Grandma’s ghost has taken up
knitting rattlesnakes in the drapes.
They hiss when someone lies.
Now, my mother only speaks
in noodle metaphors.
I ask her how she is, and she replies,
al dente, then goes back
to stirring the aquarium water
she'll later take a bath in.
My sister gives birth
to a daughter who levitates
during thunderstorms.
She answers to the name Unclaimed Bag.
In other words, we all gather once a year
to shed what’s left of politeness,
to laminate new rules:
No bleeding at the table.
Far less mirrors in the fruit salad.
All grudges must be gift-wrapped,
left at the door with the shoes,
with the husbands.
And when it’s over,
we nod like diplomats,
swap our favorite spells,
(that is to say recipes), pretend
we don't notice the fresh claw marks
on the floor.
It ends when we remember
our names again, who we are.
Then we leave—
each of us, in a different skin.
Throughout the outer cosmos you will find
ghosts leaving interstellar gas behind.
That is to say a galaxy remains,
where pompous, excess energy enflames
a slight shiver of the cold, viscous kind.
On the morning of the dawn of my life, I wake
into a world where I am good, and I am loved,
and every passing moment of it is called
Miracle,
without need for such words,
known unspoken even as we speak them.
In rich awakening of the senses, I call with
the new creatures of the world,
pulled from the great darkness into existence and told to breathe.
Again, and again. How sweet, how enduring—
that golden undercurrent flowing beneath it all.
That moment of outstretched arms, in greeting and in reverence.
I have knelt before a hearth gone cold and dreamt of fire. That is to say,
I have stood warmed by the Sun of my life and made it my faith.
Again, and again. Inherent and rhythmic as
the breath
or the dawn,
let me pray each night for sunlight
and wake in gratitude,
once more.
It seems that the beef
In Stans veggie beef soup.
Has gone the same way
As most pork and beans do.
So, that is to say
There isn't much of either.
Yet, that's just my view
But the price has grown steeper.
Courage
Courage is what you have
when you have only two choices left.
One of them to accept fate,
and the other to cheat it,
beat it,
unseat it...
meet it halfway,
and then knock it back across the line.
That is to say,
whatever "it" is.
Size does not matter,
when the intent is right and good.
David was never afraid,
as the Lord was with him.
He knew he could defeat the giant,
it was only a matter of how hard,
the evil would fall,
from way up high on its pedestal,
down to the hard ground,
where it belonged
to begin with.
Have courage,
and pray.
You will then be,
never fighting
alone.
"Hebrews 10:19-20 ~
Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus,
By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh."
~ The Holy Bible
The Holiest of all was veiled
in the Tabernacle of God,
Only the High priest could enter,
once a year with sacrifice blood,
When Jesus came down to this world,
He became the sacrifice Lamb,
His blood shed on Calvary's cross
tore that veil from top to bottom,
His flesh veil through which we enter
boldly into the Holiest,
The blood of Christ consecrated
a new and living way for us,
Now God's presence is no more veiled,
We can come to the throne of grace
with boldness to obtain mercy,
In our prayers, seeking God's face.
20th April 2023
For Constance La France's "Writing challenge - 'V' words" contest
there’s a tree
no one really knows where it is
or, instinctively, they know where it is but they can never quite find it when they search
let me begin again
there’s a tree in our imaginations
it holds a key
the beginning of a key
the pieces held scattered in fruits
that bow the branches toward the ground
the pieces fit together
if you can find them all
if you can puzzle out its shape
the pieces held in hand are light as sunrise
but their weight tormented the tree
the one in our imaginations
you recall
released
unburdened
the tree will rise for you
reveal the door within the peeking roots
with a gleaming locked doorknob
the key won’t fit within
that is to say
the key you’ve pieced together is not the key
but once you’ve tried to fit it to the door
you’ll remember the last time you had this same tree dream
touch your fingers to the knob
and enter
Fizz- mongering *,the selfie of olden days
fizz ..or face ..that is to say
monger ...a merchandiser..to sell
both phrases forgotten..ditched of late
for my English languages..changes..& never dates
*portrait. artist
what we call reality is nothing more than,
consciousness acting on consciousness,
there is no matter, no energy, no reality,
the only true reality is consciousness,
that is to say awareness,
everything else that exists,
operates under basic assumptions,
such as the reality of the senses,
or of the perception of the mind,
or ego or thought or emotion,
in truth all that we are,
and all that exists pre-eminently,
is awareness, which is eternal and infinite.
