Images of Life

Wildflowers Under a Clear Blue Sky

Amazing that which is happening Amidst this wildflower sea

Millions aligned in a row

As far as the eye can see

Each unique it its own way

Expressing individuality

That in the absence of a single one Alters the picture indeed

Touching the edge of a clear blue sky

Dancing to an invisible breeze

With no other purpose apparent in life

Except to exist wild and free

A bird files over Feeding on insects and seeds

Disrupting the harmonic dance

Which makes this a tranquil scene

In a moment what was unknown

Has now become crystal clear

Our father has a purpose for everything

That was created here

As the sky fades from blue to black

Absconding from sight

The dance witnessed on this day

Will be different at first light

One More Time

In my life

Time and time again I realized certain truths

In my quest to win

That life sometimes throws a jab

When expecting a hook

Servers you raw meat

Instead of cooked

It will beat you down With its awesome fists

Sowing doubt in your mind

Instead of confidence

The absence of hope Facilitates much of this Removing any chance of the victory you wish

Asking why why why and when when when Will today be different Than it has been

Come one, life cries

You will never win

This is inevitably How it will end

Gone is the time From way back when

Your hair was all black And your waist thin

Then..........

A picture from the past Brings into view

Captured in a photo A moment or two

A smile from a grandson

A pose from back then

Reminding of a time

Absent of when

Then comes a grin

Which straightens the chin

That finds a way to invigorate again

Helping to see Where you were once blind

Hope's unyielding desire

To do it

One more time!

Prosperity once a friend of mine

Opportunities lost, none I can find

Can't pay the rent, heavy on my mind

Years ago couldn't imagine this time

Arguing and fighting with everyone I see Chaos, anarchy, broken family

At times all I want to do is flee

Over situations that wont let me be

No positive solutions being sought

Negative images defining thoughts

Feeling no one is on my side

Taking positions forged

arrogance and pride

I can't understand

These events unplanned

Weighing me down, impacting my clan

Where in God's name can I take a stand

Accepting the world and its way to cope

Useless this "ineffective soap"

Finding relief through man-made hope

Overdosing, near death, my spirit is broke!

On my knees, Lord I begin to pray

From within I hear a voice say Remember, I have provided the way

The Hope of Glory, through whose name

Are blessings received in abundance each day

Faith is what will see me through Embracing the Word, as you taught us to do

And receiving heavenly truths sent by you

Thank you father for your mercies divine, For patience, longsuffering allowing me to find

Your endless love, embracing and kind

Trying to cleanse

my soul using dope

I will praise you until the end of time

You loved me from The dawn of time; Created by you

If not you won’t find; Whose presence is always My state of mind;

Dwelling in a place

I can’t touch, taste, or see; There’s some who say Only fools would believe;

Not true

For deep inside of me ; Is the spirit of goodness Put there by thee;

In the flesh

Scorn beyond recognition; The elders among them Blinded by religion;

Mistaking who

The prophets foretold would come; Led to the slaughter

Without words, not one;

At Calvary where

The veil you did split; For even the faithful

Thought you were not it; Until the 3rd day Which is when; Found empty the tomb They laid you in;

Appearing many times

Throughout 40 days ; Believers called you

The truth, light, and way;

Ascending to the father

What a beautiful sight; A couple days after the comforter took flight;

From love you have come

For this I am sure;

To cleanse us from sin

So we can endure;

For once a sinner complete; Accept You as Lord, Confess , repent for relief;

For the gift you offer Which can’t be sold; Is far more valuable

Than all the world’s gold

I tell this to all I encounter in time; The story about A friend of mine;

Whose spirit is Loving merciful, and kind

You are so Divine Hallelujah

Your Choice

Look at what happens when spoken by you

Words and phrases, which corrupt and abuse

"Nigger this", "nigger that" and terms that extract

A clinched fist, a punch, a brother laid out flat

You say this life you were destine to own

It began when your dad left mom all alone

In the absence of guidance that wasn't at home

Desiring steak over dried up neck bones

These reasons compel you to strike up this tone

Reaching 25 what a big surprise

Many of your friends have met their demise

Claiming gangster life is the ultimate prize

They perished for lack of smarts to survive

Choosing the wrong Lord is surly a way to die

Your posse is as close as you got To the parental guidance at home you had not

With less than a dime to your very name

Compelled to rob folks without any shame

Remember life is no video game

Game over does not allow replaying the frame

Where you end up you have only yourself to blame

The following advice I offer to you

I pray to the Lord you will follow it through For if you don't you will perish too

Ending your life sharing Satan's doom.

