Showing posts with label National Poetry Month. Show all posts

New

Posted by Benjie in Journaling, National Poetry Month, Poems

A new day,
     A new way,
          A new life,
               A new strife,
                    A new dove,
                         A new love,
                              A new hope,
                    A new way to cope.
                         A new home,
A new place to roam.
A new sorrow,
     A new tomorrow,
          A new knowledge,
               A new college,
                     A new hate,
                          A new debate,
                               A new run,
                     A new thing done.
                          A new pond,
A new far beyond.
A new sweeping,
   A new reaping,
A new best,
   A new test,
A new rhyme,
   A new time,
A new reason,
A new, open season.
   A new tom-boy,
A new bundle of joy.
A new cot,
   A new pot,
A new pan,
   A new can,
A new want,
   A new taunt,
A new ability,
A new sightless visibility.
   A new top,
A new time to stop.
A new toy,
   A new joy,
A new glass,
   A new grass,
A new pen,
   A new sin,
A new forgiveness,
A new thought of newness.
   A new realization,
Without new relation.

(from journal entry for May 8, 1980)

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Observation: Trust

Posted by Benjie in Journaling, Lyrics, National Poetry Month, Poems

You put your head on my shoulder;
     I put my heart in your hands.
Together we can brighten the world,
     And spread peace throughout all the lands.

Friends, friends, friends,
     We can be friends together;
I'll be your friend 'til the end.
Friends, friends, friends,
     We don't have to worry 'bout the weather,
And forever I'll be your friend.

I don't mind if you cry on my shoulder,
     If you don't mind if I open my heart.
I don't mind if you ask me to counsel you,
     But don't use me and tear me apart.

Friends, friends, friends,
     We can be friends forever
Yes, Earth's peace on us depends
Friends, friends, friends,
     We don't have to worry, no, never,
And forever I'll be your friend.

(1980)

[Again, this is from my Junior English (III) journal. I later set the words to music, but can't remember the tune exactly. I would say that this was probably inspired by Michael W. Smith, but his song "Friends" didn't come out until years later.]

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Balloon

Posted by Benjie in Journaling, National Poetry Month, Poems

Children playing,
The first breath blown;
The man on the freeway,
     The fist you have shown,
Cashier at the market,
          Voice on the phone;
Dinner burning,
               Tension has grown;
One last breath for screaming,
                    Ka-POW!

No more balloon.

(May 6, 1980)

[This is an excerpt from my high school journal.]

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The Empty Room

Posted by Benjie in National Poetry Month, Poems

The empty room: open door
     Ready to be filled with
Bright happy faces
     Memories of events gone by
          Souvenirs of places.
Shades drawn darkly --
     Want for sunshine
Need for laughter . . . singing . . .
     Someone kind.

To laugh, to cry,
     To hope, to wish,
To live, to die
     No one to talk to
          No one to love.
Open the windows
     Brighten with laughter
Open door; empty room --
     Darkness prevails --
          But why?

(20 October 1980)

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You

Posted by Benjie in National Poetry Month, Poems, Prayers

for You my Lord, this is, for You my Lord.
my voic i lift in song of praise.
You are my strength. You are my life.
You help me see that i need You.
Almighty God, that's who You are
none other can be higher than You.

     i ask You to help me get You back on the trhone
     back into the place You belong,
     back onto the throne of my heart.

i speak of myself too often my Lord.
i brag and put all others down.
for You my Lord, i sing this song
help me to put all others first
but put You, Lord, above the rest
for none other can be higher than You
     i ask You to help me get You back on the trhone
     back into the place You belong,
     back onto the throne of my heart.

(1980)

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In Context

Posted by Benjie in Family, National Poetry Month, Parents, Poetry

I'm not very good at saying
     What I've got upon my mind.
For better ways I now am praying
     To say these things the words I'll find.
You have brought me
     Up and taught me
Things I know were meant to be.

I am not the only kiddo
     That you've helped to grow up right.
I've still got to grow, and you know
     Your strength will help me win the fight.
This my tribute
      However minute
Is to you and my family.

