.
if'n leonardo
caught glimps
thuh
uv she
hern
in thuh louvre
'stead
would hern
hang
purty little
she
* y'all doez know
this thuh
be
"royal dip"
<]')
Hear the breaking of a heart,
In love with us the very start,
To reconcile, never again to part,
Altogether Lovely.
Reaching through the realms of time,
Healing the sick, lame, deaf, and blind.
Freeing imprisoned, captured minds,
Altogether Lovely.
To even raise up from the dead,
those in tombs and from death beds.
Born to be slain, death for life in our stead,
Altogether Lovely
Hearing the plea of my Savior’s heart,
In love with me from the very start.
For a love beyond time, never to part,
Altogether Lovely.
For He is Love, such Love Divine,
His child, I am His, and He is mine,
As much is yours, as He is mine,
Altogether Lovely.
With fustigation to amelioration
We are led by The Law to The Gospel
And in turn The Gospel demands we keep The Law
No epistle of straw, there’s room in the hostel
(Because God’s style to the world is hostile)
We are led by the Spirit
To learn to endear it
Endear what? Is a sinful recitation
Learning to serve others in convocation
(God calls us and overhauls us
Whether one by one and together)
How do we inherit eternal life?
By loving our neighbor as serving kin
Who is our neighbor?
The one without (as in not having and not within)
The fustigation of Jesus Christ
Begs our amelioration of a fustigated life
And if a cruciform life is led
There must be blood, sweat and tears shed in stead
(Or instead of the evil in tow as is led here below)
Life is hard, there’s no doubt about it
Jesus’ words touted and shouted from the Cross
But serendipitously (and graciously)
When we lose, we don’t count it as loss
Are you willing to look like a hypocrite to the world without?
Are you willing to look at the hypocrite within?
(As He lived and then hung betwixt two of us)
Jesus took on this struggle without committing a sin
Red lips are not ¦¦¦ ¦¦¦
¦¦¦ ¦¦¦ ¦¦¦¦¦¦¦ ¦¦¦¦¦¦ kissed by the ¦¦¦¦¦¦¦ dead.
¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦ ¦¦¦ ¦¦¦¦¦ ¦¦¦ ¦¦¦¦¦
¦¦¦¦¦ ¦¦¦¦¦ ¦¦¦ their love pure.
¦¦¦ ¦¦¦¦¦ ¦¦¦¦ eyes ¦¦¦¦ lure
When I behold eyes blinded in ¦¦¦ stead!
Your ¦¦¦¦¦¦¦ ¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦
¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦ ¦¦¦ exquisite ¦¦¦¦ limbs knife-skewed,
¦¦¦¦¦¦¦ ¦¦¦ rolling there
Where God seems ¦¦¦ to care;
¦¦¦¦ ¦¦¦ ¦¦¦¦¦¦ Love they bear
¦¦¦¦¦¦ ¦¦¦¦ in death's extreme decrepitude.
Your voice sings ¦¦¦ so soft, --
Though ¦¦¦¦ ¦¦¦ ¦¦¦¦ murmuring through raftered loft, --
Your ¦¦¦¦ voice is ¦¦¦ dear,
Gentle, and ¦¦¦¦¦¦¦ clear,
As theirs whom none ¦¦¦ hear
¦¦¦ earth ¦¦¦ stopped ¦¦¦¦¦ piteous mouths that coughed.
Heart, ¦¦¦ ¦¦¦¦ ¦¦¦¦¦ ¦¦¦¦
Nor large, nor full ¦¦¦¦ ¦¦¦¦¦¦ made great with shot;
¦¦¦ though your hand be pale,
Paler are all which trail
Your cross through flame and hail:
¦¦¦¦¦ you may weep, ¦¦¦ ¦¦¦ ¦¦¦ touch them not.
(Blackout of Greater Love by Wilfred Owen)
Ruth: It’s all my fault— my lost hat! How can you forgive me that!
Buddy: Quite an ego you have, miss, taking blame for stealing bliss!
Ruth: I’m contrite! Wasn’t right! My pillow is drenched every night!
Buddy: You make me ashamed, my dear, I chose to chase it— you hear?
Ruth: I wish you had let it go, but there was no way to know.
Buddy: My gallantry would you excuse, had I not worn my shoes?
Ruth: But why’d God take you away, ‘stead of by my side to stay!
Buddy: In Him there is only Light— He’s sad, too, to see our plight.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In tribute , of course, to Fried Green Tomatoes
For the “Disrobing Ego” poetrysoup contest :)
That Seems It Implies
That Green Is Sooo Ez...
To Whip, Like A Flavor
You Can Easily Lie About...
Because It Sounds Out!!!
Hushhhh..
That Sounds Exactly
LIKE
The TRUTH.
And We LIKE THAT!
Give Me Some MORE!
You Wish...
Where Pride Washes
The Dishes, By Machine.
Lust? EZ!!! We Know It's A
Sacrifice.... But "Envy"...
Nahhh... Whatever,
If Wishes Were Horses.
In Steed, In Stead...
Or Whatever I Said.
Kiss!
-Gray Squirrel
07-16-2026
Winter Ailments
January diseases make their customary rounds,
Coughs, sneezes and sniffles all going around;
Cold and flu bugs ride the indoor air currents,
waiting to become the next unwelcome occupant
of unwary human lungs and ripe nasal passages –
unwashed hands or exposed faces encourage attacks.
Sometimes occurrences creep up all of a sudden,
medical ailments dismissed now seize your attention.
What was overlooked will no longer be ignored,
need a professional's help to get your health restored.
