To Phrygia, to Galatia,
And then up further north:
Thus, Paul and Silas hatched a plan,
And so they ventured forth.
But then, a bit perplexingly,
Christ would not let them through.
The Asia route was blocked to them;
The explanations, few.
When they arrived in Mysia,
Again they tried the north.
Bithynia was blocked as well;
They traveled west henceforth.
And in the middle of the night,
A man came in a dream,
“Please come to Macedonia!”
’Twas from the Lord, they deemed.
So they proceeded with all haste
To those who had beseeched,
For God had given audience
To hear the gospel preached.
----------
(from Acts 16 - an unusual part of Paul's second missionary journey)
Categories:
macedonia, bible, travel,
Form: Rhyme
LORD, I humbly greet You, early this new day, a Tuesday in May
I return to my prayer list with "N" countries, from Netherlands to Norway
Adoration is the FIRST STEP (one way to PRAY) using "A-C-T-S"
The letters, not the word, "A" for adoring Him, God IS (Love) & LORD of lords
The "C" is for confession of sins. Then "T"hanksgiving and "S"upplication
I intercede, Abba-Father, for peoples in LOCKDOWN - quarantine as The virus
Called the common "Corona," a "garland" with aura, but what a CRISIS
The world has never been as connected & as SHUTDOWN for business!
Fear is everywhere, we rebuke it in Jesus' name, to Him we are most dear
Bless the global family, from islands to former Empires, praying together
For former Holland, Namibia, Nauru, Niger, Nigeria, some named "North"
One changed to Eswatini (Swaziland, Greece ... in my "E" and "G" lists)
Last but certainly not least, North Macedonia, linked to Alexander the Great
LORD, show mercy to us all, in Jesus' Name, to those "named and unnamed"
NOTE: I have not structured this form with iambic feet or any other meter. I found this form suits my faith in Jesus as LORD, closest to how I feel: SONnet
Categories:
macedonia, health, people, places, planet,
Form: Sonnet
Demosthenes was 'de most' famous of orators in ancient Greece!
His "Philippics" attacking King Philip of Macedonia is considered a masterpiece!
History recorded this and many other of his incisive orations,
For which he received well-deserved thunderous 'ovulations'!
(Written with considerable tongue in cheek!)
Categories:
macedonia, history, humorous,
Form: Clerihew
Hey you guys, why leave your town
To find a bride and settle down?
Take a tip and don’t philander
Somewhere remote like Alexander.
He married a princess called Roxana,
It seems, to make her hill tribes calmer.
To equalize the world by sex
Was a worthy aim subject to checks.
Pneumonia, poison or whatever
The emperor from his wife did sever.
So poor Roxana was alone
Cut off from people, friends and home.
She made her way to Macedonia
There to die not of pneumonia.
She, much sinned against, did sin.
She did in some foes and got done in.
Want to learn more? Surf to ‘Cassander’
And read some books on Alexander.
Before they placed her in a hearse
She pronounced an awesome curse.
‘To conquer my land shall many strive
who ne’er shall leave that land alive’.
I fear this curse still ails her land,
which nought can lift save God's own hand.
Name this land if that you can.
Take this hint. It ends with –stan.
Categories:
macedonia, bereavement, betrayal, war,
Form: Couplet
A Call to a Religious Life
By Lillian J. Jeffery
Family pray together,
share their table with the poor,
young Agnes goes on outings,
outings with the local church,
sings in the choir
Her chosen life is Christian
her divine guide is Jesus Christ,
she starts and ends her day with pray
Stories of missionaries touch, touch
her ears, her heart, she sees the
face of God on every face
Hears, hears the voice of God
calling, calling her to serve,
serve a religious life,
she is twelve
Follows her calling, leaves
her home in Skopje, Macedonia,
joins the Sisters of Loreto,
a community of nuns in Ireland
with a Mission in India,
she is eighteen
Sisters send her to a House in Calcutta,
she takes her initial vows and name,
Sister Teresa, honors Therese of Lisieux,
patron saint of Australia, missionaries,
florist, AIDs sufferers
Teaches catechism, geography,
history at St. Mary's High School,
a school dedicated to teaching girls
from the poorest, poorest families
The door swings open,
she moves to school's principal,
loves her work, stays seventeen years.
