At Nambucca heads, upon the shore are the beds where oysters were galore
I climbed upon them ragged rocks just
A kid, I got a shock, i slipped and fell and
Out i reached, grabbing the boulders
As i lost my feet.' Now oyster shells new
And old; are sharp and cut, some blood did spurt from my right hand that steadied me against worse hurt.'
So i had luck indeed i see, and learned a
Lesson for life; as you might see?)
our heart’s responses in dreams has steadied ~
for God-realisation we’re readied
I’m grateful for the small mercies:
the ones that found me when I wasn’t looking~
the morning light that softened a hard year,
the friend who stayed when silence felt safer than words,
the way my own breath steadied after nights I thought it wouldn’t.
gratitude doesn’t arrive quickly or all at once;
it’s a gift that gathers slowly,
like warmth returning to cold hands,
reminding me that even in the thinnest seasons,
life kept giving gentleness I didn’t know how to ask for.
Eeerrrr
Crack,
She whispered,
Eeerrr
Snap,
Crack,
The Man heaved,
Eyes not breaking from the wounded tree.
He choked up His grip,
And slammed His axe into Her core once again.
The Tree gasped,
Eeeerrrr,
And as the Man’s steadfast blow struck Her stern,
She screamed Her last breath.
As She fell,
The Man stared at his prostituted hands,
And then towards his work.
He let out a sigh,
Steadied His grip,
And swung His axe again.
What we are given…
From the first breath drawn to final sigh,
Our needs are held in hands on high.
Not fleeting wants nor passing flame,
But life’s true needs—God does sustain.
As infants, cradled, small and new,
Through parents’ care, love carries through.
We learn, we grow, we find our way,
Guided gently day by day.
As children, wonder fills our eyes,
With gifts and truths that make us wise.
Through lessons learned and joy we find,
The shaping of both heart and mind.
As young adults, we claim the reins,
Through freedom’s paths and chosen lanes.
We walk unsure, yet bold and free,
Becoming who we’re meant to be.
As adults, steadied by life’s pace,
We search for calm, for strength, for grace.
In quiet faith, our hearts increase,
And we are given strength—and peace.
From the first breath drawn to final sigh,
We’re never left to wonder why.
For all we need, both great and small,
Is given still, for God knows all.
Norman Van Etten
Where the heart is, at the zone on our spine,
we sense a tingle mirrored at forehead,
throb of rapture with which all nodes align,
ushering bliss of which naught can be said.
Jugular notch is caught in the cross fire,
steadied by grace in-pouring at the crown,
whilst the soul star chakra takes us higher,
a boon bestowed on sages of renown.
We feel the pressure of bliss everywhere,
since the truth is that there is no centre,
whence vibrant, tranquil presence self- aware,
ascends smoothly since God is our mentor.
In the timeless now bliss refrains replay ~
Epiphanies that dawn are here to stay
Standing in the midst of a wilderness
I look beyond the hills and feel the loneliness
Searching for purpose but none come
Wishing I could turn the hands of time
All the while, You found me
Grasping at straws of desperation
Trying to make sense of this deep separation
Searching for love where there is none
Dreaming of a world I see Your smile
All the while, You found me
Wrestling with ugly ghosts from the past
I seek your Hand in the dark for peace to last
Searching for reprieve and warm light
Deep within knowing Your presence
All the while, You found me
Reaching out for the balustrade of balance
I hear the whisper in the depths of silence
Searching for the echo that carries all my hope
Embracing your Spirit brings comfort
All the while, You found me
You found me even before I was lost
In my disorientation, you steadied me
You found me crippled by anxiety and fear
In my panic, you brought calm
Even brought an angel in human form to hold
You found me because of love
All the while, I will forever be found in you
The Door
Kevin Davis 2026
The door was closed when I stepped in the room,
what waited behind it — joy or quiet doom?
I longed to open it, see for myself,
With no one to ask and no counsel to help.
No whisper of sound from the other side,
no glimmer of light from the threshold to hide.
But still I was curious, wanting to know,
Certain something was amiss in the shadowed glow.
I studied the knob — the keyway was bare,
no bolt in the lock, no latch to declare.
So, I gripped it gently and turned to the right;
It moved without effort and opened to sight.
The room was as dark as a moonless night,
and nothing within it gave shape to my fright.
I steadied my breathing before stepping through,
when a voice behind asked, “What are you trying to do?”
I leapt in the air and spun toward the sound,
A towering figure, a ghoul, standing ground.
“I meant no intrusion, no harm, no offense
Just curious wandering, nothing intense.”
The ghoul gave a laugh, warm, rumbling, free,
“No harm was done — come look with me.”
He flicked on the lights and welcomed me in,
A room wide and pleasant, inviting within.
