JOURNEYING IN FAITHFUL NAVIGATION
Let’s not be dismayed,
We’ve come a mighty long way:
Let’s give God the praise.
Despite today’s forced slowdowns,
God has not left us.
There’s still much to do;
Let’s keep on keeping onward:
Raising ourselves up:-
Justice’s hand getting closer,
Let us raise our faith higher:-
Let’s keep hope flowing,
Washing away apathy:
Liberty waiting:-
Yes, there was crucifixion,
But then came the ascension:-
Once more and again,
Though not where we want to be,
Look how far we’ve come:
We’ve broken so many chains,
And smashed so many road blocks:-
We’re in ascension,
With Jesus navigating:
Liberty waiting:-
With Christ footprinting the way,
We’ll soon reach liberation:-
Whatever storm you may find yourself in
always remember that you are,
no matter how unlikely it seems,
the eye of heaven
beholding itself,
the light and
glory of its
own radiant
being.
Christopher M. Swan 2009
Reading a bedtime story
to my great-grand child
Now and then the gods look out for you,
At least that’s what wise ones say.
Vanity, they also say, is Narcissus way,
Indeed, he my take pity and let you look
into his mirror and see
Gallivats and scallywags with chests of gold,
Avast! They will take hold of you,
Trade you for safe passage through
Inner secret waterways,
Or trade for jewels and golden pearls~
Now close your eyes and go to sleep,
the rest of your story will have to keep.
IN HOLY NAVIGATION: A HAIKU QUINTET
Moonlight skies are bright,
My palisaded road clear;
God navigating:-
Destiny awaits,
End of the forest is seen;
God navigating:-
In my life's garden,
I walk a fruit-tree-lined trail;
God navigating:-
In shadows of death,
Blooming life is brightly clear;
God navigating:-
Eyes stayed on the prize,
Dove soaring up the mountain;
God navigating.
My life is a boat
Details obscured
In dark waters
Language too complicated to wrap your head around
Calculations made to sail away
From any conversation
My words are the hull of this ship
My brain the captain
Keeping me afloat
Until I sink
The metal bowels break
Plunging me into the depths below
My mind is still not understood
By me or my therapist
I do mental gymnastics
Trying to center my navigational system
Blessed are the ones
Who can comprehend why they are upset
Who has the power of Jesus to calm their inner storms
When I feel the winds starting to pull my sails in another direction,
I cry
When I cry,
Tears run over the deck
Making it too slippery and unstable to stand on
I can't take down the sails
And anchor myself
My head is barely above water
I'm treading emptiness while I believe I'm swimming
My boat is sinking
We navigate our childhoods
With our parents at the wheel,
Smooth sailing for the lucky ones;
For others, an ordeal.
Along the way, we learn and grow,
Absorbing what we see,
Then choosing what we’ll keep or toss,
Deciding who we’ll be.
At some point we can steer ourselves
And once we take control,
Our moms and dads no longer play,
For us, a starring role.
It’s strange that all that effort,
Which is parenthood’s intent,
May yield outcomes unexpected,
Not requiring consent.
Nature is the first word that I recall,
As I gaze upon the bay, tall trees in view,
Deer and fawn wandering in my neighborhood small,
Yearning to embrace them, capture a selfie or two.
Nature is serene, tranquil in its embrace,
Providing solace to restless human minds,
Though hurricanes and twisters may cause a chase,
Tumbleweeds disguised, rolling as it unwinds.
Nocturnal realm, the next thought in my mind,
Moon's gentle glow, stars twinkling above,
Ghosts and goblins may roam, but we find,
Sweet treats on Halloween, spreading joy and love.
Navigation, a challenge in history's past,
Seafarers braved the unknown, circling the earth,
Discovering new lands, connecting lands vast,
Uniting us all, despite our different birth.
Just one more day until the front door slams
The car is packed
The road is open
We are off.
Off to take in the slower pace.
The stillness of the navigation.
Walking pace through life.
To take time to watch a minnow dart
See a kingfisher flit
Hear an echoey tunnel.
Rise with the sun, rest with the sun.
Use natures clock as our own.
As centuries before man woman and child
Lived and loved aboard,
All life is here,
in these wooden walls
This floating kingdom,
all I hold dear.
Just one more day.
Just one more day.
Crimson red braces a snowy dreamscape
Huddled in dense twigs, dons a showy cape
Plumage a bold rich scarlet, an exuberance
Nay can’t hide its immaculate beauty’s trance
Christians believe you symbolize the blood of Christ
Christmas bird who’s remained in zeitgeist
Colonists saw your red feathers as red robes
worn by Catholic Cardinals and a hat upon lobes
Together always like your flock, hence your name
O nightingale your loved by all—a pillar of fame
Arctic winds strong, cold unlike south’s gentle breeze
But seek shelter friend in branches of conifer trees
Like the wind rose traced to maritime maps
God’s gift of navigation finds you maple saps
I look to my compass and note the design
Resembling petals of a rose that align
This Fleur de lys indicates winds direction
The east rim of the rose shows a cross, an indication
The direction in which Jesus Christ was born
The wind rose symbolized and was never shorn
I’ve felt the vacancy that darkness brings
Every bit and piece, all the little things
Lost reality, the great stall of time
Wishes forfeit, without proper rhyme
Thoughts left unclaimed, chaos without order
Misguided dreams of a nightmare hoarder
Could a wish come true if worded just right
Why do they vanish with the ending of night
Deceit is conjured in the depths of the mind
It searches for answers that it will never find
A prankster of sorts, its skits are in vain
Its only truth is bringing you pain
Maybe tomorrow as a new sunrise comes
Impulse will surge, from some new found crumbs
Don’t give up on love or dismiss your desire
Lightning might strike and relite your fire
The universe relentlessly expands in vicious circles, of which I move around in
Infinite regression is the mark I toe, that leads me to ecumenical emancipation
I collect neural correlates of consciousness from the stars in an unkempt sky
Pollinating nuclear fusions with my angular momentum, if that makes any sense
I commence to dispense immense nonsense in sequence with no consequence
Out of the darkness it has come to light that we are all crepuscular tortoises
Traversing the shell of a much larger terrapin, as one would walk on the ground
Realizing the cosmos is no less than turtles stacked on turtles all the way down
Date: 6/29/19
Contest: The Universe Poetry Contest
Sponsor: Nina Parmenter
My imagination
My creation
A wonder of greatness
Thoughts of highness
It is a world where I only travel alone
In it I have the power to attain all
No bugs buzzing or bags bagging
Tag all my weaknesses,
And build a tower of strength
To see over the horizons,
I sight with my mind
Imagination serves to save the world
And propels to be limitless.
NAVIGATION
I am sowing my seeds of navigation
Let's sing the song of inspiration
Time and time again, everything is synchronization
Don't you see the universe is allocation
Tr?n Minh Hi?n Hien Tran Orlando August 5, 2016
wind spinning tripped and slipping to your weight
your eyes opened when i thought i wouldnt wait
But what if i wait? she could move herself away leave holes in my universe
Bring clouds around the stars
Or i could stare into her gaze and really just hope for the best
untangle the lights from the maze and confusion
The delusions i create
Im going too fast so im scared to wobble and to fall
And to ignore all the costs of letting the wind take it all
And so these walls shelter me from the cold
Bring warmth for this winter
Im in the pines of where ever is there
Im in the final splinter of light in the fire needing repair
So if you care to stare into my
gaze and slowly burn your eyes
We can be blind together
To let our minds be our minds
my navigation
is the best thing in the world
for our grand entries....
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