Instead I feel my brain draining
as my barnyard thoughts are straining
I can’t translate what they’re saying.
It sounds to much like blah blah complaining.
I’m watching you fake shepherd boy,
black sheep never sleep
into the darkness we’re destined to creep.
Sad sadistic secrets you’ve burdened us to keep
So we push our charred thoughts way down deep,
as we travel paths dangerous and steep.
Within the silence of the lambs,
you devilishly relish hearing us weep.
While I admire fleece as white as snow.
I’m not inclined to go where those sheep go.
Their path leads to your fictional rainbow.
They’re not safe just because they travel slow.
The True Shepherd wouldn’t lead them to and fro
I listen to my uneasy queazy feeling
and exit your proverbial row.
I wish I could stop them too
but, ba ba ba, to the slaughter they go.
For Wow Me Poetry Contest entered August 26, 2019.
Written August 21, 2019
Re-entered in John Hamilton’s N/A contest
The shepherd's lot will never be an easy one.
From morning till night, his work will never be done.
Helped by a well-trained German dog, he keeps the flock
In good shape, so his physique must be like a rock.
Distinctive of his staff that helps him catch some ewe,
That had fallen in some trouble before it grew.
Always alert for thieves around are abundant,
And wild animals, he cannot act redundant.
Lone shepherds are not many, but I know of one,
He came from God on high and like Him there are none.
He distributes pure graces to all who need them.
Woe to those who ignore Him, your sorrow will stem.
Oh Lord, Our Heavenly Father of all creation
We rely on you in all tribulations of life
Hope you will come down to touch and heal
Our bleeding hearts, for your mercy exceeds all bounds
You cannot turn your eyes when your children sob in agony,
You cannot but mend our torn and splintered hearts
When fears and tensions swivel and rake us
Shaking the very hinges of our existence
Anchor our minds to faith to proclaim with conviction
That you alone are our sole armor and refuge
That in every trial of ours, you will be there by our side
You are the only one who can gauge the depth of our pain
You are the only one who knows our weaknesses
We entreat you to heal our hurts and purge our hearts
When numerous sins and vices tacitly remain
So that we shall shine in your grace and grow in your love
When we stagger under the heavy weight of life
And when no one is around to ease our grief
We see you standing lovingly within our reach
With hands held out beckoning us with assurance of relief
Like a loving father out and out to help his wayward kids
You are the great Shepherd who will never desert his herd
But will come searching for the missing lambs
When our legs grow weary with every forward step
Oh, come and carry each of these staggering lambs
Lend your hand in our tightrope walk, that if fallen
We can spring back and hop, without getting maimed
Grant us true light that we will not grope in dark alleys
We know, the opulence of this transient world
Can never ever fill our hearts or give us lasting joy
It is in Thy love, we find our life’s whole comfort
It is on your shoulders, we want to lower our burden
When the skies are cloudy, when burdens are heavy
Oh, friends, tell yourselves never to feel troubled,
With such a great savior around
When we are lost, He will kindly lead us home
Solve our problems if we partake in His love
And shelter us in his great bastion, day and night
Brian Strand 1090 Poetry Contest
Feb.24. 2022
Inspirational Christian Poetry Contest
Sponsor- Regina MacIntosh
The Lord is my "Shepherd"I shall not want to die! The Lord is my Shepherd I shall not "Want to commit "Suicide"! The Lord is my shepherd I shall not want to kill my fellow human being!It really makes since to want "The Lord to be your ""Shepherd"! There are a lot of people who want the "Wrong Things"! Let "The Lord be your "Shepherd"! Ask "The Lord "To Be" "YOUR SHEPHERD",and he will!The Lord God Almighty" is "CREATOR,SOVEREIGN,GOD ALMIGHTY,I AM,PROVIDER,HEALER,THE LORD MY BANNER,SANCTIFIED,LORD OF HOST,PEACE,RIGHTEOUSNESS,THE LORD IS THERE,SHEPHERD. YHWH,JAVH,YAHWEH,IHVH,IAHVEH,YAHVEH,,JAH. LET US LOVE ; DO NOT BE AFRAID OF LOVING TOO,TOO MUCH; LOVE IS THE FULFILLING OF "THE LAW"! ANY LAW!THERE ARE SOME THINGS THAT YOU DO NOT NEED TO "WANT'! THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD I SHALL NOT WANT IS SOMETIMES A REALLY GOOD IDEA THAT BRINGS US CLOSER TO 'THE LORD GOD ALLMIGHTY" !The Names of God . ELOHIM-CREATOR ,EL ELYON-SOVEREIGN,EL SHADDAI-GOD ALMIGHTY,ADONI-LORD,JEHOVAH-I AM,JEHOVAH JIREH-PROVIDER,JEHOVAH RAPHA-HEALER,JEHVOAH NISSI-THE LORD MY BANNER,JEHOVAH M' KADDESH KIM-SANCTIFIER,JEHOVAH SABAOTH-LORD OF HOST,JEHOVAH SHALOM-PEACE,JEHOVAH TISD KENU-RIGHTEOUSNESS,JEHOVAH SAMMAH-THE LORD IS THEIR,JEHOVAH RAAH-SHEPHERD. CREATOR,SOVERIGN,GOD ALMIGHTY,LORD,I AM,PROVIDER,HEALER,THE LORD MY BANNER,SANCTIFIER,LORD OF HOST,PEACE,RIGHTEOUSNESS,THE LORD IS THEIR,SHEPHERD LET US LOVE. DO NOT BE AFRAID OF LOVING TOO,TOO MUCH. LOVE IS THE FULFILLING OF 'THE LAW'!