The power of his love is your greatest need

Passion witnessed at Calvary

Where through the blood of Christ our curses were freed

When our Savior asked God to forgive you and me

Was entombed arising victorious on day three

Defeating sickness, death and poverty

Demonstrating the power of GOD indeed

Making whole those of us who choose to believe

His power is greatest in all of the earth

Through him is how we overcome hurt

So when these bodies are reduced to dirt

Where your spirit dwells will depend on your heavenly work

Repent, Repent is my earnest advice

Our eternity is born in our Lord Jesus Christ

What is this about the creator

You say he cannot be

That we exist from nothingness

So all alone are we

Ludicrous is this absurdity

Just look at the harvest moon

The universe and its entire splendor

Came from more than a cosmic boom

The answer exist in the writings of old And not in a TV

For there you find undeniable truth

And all the evidence you'll need

His love for us brought him to earth

For this we cannot deny

The story of his miraculous birth And what some thought was his demise

He healed the sick and fed the hungry

And in a moment calmed a raging sea

Our wonderful Lord and creator

Who was crucified at Calvary

He is risen! He is risen!

He is risen!

Were the shouts of those who saw

That from death, which was impossible

Arose Christ the Savior of All

Before his departure into the heavens

Leaving instructions for you and me

Confess thy sins and believe in thy heart

That I am the Lord of thee

With all my heart I extend my praise

To you who loves me sure

Thank you for your precious gift I will cherish forevermore

Glory to God in the highest

Glory to his mighty name

Glory to the creator of all Who loves us all the same

His love endures forever

His mercy abound

At the cross gave us hope

Without would not be found

Without Notice

Without notice you began to speak

Without notice I began to weep

Without notice you entered my life

Only in you can we find hope

To rid our community of violence and dope

Spreading joy in your holy name

Uplifting the word, igniting the flames

The evil men do must be replaced With the light of love that is in your face

So let us go into every place

Allowing the lost to have a taste

In your name this I will forever do Proclaim the gospel to Muslim, gentile, and Jew

Dwelling in the hearts of those Who would rather act than pose

For this I chose

To serve you Oh Lord

This Place

The racial divide is a problem in this place

A drop in love, increases in hate

Dividing neighborhoods from state to state

Producing an atmosphere where we fail to create Relations that make communities great It begins with what's on our plate

The very ideals we pontificate

Exacting malice in the absence of Faith

Voiding the world of the light in his face

Black, white, yellow and brown

Each holding their respective ground

Claiming a portion of the particular town Where their ideals were crowned

Blaming each other for the mess

That can be offered

to That keeps communities

In duress serve the rest

Remember at Rather than humbling themselves to exalt the best the cross he gave us hope

Through our Lord is how we cope

With bigotry, deception, violence, and dope

Love is where we begin Using it to put an end

To the acts that keep us from him

Because death is the wages of sin

In our weakness through Christ we are strong Lifting us up to carry on Making right that which is wrong

For we know it won't be long Until our Lord returns.

Hallelujah.

Fatherhood

A twinkle in an eye is where it begun; Some pushes a cry and then it was done; A moment unconsidered at nine; An instant that will forever bind; My heart to this miraculous kind; Unimaginable an event like this; A seven pound bundle invoking such bliss; Whose touch without I would surly miss; Hard to believe all this from a kiss;

Possessing a uniqueness of sound; That stirs a measure that I have found; Of pleasure to know when you're around;

Without notice this that has happened to me; A life I truly did not foresee; Known by God before I was three;

This I can tell you I am happy to be;

A father

Mom's Gone

I can't find words that would described the way I felt when my sister called to say

Gone to heaven is our mother this day

Warm were the suns rays against the tears on my face

I thought why is this happening, salty the taste? As I tried to speak Your kidding I chuckled over the phone

This can't be happening, what I feared for so long

Then came silence followed by a series of tones

Of gasping breaths, and long sobbing moans

I fell to my knees wondering can I deal with this; right!