Fears can be dispelled and facts verified,
Real problem addressed, antibiotics prescribed.
Difficulties are handled, dosages absorbed
knowing improvement is coming is adored.
Sometimes the most effective step here
is to get some help to see your way clear.
Better health is just a few more steps ahead,
Determined fortitude will put you in good stead.
My heart gets restless if I don't take it for a walk,
Sometimes I let it out to sit on my sleeve,
To enjoy the fresh air and sunshine,
Not caring if others talk,
Or, if I am seen as a bit of a dork,
As it is fresh air and sunshine,
That keeps the concepts of Romance and hope alive.
Sometimes it pops up in my head,
For a talk with my conscience,
Acting in its stead when it is not in residence,
Or at other times giving my feet a pep talk
Enough to make a walk, more than just talk.
Misery loves company,
That's one thing for sure;
And counting curses as you moan,
Won't bring about a cure;
For thinking 'bout unhappiness,
And things that make you frown,
Aren't gonna help a single thing,
It only brings you down.
Don't sit and feed this sickness,
With worry and distress.
Don't sit and mull it over,
Thus causing self duress.
Your woes will seem so heavy,
That you can scarcely move,
And life won't seem worth living,
Your whole manner will exude,
A kind of awful bitterness,
That eats you up inside,
So count your blessings 'stead of curses,
Cultivate some pride,
In all that God has done for you,
And all the He will do,
And thank Him every day that dawns,
For all He's given you.
You'll find your heart feels lighter,
And you'll smile instead of frown,
If you'll turn your face toward The Son,
Stop staring at the ground.
Moon-stead voices gather in measured longing,
Shaping thought to linger in lyric stillness;
Fourteen lines become a lantern for meaning~
Light over silence.
poem written for online poetry class assignment=write a single stanza sapphic
.
yet u think
'to delirious
thuh
how picturesque
'stead yourn head
bow'd
up shift
u
yourn jib
'to thuh tranquil
whilst
u fruit
thuh
end i all'up
in'nit
fix'd
Savior of a fallen race in our darkness shines Your grace,
Through the mire of sin and death we await Your heav’nly breath.
Shepherd of our troubled hearts, Comforter as life departs,
Cling we to each promise sure, there to lean as faith endures.
Wake in us Your will to do, let our eyes in faith see You,
Turn our sorrow into song, raise our voices loud and strong.
Shield us from the tempter’s might, though our sight be dark as night,
Place our confidence in You, make our wayward spirit true.
Rescue us from apathy let this plea be plain to see
For the souls enslaved by sin never see the dark within.
Chase away each doubt and fear let us to Your Word draw near,
Safely in Your loving arms we are freed from all that harms.
In our stead for sins You bled for our souls Your life was shed,
Raised from death to life with You, grant us grace to live anew.
Lift our hearts to You in prayer, let us always find You there,
Take away each spot and stain, walk with us upon the plain.
FIRE!
The Enthusiasm
IS Inside---
In-Stead.
Not In Story Book
Fair-Head...
Not On Dis-Playing
*** Show ***
BOAT!
What Is Exciting Your
Description Of Who WE...
Fleet Or Flew...
Run In Fear...
Rock And Roller
Coaster...
A Fight Is
How To Run Away
When You CAN'T!!!!
Enthusiastically.
Here's A Serious Toast.
Raise Your Glasses.
Ump.
Heading Out.
Chum.
Pause.
-Gray Squirrel
03-07-2026
Contest : Write a Beautiful Carpe Diem
Sponsor : Constance la France
2nd Placement : Standard Contest
____________________________
“ The Now Moment is all we really have, holding our atomic Universe in its infinitisimal palm, thorn pierced and tender. ” Poet
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Peeped through drapes after domino dreams
debris falling from dim dubious sky
beautiful strelitzias covered in muck
glass, tin, twigs, paper decomposing
clouds calibrating stormy moment
Sleepy mind calculating a conclusion
"...end of Earth ! What am I to do !"
journals she wrapped in crystalline tears
brewing cappuccino with cheesy croissant
no breakfast in hydrangea heaven, for sure !
Conscience heralds : "Reach for no tasty morsel
seek instead stories standing in good stead
heading to abiding couch in blissful Dome
no secrets behold ~ Seize this Moment !"
Hastened to mirror asking demurely : "Tell me :
Is my crown glinting luminous or in lull ?"
mirror replied that skull holds grey matter !
then zooming arrived a Bright Yellow Truck
to clear storm's mess, a Carpe Diem zest…
Seize momentary cappuccino. Debris gone !
From riven ways and lent-for heaven’s vault
we clime on breath enwrit with slender ink,
each word a sworn avouchment ’gainst the dark,
each line a stout denial unto Lethe.
Hands erst in thrall do now the aether shape
with sigils forged of cinder, ash, and balm;
the orphan’s moan, the widow’s fervent cry,
lie twinn’d upon one consecrated leaf.
No tongue herein is beggared or despised—
the hush’d confession, clamant plea alike;
the scripture born of weal and wounded flesh
doth pace as peers in kingly even-stead.
We sing of marches loos’d from iron will,
of Right relearning how to quicken fair;
for Peace is not engender’d out of hush,
but sired by heedful ear to elder griefs.
This labour is no idle courtly sport,
nor dalliance of metre, wit, and breath—
it is a synod call’d by mortal hope,
where Mercy mounts the throne of trembling Fear.
Here, in these staves, the world recalls itself:
that Freedom waketh when all tales are weigh’d,
and Concord draweth first untroubled breath
when every soul long mute is bid to sing.
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