Divine Master most precious crowned golden Spirit
You who sits in Heaven regal most gracious hear our prayers
Lord and Holy Master angels sing in choir rejoicing
in Your love we break and share bread with wine
Body and blood in Your suffering for our sins
Died on the cross at Calvary forgive me my King
I am weak in the eyes of the world guide me
always and forever in Your light colours freedom Amen.
Twas the Eve of this Christmas,
We were traveling far,
When in the dark sky
I noticed a bright shining star.
I imagined the Manger,
Where Jesus was born,
Were alerted to danger
As the road signs did warn.
The bright star we followed,
Far above in the night
In my mind’s eye saw Shepherds,
And Three Kings giving us light .
Listening to joyful Carols,
Each one we both sung,
As we neared our destination,
Heard church bells being rung.
We noticed a small church,
Standing all on it’s own
A midnight mass in progress,
Singing heard from it’s dome.
We went in and watched,
A nativity in play,
The Christ child was born
It is now Christmas Day.
Competition Entry
Sponsor: Eve Roper
Date 2021/12/30
Wheels of life overtake busy hours
racing along fast highway of time,
and jammed thoughts forget sunset’s delight
while roses, once in love, stoop... tires fizzle,
even when the hills fondle the peaks
of embossed leaves, there are no hours
for leisure on the streams, not yet.
Still, when evanescent light
envelopes all things tender and dusk floats
along a wing of clouds, He waits there...
The shepherd becoming one of his sheep
guiding freely, moving quietly
content as breath of air,
telling me to listen softly where
a fragile voice awakens a hum
within my bosom... a Source unseen
yet felt deeply, as if to comfort
this restless spirit that the journey lies
in not asking why, but trusting
how, in silence, He waits with me.
Richard Lamoreux's Tell Me
3/31/2015
By serving God I serve man,
but I cannot serve God by serving man;
the horse is put before the cart;
the sheep shall scatter to the wind....
for I shall see sheep, yet not the herd ----
one will fall away,
the rest will follow,
and the wolf shall rend them piecemeal
Transcendent One, immutable in power,
All glorious Father, worthy of all praise!
O mighty King of heaven, every hour
You show yourself the Shepherd of my days.
My deeds, my thoughts, unworthy of rewards,
Yet as I flail, you hold me to your breast.
This lowly sheep with grace my Lord regards -
Thus safe in your embrace I find my rest.
The Father’s Lamb himself says “Come to me,
And all who enter through me shall be saved”.
He came to give us life abundantly,
And by his blood the path to God is paved.
In laying down his life to save his sheep,
Only the Shepherd may our spirits keep.
When I am lost and all alone,
It’s then I turn to the Shepherd to guide me home.
When my heart gets bitter and full of doubt,
I surrender my problems to Jesus, He seems to always work them out.
I have been a victim of my own foolish pride,
Not trusting in Jesus to be my guide.
Many times I have stumbled and many times I have fell,
But that’s the good part of this story I tell.
For no matter how low in life we manage to sink,
It’s Jesus who will always bring you back from the brink.
We are like sheep we all go astray,
That is why we need our Shepherd to show us the way.
Jesus was the one who died for our sins so long ago,
Redemption is ours if we ask don’t you know?
Without Jesus in our lives we would have no hope,
And no chance for salvation or a reason to cope.
Imagine the pain He suffered that day,
Picture it in your mind how He died such a tragic way.
Body racked with pain and longing for the death that seemed so slow,
And being able to forgive those who did these things would have been hard for me,
don’t you know?
As I grow older in life there are things I tend to learn,
Like the most valuable possessions you cannot buy you have to earn.
Love, respect, and friendship are a treasured gift,
To have and to share will give you a blessed lift.
The Lord is my Shepherd
wherever I walk.
He speaks gently to me
and to His flock.
He leadeth me when the waters are scarce.
He leadeth, He leadeth me home.
When I grow weary,
I rest by a tree
and go fast asleep
leaning on my Lord’s knee.
He resteth, He resteth,
He resteth by me.
He leadeth, He leadeth me home.
He playeth His flute as I go to sleep.
The mountains and valleys
resound and repeat.
The songs that He playeth
are ever so sweet.
He leadeth, He leadeth me home.
It’s more than a flicker
from life unto death.
The storm clouds grow thicker
the older I get.
But I have no fear
for the Shepherd I hear.
He leadeth, He leadeth me home.
He leadeth, He leadeth me home.
The Wind Shepherd
The wind,
Like a shepherd,
Drives white caps -
Ocean's sheep -
Onto the shore's lap
Where they leave
Their foamy fleece
On the empty beach
To the delight
Of beachcomber's feet.
one Word saves the lost Here I am by thy sound grace you hear our bleating