“It is more blessed to give
than to receive…”*
Thus says the Scripture
carnal mind can’t accept
yet spiritual heart regards as truth
in vanquishing selfishness
as well as covetousness-grip
and smiting greediness-enclosure.
Indeed, giving is gaining more…
yes, more joy, powered by sharing
while insuring blessings
of divine abundance faith acquires
along sufficient provisions
midst supplies that meet needs, even wants
toward peaceful contentment
showered by heavenly fulfillment-triumph.
*Acts 20:35 I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.
December 7, 2024
2nd place, "Counterintuitive" Poetry Writing Contest
Sponsored by Suzette Richards; judged on 12/10/2024
It's late, lo. I knew that the water I saw was mirage.
This is a world where, often, facts and fancies camouflage
Depths that seem unfathomable are shallow when measured.
Within wombs of tombs that seem empty, riches are treasured.
The structure that looked like a passage was, in truth, a wall.
Doesn’t my crammed glance make the earth resemble a ball?
How could crows dine guavas at night? Lo, they were mega-bats.
Waiting under guava trees, I didn't know, were black cats.
Peeping through the brick holes of Kutab Minar, I feel giddy.
While I could reach the top, are the stairs now playing kiddy?
Each move of being is filled with likes, dislikes, dreads, and fears.
Equally in joys and sadness, as though raindrops flow tears
Running shoes, highway lanes, sleepless sleep, and suppressing thoughts
Each act, as though steering sailboats, becomes threads full of knots.
Is this shop I find between this and this bush mere confusion?
Aren't facts of truth tested in hot furnaces of illusion?
We are admonished by guardians of civilization
to battle the enemy with due civil restraints
Yet with a nagging visceral realization
we know wars are not fought by saints
Rules of war shield all children from harm
disallowing rape and torture and pillage
soothing unease, assuaging alarm
reassuring every town, farm and village
Long ago Sherman warned us war is hell
as knowing heads bowed with grim words unspoken
Now lulled into another innocent naive spell
we learn again rules are meant to be broken
COUNTERINTUITIVE
One would think that news was real
At least it was, mostly, as in the past
Yet with A.I images on social media
And even a misquoted encyclopedia
The scale of deception is quite vast
With emoticons about how you feel
We believe what we want to believe
And welcoming an influencer’s role
Afraid that intuition has had its day
Who knows, or even cares, anyway
More sales or votes is now the goal
Now just shut the door as you leave
The disappearance of common sense
Did it not surrender or pay its taxes
It is a complicated world, of course
But who now ever checks the source
Today, no-one can remember faxes
Just a meme, intended for the dense
randomness in art
essentially
a one-off experiment to suggest
a counterintuitive interpretation
In a visual representation
with the element chance
to bring spontaneity
thereby
liberating creativity from rational thought
becomes
full of surprise
open to different interpretations
revealing
visually striking
unexpected connections
of meaningful shapes
in
chance
imaginative conclusions
Within this poem are 3 psychological
tactics which have power
misunderstanding psychology
which result in, simply didn't work
choosing words you're choosing
you want to influence a mind
receive response, you had hoped for
with words you have choosen
trying to get your readers to think,
a mental state which is ready
your reader will think something
they haven't read already
communicate something interesting
more meaningful,
your readers may seem intuitive,
Maybe you need to try something
counterintuitive...
But they will, or will they remember
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