poems

I found these poems ... and thought i'd post a few for the reading.

They speak of a journey, from a high school girl bright-eyed about life to a woman in her 20s who knows a deeper joy because of suffering. Some of them were written in the "in-between" -- before the morning dawned, at the darkest hour of night. And yet I believe that especially here there was good happening within me. Not because I am good, but because I belong to One who promises to turn even bad into good for me. For a greater glory. His ... and mine.

I hope you enjoy these few. More to come, if the populace demands it. :)

"Morning Mist" (senior year of high school -- 1997)
Morning mist
like a blanket of gossamer
Mysterious
Making all in its touch vague.
The world is different:
What was a beaten trail
Now is an unfamiliar path.
It is peace and calm
And comfort:
God's Hand still rests on the earth.
O beautiful mist, full of unknowns--
What lies behind the bend?
It's perfect trust in a God
Who sees through the morning mist.
He will guide and direct through all of life's opaque.

"A Winter's Glory" (1.16.99 -- sophomore year at Wheaton College)
Oh, the brilliance -- oh, how glorious!
Is the flaming winter sky.
Bare limbs silhouetted
Against the bright glory
Of a winter's sky.

The sun has set--
But has not died.
The clouds-'though plain themselves-
Reflect the sunset's glory.
They tell the story,
For minutes after the sun's death
Beyond horizon's edge.

The snow reflecting the stillness;
Black lines against the brilliance;
Purple, pink streaks in the blue.
The sun gone.
But the glory grows greater each moment.

Ah-most glorious Creator!
You are too marvelous!
Let me not forget this jewel of glory
Found beyond the bitter gloom
I had thought would hold the winter.
May many more delightful sunsets
Remind me of whose glory I seek.

"wounded" (2002)
I surrender it to You--
I try to take it back:
I fall under the weight of a burden
not meant for me to bear alone.
What will heal this bitterly festering wound?
Not my gossip nor my envy;
No amount of journaling or words.
It's too deep.
You've noticed and You know.
A rugged, blood-stained piece of wood
Pierces deep
Into my heart,
Into His hands.
Justice?
Finished.
Guilt?
Removed.
Love?
Immeasurably unending.

"Spring 2005"
Spring, you invite me
Into your freshness with each new green
turquoise blue sky like the inside of
a dyed Easter egg.
New beckons me into the sunset of twilight
Greets me in the first rays streaming
into my window.

Could my heart live here--in your spring?
Eternal newness, all scars and wounds erased
Disappearing like the cold winds of winter
Bitterness melting away with the snow--
Or is its beauty too abrasive
for my calloused cradle of dreams?

I can't live here. Or can I?
It means I must live again.
Laugh again.
Breathe again--break out of academia's cocoon.
Throw my head back; soak it up;
be revived.

the enchantment of Sleeping Beauty

The story is a classic: A beautiful princess is destined by a terrible curse to prick her finger and fall into a deep sleep. Pennsylvania Ballet’s mammoth production, with choreography by Marius Petipa, explores the romantic, humorous and suspenseful tale featuring three magical fairies and a valiant Prince who vows to rescue his beloved from the evil spell. Join us for the spectacular adventure, performed to the famous Peter Ilych Tchaikovsky score — his first major success in ballet composition!

Thus describes the Pennsylvania Ballet's production of "Sleeping Beauty" which we went to as a gift from Seth for my birthday last week. And it was all that it promised to be ... and more. I loved the way dance, story, and music intertwined to produce an experience that was, pardon the pun, enchanting.

There is something about each of those elements that calls us to a transcendent Beauty in and of itself: the sounds of a live orchestra performance, the elegant simplicity of ballet, and the proven worth of a classic fairytale. Put them all together, and I'm absolutely sure that it was my favorite performance I've attended. Thank you to my amazing husband for the perfect gift!

It certainly helps to capture my imagination because my secret dream is to become a professional ballerina if counseling doesn't work out. Now what's truly humorous about that is I've never taken a ballet class in my life. Maybe now that I'm finished with my degree this is a way I can spend my free time...

whirlwind

Yes, I think that's what the past month has been. And it's been good. But what to do when it finally stops?? It's just too easy to try to keep up the crazy pace. And life seems to be very conducive to being filled with activities, even now that the month of weddings and graduations is finished.

But I think God wants more for his people than busyness. I've been reading a book by Fenelon, called "The Seeking Heart" for the past few weeks. (thanks to my brother for giving me this gift) It convicts me to slow down...to stop...to be in the moment.

"Be still and know that I am God," begins Psalm 46:10, and it finishes with the glorious promise, "I will be exalted among the nations; I will be exalted in the earth." In my stillness it allows me to see how much God is at work -- quite independent from my scurrying around trying to get everything "important" done.

So listen with me to this sentence in Fenelon's book, and do what needs to be done as a result: "How can you hear God speak, in His soft and tender way, when your hurried thoughts create a whirlwind?"