Don’t listen to the clamor of my crowd
Forget the noise when I approach
Dismiss the darkness of my shroud
Don’t heed the voices that encroach
I am as innocent as rain
As unguilty as a child’s smile
I have no history to explain
So listen to me closely while
I tell you simply who I am
I’m the one who handed you a coin
The one who led you through the rain
The voice that steadied your resolve
The balm that sought to heal your pain
The friend you never recognized
In darkness and in blinding light
The name unspoken through your day
The voice unheard inside your night.
Christopher M. Swan 2009
Written: December 27, 2025
*************
How quietly your counsel shaped my days—
A lantern-mind that steadied all my doubt.
At your first word, my tangled maze displays,
My weak brain found logic—rise of burnout.
Now, I feel the void where you used to be,
A bare calm chills even the warm banshee—
Your wisdom drifting from my solitude,
To bless life—passion is known to obtrude.
No trusted compass now to mark my way;
You turn your tact to a different need—
So I must school my heart to bear the sway,
Of walking on without your gentle lead.
Yet still I praise what your eidolon splay—
It's sound thaws loss—it's buffer a heyday.
In the days before the fall.
When plump skin felt the sun — so fair, so warm.
Sparkling, innocent stares of wonderment
for new galactic worlds imagined when minds could run.
When night and day still governed time.
When a spider’s web holding morning dew
could simply blow your mind.
When joy was made from nothing at all —
those were the days before the fall.
But time never stops, and life bears its weight
on weakened backs that linger behind their gate.
Freedom laughs at us — fools of aged life,
too far down the track to care or mind.
Yet memory holds its scenes inside:
feeling snow without consequence or grind,
jumping walls, climbing trees
without lost breath or straining knees.
So in the days of our fall —
innocence gone once and for all —
steadied stares with cautious eyes,
weary bodies aging unlike fine wines;
knowing your tomorrows won’t count like your yesterdays,
you walk through life and feel your age.
"All we have to decide is what to do
with the time that is given us."
-J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring
"All we have to decide is what to do
with the time that is given us."
Living each day the best that we can-
never leaving our stay nonplus.
Hearts often steer the direction of paths
steadied by the rays from the soul,
using the time for both service and fun
forming purpose to meet a goal.
Bound by keen minds protecting our stay
molded well by the soul and heart -
time gifted us will sparkle and shine
with fulfillment right from the start.
From one singularity came the exploding spark,
Not yet stars, not yet light, only potential.
A field unseen, stretched taut as thought,
Holding energy like a clenched fist of time.
Expansion surged, a storm without wind,
Not matter racing, but space itself unfurled.
Faster than light, yet no law was broken—
Relativity bowed, not shattered, in awe.
Negative pressure, a repulsion profound,
Bent the equations toward infinity’s edge.
In the womb of the cosmos, space time grew,
Doubling, redoubling, in a heartbeat’s breath.
Quantum tremors, minute as dust,
Were stretched across horizons vast.
Seeds of galaxies, of suns and worlds,
Carried within fluctuations’ song.
What mystery drives the inflaton’s dream?
What hand steadied the potential’s curve?
In equations I see its fleeting ghost,
A pressure that sings of repulsive fire.
And when it ended, it left a gift:
Heat, light, matter, the chance to begin.
The hot Big Bang was its second act,
The stage prepared by a silent overture.
I wonder still if beauty was its aim,
Or only chance in quantum disguise.
Yet in its breath, the universe awoke.
creative thoughts we seem to think
vibrations borrowed from vast space
our muse that appears in a blink
what else is it but gift of grace
hold the applause, we’re not the cause
our consciousness is full of flaws
all eyes on us when we walk in
everything seems to go our way
we don’t need to work hard to win
the sun shines on us every day
hold the applause, we’re not the cause
know ego grips us in its claws
possessions which to us our dear
our social standing, wealth and fame
trophies won praised by the crowd’s cheer
reflect which force steadied our aim
hold the applause, we’re not the cause
put such thoughts of grandeur on pause
I came with sorrow on my breath,
through darkness chilled by doubt,
and sought the warmth of friendship's fire
to drive the coldness out.
I drew about my stubborn back
the tartan of my creed
and proudly vowed my heart was full,
denying hunger's need.
I said the words my frozen soul
had willed my lips to say.
But, huddled there by friendship's fire,
love's touch gave me away,
as tenderly, on feathered feet,
the dawn of honesty
crept through the cracks of shuttered fear
and brought her light to me.
She called the shapeless shadows from
the corners of my guilt
and let me stand on the steadied hope,
my courage had freshly built.
With sorrow eased and strength renewed,
I laid my cloak aside
and took the warmth of friendship's fire
to face the world outside.
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