Stanza 1
They say protect and serve like a promise carved
Flaw, but the streets has memories otherwise.
Stanza 2
I've watch protection skip neighborhoods
Like they were erased from the map,
Leaving mother's holding fear like breathe.
Stanza 3
Service shows up armed
Before it learns your name,
Turning questions into
Warnings.
Stanza 4
Safety becomes a privilege
Even when you do everything right,
Because suspicion wears a familiar face.
Stanza 5
Communities protection each other
With no badge and no sirens,
Just caution stitched from survival.
Stanza 6
So I ask again
With no bow in my voice,
Protection and serve who?
Scars
remind us
that the pain
was real
Memory
hardens
what time
can’t heal
Ingrained
within us
they serve
to warn
The past
unheeded
is soon
— reborn
(Dreamsleep: September, 2026)
I have fallen once again…
I know… everybody falls,
And I’m trying to get up
But can barely even crawl.
All these burdens that I bear ,
They have knocked me to my knees.
So, I call upon the Lord
And I hope He hears my pleas…
I believe the Lord will save me,
But even if He won’t,
Still will I serve Him…
Life can be so very hard.
We must struggle everyday,
We all stumble and we trip
As we follow on His way.
It’s so hard to find our peace
And to keep His end in sight
When worries keep on growing
And we cannot sleep at night,
I believe the Lord will save me,
But even if He won’t,
Still will I serve Him…
So, I’ve fallen once again…
Seems I do it all the time…
And He says to let it go
But I still cling to what’s mine.
And I know that I lack faith
But I’m trying to believe
And to open up my heart
So, His grace I can receive…
I believe the Lord will save me,
But even if He won’t,
Still will I serve Him…
YOUNG
Young and strong and full of vigor
So proud to answer the call
Crisp new uniform
Standing sharp and tall
Solemn with intent
To serve for one and all
His country and comrades
He bravely manned the wall
To stand against the bitter foe
And endure war’s awful squall
With valor and service true
Til the fateful fall
Then home again and still young
But only full of rigor
Irony has no place here; let true meaning stand,
Unmasked from deceit, that twists what should be known;
For truth is dimmed, when caressed by a shaky hand,
Hearts are dulled, when slow speaking in undertone.
We’ve learned to laugh to soften our doubt,
To hedge each word to lessen what's too plain;
This cleverness has worn our candor out,
Leaving us fluent in deceit, shame and disdain.
Now is the moment to speak plainly, completely—
Letting the twists unravel, before they're played.
With power serves made adroitly, sweetly and neatly—
To break the ingrained game our irony has made.
For to say upfront, what we mean, demands we refuse
to diffuse, bemuse, confuse, what we risk to lose.
Softly, she lobbed the serve across my heart
it fell harmlessly on my arm
Intended not to tear me apart
only a harbinger of harm
Her game gained traction soon enough
darts and arrows whizzing ‘cross the net
Stung my forehead where I once was tough
her ringing accusations captured the first set
My counsel – my coach – gave me his advice
not to fight fire with fire, which never works
He’d seen it fail not once, but twice
wouldn’t let me look like a jerk…
Alas and alack, to no avail, as a forehand smash
won her the trophy, the kids, and all my cash
You
Will
Have
Food
Shelter
Clothes
Guarantee
As a poetic chef,
I am ready to create a specific dish.
As I look in my book of recipes,
Limerick jumped off the page.
I must check to see if I have all the ingredients,
humor - got it.
A-A-B-B-A rhyme - got it.
7-10 syllables each line - got it.
Now to create this specific dish.
Add five lines of rhyme,
A-A-B-B-A.
Then add 7-10 syllables for each line.
Stir well,
now add extra humor.
Bake until you see the laughter browning,
serve warm for a plate of smiles.
(My sister wrote this when she was 14, in the 80s, before our family had a microwave. Since I favor it, and she doesn’t post poems, I put it here:)
Shove it in the oven
Or plop it on the stovetop
When you serve supper,
Serve it hot.
God is God all alone not needing our help
We should be obedient and offer ourselves
To do our part in sharing holy words
Live for Him and our fellow man serve
We travel to Hawaii for today’s blessing…
A blessing that I hope can cause
the coldest heart to melt:
It is through the way you serve others
that your greatness will be felt.
I think we would do well if this blessing
every day we’d pray it….
But it sounds a lot more beautiful…
the way Hawaiians say it:
Ahuwale ka po’okela
I käu hana ia ha’i.
And there shall come a time,
when i shall pour out my spirit on all flesh,
and nigh, that time has now come,
the fallen angels shall be filled with my spirit,
AHAYAH ASHAH AHAYAH, HEYWAH, JA,
and shall serve as the slaves of slaves,
in my kingdom, for all eternity, in great suffering,
and against their will. Selah.
For I AM, and my name is AHAYAH ASHAH AHAYAH, HEYWAH, JA.
I met a retired Soldier,
I met a retired Doctor,
I met a retired Teacher—
But I’ve never met a retired Preacher.
I learnt what respect truly means,
The weight of pain and quiet devotion,
The love behind being a soldier—
Dying for a nation that might forget you.
Even retiring feels like a battle won.
The Doctor too saves lives,
Sweating with a racing heart,
Carrying the hopes of a whole family,
Knowing they believe: “He will save them.”
And bearing the pain of saying,
“I’m sorry… we lost him.”
The Teacher was only loved
By the students inside the classroom.
Underrated by both government and community—
Yet holds the power to change them both.
Still, he shapes tomorrow with a parent's care.
The Preacher is like a debt collector.
His sainthood makes him almost divine.
He leads with calm and faithful words—
Gaining little bits here and there,
While the believer holds onto every promise.
So, I chose to learn.
To grow into a Teacher,
To be loved by my students,
To shape a world we all dream of.
And through the Preacher—
To learn how to give hope.
Graced to Serve
Graced by Your light, I rise to humbly praise,
Placed in Your care, my heart begins to sing,
Faced with Your love, my soul forever stays,
Embraced by grace, new strength You daily bring.
Chased from despair, Your mercy lights my way,
Based on Your truth, my path is clear and bright,
Faced with Your call, I gladly choose to stay,
Paced by Your will, I walk in holy light.
Braced for trials, Your peace remains my shield,
Laced with Your hope, my spirit soars above,
Faced with Your joy, no fear can make me yield,
Traced by Your hand, I serve with boundless love.
Placed in Your service, thankful I remain,
Chased by Your grace, I praise Your holy name.
© 22-04-2025 Pastor Emmanuel Serto
My creed means to me,
Kind smiles for all I see,
Alms for donations,
Lord my liberation,
Serving the community,
Praying for you and me,
Believers are human too,
In our mortal zoo,
Creed means I can say,
Be you beautifully today!
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