''If you have what you call, a conditioned mind. That is to say: 'First thought, best.' ''
when it's more, that is to say its beyond
when it’s beyond, that is to say its countless
when you can’t count the beyond
then it’s more than one can weight its value
but love can’t be weighted only valued
and that’s more than beyond its weight.
love is more when you don’t weight it
only value it’s belonging .
That belonging is worth more
than each and every star
and those are too far beyond to count.
so count your love as more valuable
to you than what’s beyond.
Home-made Love
I was born into a home surrounded by love and security
Love and security are two of mankind's greatest needs
In my home, these needs came to me via three people
Who seem to have been assigned measured contributions
It is interesting that they came to me in different levels
That is to say that from my father love did not come softly,
But it expressed itself to a much lesser degree with clouds
Of fear. Me thinks 'tough love' was the only love he knew.
From my mother, I never sensed a shortest of love and the love
From her invariably arrived sweetly, softly, and very tenderly. Mother
Knew that our strong and responsible father would protect us at all
Cost. At the same time she was always able to calm the anger storms
that often arose from my father.
From my maternal grandmother, love came to me like ocean waves
rushing to the shores in tides ever gentle, never too low or too high.
And if my father for any reason had shorted me of love, grandma was always there to make up the difference. Words like magnanimous and
lavishly best described her love to me.
092119cjPoSoup.
Dear Future Resident
I’m that old man of the old
Writing from the old times
What I heard from the old,
What I saw in my time,
And what I foresee in your times
And the times yet to come;
Old indeed, upon the grey rock I seat
By the edge of hills under the fig tree…
A man was here..
A man shall be there…
A man of both our ages and all the ages
Not only them, but only Him
Indeed he knows from all the ages
And sees from edge to edge
He walked upon our world without curse
So great a rejection did he achieve, so little an attention did he receive
Behold the day of our days, could not hold him
Our night also….
And the times will be so as of the ancient
The day of your days will not hold him
Your night also…..
Please bear for him
Prepare yourself and prepare yourselves…
Upon the name II ,
For the same numeral holds for all;
That is to say; Second coming of the first
First born of all ages.
Yours
Ancient Resident
CRAZY ANGEL
He is good-don't take him away
He is loud, don't silence his noise.
He is talking when you’re talking.
when you are saying your say.
Crazy angel, takes care of everyone but himself.
Always going way out of his way, to protect and direct:
At your feet; He holds the lantern,
this has always been his pattern.
He won't let you stumble nor go astray,
no judging others as he lights their way.
Too good he is, his heart is a cliché' ...
"A heart like gold": That is to say:
He is loud, don't silence his noise;
He is good-don't take him away.
When the plane is going down,
"who must get the first mask",
I asked- "you, or the baby in your lap"?
Of course, he said "the baby".
But that answer was wrong:
"Who'll save your baby, and everyone else
if you are the last one, that is unmasked”?
We may be left at the mercy of the Sylph:
The first law of saving others, Is to first;
"Save Oneself".!!
Shades
Who am I? I think I’m changing
The one I’m now, was so not me
I’m thinking, wow! I feel so different
I never knew that this could be
I see myself, I’m like a painting
Another facet, another hue
It’s more than just some simple colors
It’s tints, and tones, and shades, who knew!
I’m liking what my eyes are seeing
It’s much more beautiful and real
I didn’t know that what I’m seeing
Would start in me a different feel
I love the feeling, it makes me special
That is to say, special to me
’Cause never did I know the pleasure
Of feeling absolutely free
No longer do I hide my colors
I see them clearly, and I radiate
I want the world to see and wonder
I want the world to imitate.
Wendy Nipas
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