(1980)

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Tu Eres Mi Reina

Posted by Benjie in National Poetry Month, Poems, Spanish

Let's go bi-lingual today with a poem I wrote in my second-year of high school Spanish (translation after the original work)

Tu eres mi Reina
     Mi corazon pertiene a ti.
Tu eres lindacita
     cuando te veo.
?Por que siempre recuerdo?
     ?Por que no ha olvida?
Porque tu eres linda, y
     Tu eres mi Reina.

You are my Queen
     My heart belongs to you.
You are most beautiful
     When I look upon you.
Why do I always remember?
     Why can't I forget?
Because you are beautiful, and
     You are my Queen.

(1980)

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Should

Posted by Benjie in Love Poems, National Poetry Month, Poetry

What i should do and what i do

Don’t seem to turn out the same.

My head is swimming

From tryin’ to keep up with the game.

My biggest problem is: i know how i feel,

But i’m afraid i’m too scared to tell you,

To tell you, “I love you.”

I’ve tried to write my feelings down before,

But the words didn’t come out right.

I get the jitters

‘Cause i don’t know how you feel about me.

Guess i should have looked deep in your eyes

Deeper than ever so that i could see

And tell you, “I love you.”

It’s hard, you know, for me to relate

The feelings i have so deep inside.

The feelings for you

That, even after all of these months, i hide

From you—these things—i tell all . . . but you.

But what i should do, but don’t do . . .

I should do . . .

I do . . .; i say . . .,

“I love you.”

(May 19, 1981)

[For some reason the hearts of young men drift to love. Perhaps it is in our nature to look for that drop of perfection. And so, at 17 years of age the preceding poem was what drifted through the corridors of my mind. Nineteen years later, I found one that God had prepare to answer this question--is there one out there?]

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Open Prayer

Posted by Benjie in National Poetry Month, Poems, Poetry

Standing still upon a hill

I tried to find God's true will

I opened up, spilled out my heart.

I learned to sing "How Great Thou Art."

The stars shined grand

Work of God's hand

The sky, the sea, and even land.

As I turned 'round

New cause I found

God reached down and touched my life

I even felt Him lift my strife

He gave me strength to stand alone

I reached down, picked up a stone

I gave in and now I've grown

I sat down beneath a tree

As I thought, God spoke to me

He gave to me a new insight

He showed me more of my life's plight

He told me not to ever hate

He gave a key to a nw gate

To do His will, I cannot wait.

(1980)

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The Acorn Song

Posted by Benjie in Faith, Lyrics, National Poetry Month, Poetry

(Mighty Oak of Faith)

They say that mighty oaks grow from an acorn small

The tiny seed becomes majestic, big and tall.

If God can make changes from a little seed,

Just think what he can do in you and me

Lord, take this acorn of my heart

And make it grow to be a mighty faith in thee

I ask you to begin from this small start

Make a mighty oak of faith grow up in me.

When I didn’t know the Lord at all

He had a plan to save me from the fall

Then He planted in my heart an acorn seed

Wanting all along to grow a tree.

If your faith is like an acorn lying on the ground

Let God rain love and mercy, let his grace abound.

If you would like a faith that’s like a strong oak tree

Just say this simple prayer right now with me.

Lord, take this acorn of my heart

And make it grow to be a mighty faith in thee

I ask you to begin from this small start

Make a mighty oak of faith grow up in me.

(August 1994)

Note: This lyric came while I was mowing under the trees in the front yard of the Kildare, TX Baptist Church parsonage.

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Chicago

Posted by Benjie in Carl Sandburg, Chicago, Illinois, National Poetry Month, Poems

[I live in Illinois now. For all of my friends who like to ask if I get to Chicago much, I made it there once (an anniversary trip with my Blushing Bride). We live some 250 miles from Chi-town. I have learned that those who live in the immediate area (Chicagoland) think the world revolves around Chicago, and that those who live throughout the rest of the state care very little for the metropolitan area that holds about 2/3 of the population of the state. At any rate, since I am a resident of the state of Illinois, I thought I'd present an IL-themed poem for today and you'll recognize several of the references in this poem by one of the greats.]

