Hands amid touch in love, a warm embrace.
Grasping what needs to be done, any pace.
Together in joy or sorrow, a safe place.
Duty over those naive, we can’t chase.
Home of diverse does what works, a solid base.
Family that cares, chores that we all share,
United in one, a world we all bear.
The ebb and flow, a ceaseless art,
That shapes our voyage, plays its part,
We catch the surge, a fleeting gleam,
Or drift along a silent dream,
Providence grand, beyond our hold,
A story age old, to unfold.
God’s providential care for me –
things decreed before I came to be.
Mysteries ahead, and the road tomorrow,
a path of thorns, mingled with joy and sorrow.
Dark days – bright days – high and low,
God ordained a path beyond what we know.
As our days are numbered, may they all count,
may our praise go up to the everlasting Fount!
And I will remember, He is always with me,
and many of His ways will remain a mystery.
A soft whisper in the rustling of leaves seems like a breath of sigh.
Accustomed to the loneliness of the past, bereft of company, you waited.
As streams of light filter through the loving greens, making way for the moon---
I gather delight in the dunes of time, when your motherly touch was all that I sensed.
I savoured the magic your hands wove, the delicacies, the fashion, asking for more.
You listened with patience all that I said, yet failed to hold it when I had to spare
some time when you were ill, and your body begged my touch in all its might.
I pick up the petals of wounded time, imploring Providence to once more bring
Back a call unheard, a request refused, an outburst ignored, a demand denied.
Before I die, let me whisper in the anticipation of a meeting; ‘Mother, please forgive me’.
**********************************
A tumultuous time came unushered in my beleaguered life
that writhed in the crushing clutch of destructive agony.
My heart broke, bled with desperation in pining pain,
found no arms stretched to be embraced by solace.
At the edge of hope as the helpless mind sorely got
the unmistakable signal of the beginning of the end,
it surrendered to the benevolent power of the almighty,
prayed for the miraculous results of divine intervention.
In the darkness of opaque nights the tormented life found
in the wilderness the winding path illumined by His light.
My soul swam in the sea of infinite faith, the supreme savior,
to know that the creator’s grace protects what He creates.
As the servile senses perceived the ways of providence,
the feeling of getting assured protection in His benign shelter
invigorated the mental strength for the destined rejuvenation,
and the heart responded to the divine healing touch for revival.
Am I walking through Ways of Providence ?
or walking just to struggle on my own !
I am confused , also amused to sense
reality ! Am I guided or lone ?
Are pre- scheduled all the happenstances !
Am I instructed by Divine Power ?
Is there a supreme strength to embower ?
Or, I surrender to circumstances !
Does Divine Guidance fabricate my fate ?
Then life will turn purposeless - meaningless.
No use of brain -mind-soul to navigate.
Just to be flooded , careful or careless.
How can you define , what is Providence ?
It's Supremacy in your soul to stay.
On Moral Values , carry Reverence.
Ways of Providence will be shown, I say.
He stood, arms, legs, outstretched, seemingly biding
in that lambent light against, darkening grey
where summer heat and storm are oft colliding;
in some time, the rain will come, yet not today.
Ancient dust will settle on his naked breast
slowly bake between the Sun and human sweat;
as his shadow slowly shifts from East to West
he knows, again, his payers have not been met.
The young are prone to blithely say, “Time’s on my side,”
but youth’s no promise one will long on Earth abide.
“He died too soon,” we say beside a young one’s grave
and ponder why God opted not his life to save.
Those who have not achieved all they desire in life
sometimes blame others~~even God~~for pain and strife.
Let’s flip the coin. Are we convinced that we deserve
all blessings we receive? Do we have that much nerve?
God’s ways are not our ways; we cannot think like Him,*
but we must trust he doesn’t merely act on whim.
(*Isaiah 55:8)
His Word assures He loves us; this, we must believe
and have deep faith He’ll comfort us each time we grieve.
When we depart this shell of clay, we’ll clearly see
what we now view as through a glass dark as can be.”