Categories:
macedonia,
Form: Alliteration
Searching for the Meaning of Life
A poem about the vanity of material things
inspired by Ancient Greek Wisdom
As I leave the walls of my home
Escaping the confines of my abode
I search for life’s meaning outside
On the banks of the Aegean sea-side
And as I travel across life’s vanity
Along the pathways of futility
Every element points to the sky
Guiding me to find your divine way
Finally, I find You, Oh! Supreme Lord
Not in the pieces of ancient Greek gold
Not in the deep gold mines of Macedonia
Not in the hills of ever-green Caledonia
Calling Your name is the sweetest word
Pacifying the turbulence in my world
Calming the wildest streams of my mind
Guiding my irate soul to quietly unwind
Always taking into deep consideration the following wise sayings:
1. By Sappho: ‘Wealth without virtue is a damaging companion’.
2. By Isocrates: ‘Wealth is the servant of bad things rather than good things’
3. By Menander: ‘Money loving is the mother of every bad thing’.
Categories:
macedonia, god, life,
Form: Ballad
I somehow missed the nineties
As far as pop culture was concerned
I spent a lot of it overseas
Watching as the Balkans burned
I had learned Russian for the Army
But the Russian Bear was no longer wild
About the time they reunited Germany
I gained a brand new wife and child
With the fall of the Soviet Union
I thought the world might finely be sane
Then I cross trained into Serbo-Croatian
As Yugoslavia went up in flame
The Army was not a free ride
I did several deployment rotations
Monitoring war crimes like genocide
Or in Macedonia with the United Nations
The nineties ended quietly
At least from what I remember
I was focused then on family
Until that fatal 11 September
Categories:
macedonia, america, children, conflict, family,
Form: Quatrain
Warrior Poet, newest nom de plume for Mark Halliday
An American citizen, gained a taste for living abroad as a LDS missionary.
Retired in 2007 as a Staff Sergeant from the US Army (20 years service);
Really preferred assignments in Germany over Macedonia and Iraq.
Instrumentalist, he learned to plays (in order): piano, flute, synthesizer,
Organ, guitar, fife, keyboards, acoustic and electric and bass guitars.
Reads a lot, mostly military science fiction novels. Loved Marvel Comics.
Prior studied French, Spanish, German, Russian, and Serbo-Croatian;
Only writes lyrics and poetry though in English and French to Nelly (Mrs H).
Enjoys cooking stroganoff, lasagna, choucroute garni, and couscous.
Trying today to get a job in France; will be flying to Paris October 12th.
Mark Halliday
20141003, Monterey Calif.
Categories:
macedonia, books, culture, food, identity,
Form: Acrostic
By Fatmir Terziu
Poetic city of the verse
You remained from birth to death
Body and lips wet
Never feeling thirsty.
From far the green crown
Comes and combs in your eye
And you hold it in your lap
Singing it songs with longing.
The breeze descends mornings
From the gorge of Ladorisht down
And then lays among the rays
That the sun nails down.
The aroma of apples is brought by the valley
Winter, summer, autumn and spring
And who never tried your charcoaled trout
And didn’t remain queued in the restaurants.
Poetic city of poets
City, symbol of cleanliness
White, days and nights
With the heart of verse.
(Struga city, Macedonia 2013)
Categories:
macedonia, culture,
Form: Free verse
The things you crushed
Your lips upon
The kiss that was there
To never exist
I’ll see you in Paris
I’ll look beyond the mist
Days have passed and moved alone
And it seems you have grown into
The simple thoughts
That bring about home
I’ll see you in Berlin
I’ll see you in Rome
Sunday clouds
Wish upon Saturdays
And I suppose you could say
I rely on you, as you rely on me
I’ll see you in Germany
Burgundy, the walls, I look upon so ruggedly
My shoulders won’t fold
The warmth that I hold
Hope will not come
But I’ll be there, here and from
I’ll see you in London
I’ll see you in the mirror before me
Up and down these alleys
Don’t forget to run
I know you think you’re a loner
And you probably can’t take it much longer
I’ll see you in California
I’ll take you back to days of Macedonia
Categories:
macedonia, adventure, hope, life, music,
Form: I do not know?
I am a man, Aryan and true.
Persian in heart, bow at hand, I stare at the skys deep wild blue.
Child of the Sun, Hunter of the lion, king of kings, creator of freedom.
Look upon me for I am man, barer of the earth, Risen from the sand.
From a child so small ive grown and grown, taking the land of powers so bold.
Lydia,Egypt,Babylon, and more for I shall not stop until nothing but PARSA is told.
From the reigns of my horse I ride throu the land, never to stop as far as i can.
Until one so bold to even face persia, the macedonian was born.
Now I look upon ruins of my people, forever lost in the lands of Issus.
Taken from us the power of the world, Macedonia offers only but crysis.
Wanting a barbarian ideolized people, the leader so young is taken forever.
Now by there own hand they are destroyed, taking from the aryans the endeavor.
For we Achemenids will fight forever.....
Categories:
macedonia, devotion, history, people, places,
Form: I do not know?