   HOG Butcher for the World,
     Tool Maker, Stacker of Wheat,
     Player with Railroads and the Nation's Freight Handler;
     Stormy, husky, brawling,
     City of the Big Shoulders:

They tell me you are wicked and I believe them, for I
     have seen your painted women under the gas lamps
     luring the farm boys.
And they tell me you are crooked and I answer: Yes, it
     is true I have seen the gunman kill and go free to
     kill again.
And they tell me you are brutal and my reply is: On the
     faces of women and children I have seen the marks
     of wanton hunger.
And having answered so I turn once more to those who
     sneer at this my city, and I give them back the sneer
     and say to them:
Come and show me another city with lifted head singing
     so proud to be alive and coarse and strong and cunning.
Flinging magnetic curses amid the toil of piling job on
     job, here is a tall bold slugger set vivid against the
     little soft cities;

Fierce as a dog with tongue lapping for action, cunning
     as a savage pitted against the wilderness,
          Bareheaded,
          Shoveling,
          Wrecking,
          Planning,
          Building, breaking, rebuilding,
Under the smoke, dust all over his mouth, laughing with
     white teeth,
Under the terrible burden of destiny laughing as a young
     man laughs,
Laughing even as an ignorant fighter laughs who has
     never lost a battle,
Bragging and laughing that under his wrist is the pulse.
     and under his ribs the heart of the people,
               Laughing!
Laughing the stormy, husky, brawling laughter of
     Youth, half-naked, sweating, proud to be Hog
     Butcher, Tool Maker, Stacker of Wheat, Player with
     Railroads and Freight Handler to the Nation.

--Carl Sandburg, from Chicago Poems

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_ _ _ _ _, I Am

Posted by Benjie in National Poetry Month, Poems, Poetry

I am a human being
     Created in God's image.
I am a form of life
I am new to the world
      Not fully understanding.
I am young.
I am a child
     Learning as I grow older.
I am _ _ _ _ _

(1978)

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Overview

Posted by Benjie in National Poetry Month, Poems, Poetry

Open up your eyes,
     Look into the skies.
          See the beauty around you,
               And feel it all around you, too.
Way up in the air
     There ain't nothin' but care;
          Care for the beautiful sky
               Just where the little birds fly.

Spread your wings and soar;
     Get up off of the floor.
          Fly around just like me,
               Thru the limbs of every tree.
You may not think it's right,
     But don't get mad and uptight.
          Perch yourself on the rail.
               Get in out of the rain and the hail.

Look for the good, not bad.
     Otherwise life is so sad.
          Raise yourself from that sack.
               Give yourself a pat on the back.
This may not seem to have meaning
     But at least it keeps us from leaning
          Too heavily on each other,
               But keep on lovin' your brother.

I'll help you to do what you need
     We will be friends, I know, yes indeed.
          We're out on our own together,
               Everything is clear but the weather.
Takin' some chances once in awhile
     Makes people think that we got style.
          Hopin' and prayin' but someday we'll die
               But just for this time spread your wings and let's fly.

(1980)

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Smile Sender

Posted by Benjie in Lyrics, National Poetry Month, Poems, Songs

[I understand that some of my readers think I get a little preach-y with my poems and lyrics. But to you I say, "Hey, I'm a preacher. What did you expect?" Even so, here's a lyric I wrote around 1982. Maybe it will lift your spirits like it did mine when it came to me.]

I’ve got the Smile Sender and He’s down in my heart

Yeah, He’s the Frown Bender and He’s set me apart,

‘Cause the world’s goin’ ‘round and they’re wearin’ a frown

But Jesus took my frown and turned it upside down.

Well, He’s done that inner surgery

He’s placed Himself inside of me

I’m happy now. Oh can’t you see?

‘Cause Jesus love has set me free!

I wear a smile in the daytime and I smile at night.

I smile to the left and I smile to the right.

I smile all the time, I’ll tell you why that I do,

“I’m hopin’ that my smilin’ will rub off on you.”

So get the Smile Sender. Let Him down in your heart.

‘Cause He’s the Frown Bender and He’ll set you apart.