(I Corin. 13:2, the Apostle Paul)
WAYS OF PROVIDENCE
Poem written for “This or That Poetry Contest,” Edward Ibeh, sponsor, 7/22/2025
“God planted the seeds of all the trees, and you see to what a height and shade they have grown! So, it is with the Bible. You may read a verse this year, and forget it, and it will come back to you a year hence, when you least expect to remember it.” James Fenimore Cooper, The Deerslayer
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Nestled in the soil of my heart, God, the Divine Gardener,
lays seeds of wisdom, each verse a tiny promise,
waiting for the rain of remembrance.
Time passes by like a feather in the wind,
and as a traveler, I recall a line, a verse~
a glimmer of truth that suddenly comes to light.
It encircles my heart like a vine of grace,
reminding me that seeds planted in my soul's soil
await providence and the right season to sprout.
Oh, my heart remembers, just as trees remember the rain!
And here I am, growing beneath the shade
of the proverbial wisdom of God.
My dependence on walking cane,
makes me older than my 80++ age,
I wish I could walk more than sit for hours,
Enjoy the walk along the ocean shore and greet the waves.
I would love to be an active adult,
Dance in the parties, swing few shots at pickleball game.
The time of Providence has come,
The desire is overwhelming, heart is full of hope.
There was a time I thought I knew
the shape and purpose of my course,
but a door closed soft, unseen,
and set my pulse to new rhythms.
I wait in transition for dawn to reveal a golden path,
guided by hope to avoid the easy route
and embrace whatever form it takes.
Did I ever know that I would be born?
Did I decide my psyche and physique?
Why is a rose shielded by a sharp thorn?
Providence creates each creature unique.
I think of building a castle for me.
I end up assembling a thatched hut.
When I, like a sparrow, wish to be free
An unknown force, from within, keeps me shut.
Untimely rain signs on the summer breeze
Floods and droughts play tragedies unannounced.
Earthquakes shake the inmost shrines of the seas.
Divine verdict is wordlessly pronounced.
Events, like gift foils, wrap my existence.
Existence, in turn, is wrapped by Providence.
There will surely be a guide ~
charting my path,
protecting,
and leading me
to my destined destination in life.
As if it were a promised payment
God made to me from heaven.
A visible hand
tucked out from an invisible tucker,
In a canoe on a river ~
gently rowing me along its flow.
Many near-deaths averted,
Many of life's debts miraculously paid,
many stale breaths,
yet never for a moment ceased.
All threats to my existence –
God canceled them,
sometimes with my sweat,
other times with just a little fret.
Yet still, I never got my feet wet or smelly,
even when I trudged through the sludge
left behind by life's avarice;
not a faint trace of the caprice
that clouds my destined destination.
There has to be only one explanation ~
providence,
not merely serendipity,
For I can see the hands of the I Am That I Am,
whispering their ubiquity,
through a tiny voice –
often feeble, yet ably affable,
I am cognisant of its presence,
especially when I disobey its warnings.
All these are never through kismet or fortuity ~
they are simply the ways of providence.
Case closed.
Written July 20, 2025, for contest Sponsored by Sir Edward Ibeh
************************************************
The Potter forms each individual,
Shaping earth's landscapes made original;
The design of mountain, valley, and hill
Is planned and done according to His will.
The Sovereign controls with full power,
Universe follows the word of Ruler;
The creation bows to the mighty King,
He gives divine order to everything.
The Rock often offers fixed foundation
Of a safe harbor during affliction;
The Fortress supplies a steadfast support,
As the Stronghold will never come up short.
The Light of pristine truth replaces lies
With pure knowledge to unlock our blind eyes.
Solace
Solace rests with a soul in skies afar
When stars illume one`s goal,
Providence makes one a whole,
In life one has played one`s role.
I lay periwinkle petals
and
scintillating seashells
upon the
quenched quartz
under
glistening glow
of moonlight
for a love that
will never die
cemented through
space and time
twilight tranquillity
found within
each other's arms
as the conduits of sentience
scream above resting ivy
tangled in
twisted thistle
stitched on hollow skin
~ Primordial
predestination
predates
precursory providence ~
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