If your world’s goin’ ‘round and you’re wearin’ a frown

Let Jesus take your frown and turn it upside down.

I said that Jesus took my frown and turned it upside down!

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Life in the Snow

Posted by Benjie in National Poetry Month, Poems

It is beautiful as it stays;

This great beauty cannot be matched.

Though it leaves a mark as it melts away,

Its loveliness has now a thought unlatched.

Bringing laughter, fun, and games,

This one sight is all alone.

Leaving dreariness and pain,

Making us think when it is gone.

Once you’d say, “O, how pretty,”

As you looked o’er all the land.

And this would turn to, “What a pity,”

As in the marshes of life you stand.

(1980)

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Journey

Posted by Benjie in National Poetry Month, Poems

I’m going on a journey

Won’t you come and go with me?

Gonna take a trip

To a land that’s promised to be free

And the Son of Love

Is guiding me.

Come take my hand;

I’m holding on to His

He’ll lead us to the Promised Land.

Gonna call His name

Listen for His still small voice

So that you can understand.

Hold on tight

He’s leading us through the darkest night

Just trust in Him

To show us the light.

Don’t be afraid

Your blinded eyes will have sight

At the end of the journey

He’ll give us life.

At the end of my journey

I’ll never

Die.

--October 28, 1981

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Fairest Lord Jesus

Posted by Benjie in Hymns, National Poetry Month, Vacation Bible School

Today I'll be participating in a Vacation Bible School leadership training offered by our association of churches. So, in honor of my childhood memories of such an event (VBS, that is) I will share the lyrics of one of my favorite hymns. I was in junior high school before I knew that you could sing it somewhere besides at VBS.

Fairest Lord Jesus, Ruler of all nature,
O Thou of God and man the Son,
Thee will I cherish, Thee will I honor,
Thou, my soul’s glory, joy and crown.

Fair are the meadows, fairer still the woodlands,
Robed in the blooming garb of spring;
Jesus is fairer, Jesus is purer,
Who makes the woeful heart to sing.

Fair is the sunshine,
Fairer still the moonlight,
And all the twinkling starry host;
Jesus shines brighter, Jesus shines purer
Than all the angels heaven can boast.

All fairest beauty, heavenly and earthly,
Wondrously, Jesus, is found in Thee;
None can be nearer, fairer or dearer,
Than Thou, my Savior, art to me.

(for authorship information see http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/f/a/l/faljesus.htm)

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You Can Have It

Posted by Benjie in Love Poems, National Poetry Month, Poetry

You can't see it, and that's good . . .
Because the blind can have it.
You can't hear it, and that's good . . .
Because the deaf can have it.
You can't feel it, and that's good . . .
Because the paralyzed can have it.
It can't be described with words, and that's good . . .
Because the mute can have it.
You just have it when you find
Love in your heart for all mankind.

(1978)

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Conversation

Posted by Benjie in National Poetry Month, Poems, Poetry

Love.
     --Phenomenal, isn't it?
More than a word.
     --Yes, quite a bit.
Love.
     --Sometimes gets out of context.
Really?
     --Keeps quite a few people vex'd.
Love.
     --Where does it come from?
Many places I've heard.
     --The best, I understand, is home.
Love.
     --Don't be rediculous.
In this day and age?
     --Well, if you must.
Love.
     --Openmindedness.
Who?
     --Why! Our mother we bless.
Love.
     --Yes, with . . .
Love.

(1979)

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Psalm 23

Posted by Benjie in Bible, National Poetry Month, Poetry, Psalms

I owe you two today, since I missed yesterday. So I thought I'd reach into the bag of greatest poetry ever to receive something. This poem/hymn/psalm was written centuries ago. I'm using the Authorized Version (aka KJV) because it is familiar and beautiful language. I have chosen this one because it is a well-known passage from the Bible and it is one that is often relegated only to our bereavement. We quote/read it at funerals and take great comfort in its words. However, I believe that it is more a song of LIFE than one of death. Enjoy, and quote right along if you'd like:

¹The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
²He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
³He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
⁴Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
⁵Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
⁶Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever. (KJV)

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