Mumbling, bumbling, cant even stand upright

The day has come where she would no longer fight

The unyielding sickness that was draining her life

Perplexed were my thoughts as I tried to surmise

The events leading up to this unwelcome surprise

I asked my sister "where did she die"

Remembering the last time I saw her brown eyes

Selfishly I though why, why, not like this

Couldn't death just once miss a name on its list

I felt like a prisoner bound by the wrists

This loss is one I would painfully miss

Remembering as a child how she taught me to share

My feelings, thoughts, and even sock pairs

With patience and love extending care

To six sons, four daughters, who ever was there

As an adult traveling in service to my country

Every place imagining how great it would be

If only I could bring you so you could see

This wonderful world; the result of the seeds

Of manners and courtesies you planted in me

Now, with her gone, no chance of this

No traveling abroad, fulfilling my wish

No coming home, her embrace, a kiss

No sitting down sharing her favorite dish

Just a memory of her wonderfulness

To fill my heart until I no longer exist

Praising God for her supernatural gift

Mother you will be missed.

I love you! !

The Park

I loved to go and visit this space

Pigeons dancing, a squirrel on the chase

Bronze plaques and statues, events taking place

Families enjoying the day

Flowers blooming in May

Barbeques, parties how wonderful the way

Neighbors relating, watching kids play

That was yesterday

Yesterday's park is found only in my mind

I've never seen as much unspeakable crime

Perpetrated against the occupants you`ll find

Displaced from a more prosperous time

No longer scenes of kids play

No congregating and socializing the way

Enjoyed by many for decades

Alcoholics, transients and drug addicts maybe

Victims of obsessions born from liberties

Tragically they too are human beings

Respect and love is what they truly need

Principles and traditions which help families through Replaced by opinions and illogical moods

Instead of mister we now say "dude"

Woman parading partially nude

Let's reclaim our park this day

Filling it like yesterday

Returning to principles that led us to pray

Embracing our kin in a different way

Principles forged in a state of mind

Not dominated by real TV, pod cast and wine

But from our savior, unselfish, loving and kind

Who at the cross bore your sins and mine

Poverty

Why do you choose to bother me

I'm not afraid of you; My father is the provider of all Surprise, you can't make me blue;

You travel the world confusing all you greet Proclaiming throughout the hour; My dear opponent you are weak Against my awesome power;

Many you put in misery

If the victims only knew; Jesus defeated at the cross All you claim to do;

I thank the Lord for this gift delivered With God who could beat our best; Praise the Lord for the time has come To finally put you to rest;

In the aftermath of riots you came to our town You and your brothers and this hip sound Appearing on stage with fancy moves Head over heels we fell for you

Genius was in a cat, not yet a teen Laying down tracks, so hip, so clean Craving your presence like a addict to dope Your lyrics remove despair and replace it with hope

Transforming, the world into this magical place Appealing beyond the divisions of race Brilliant, your presence helped us face Uncompromising love in an unfamiliar space.

Although

As with many things good, evil sought to invade Leading the marchers in a “hate parade” Desiring to impede the progress made Suggesting at times you were "Wako" grade

Still we loved you, in spite of this Your sounds, your dance, your gentleness Possessing great love for your fellow man Foolish to some, hard to understand

Genius was in how your were uncommonly kind You came in search of a peace, in death you would find Resting in the bosom of Abraham This is the memory in my mind

May God protect you and keep you Farewell, In the span of time,

It's Not About Me

Vaccination is not about me Please understand The safety of our love ones Is the foremost plan

Experiencing Pandemic destruction Where many are no longer seen Family legacies stop decaying Future Generation’s reestablishing

Hospitals previously erupting With those seeking care Morgues which were overflowing Fewer Dreams dying there

Millions of arms impacted Delivering needed relief From an enemy that was raging Now brought to its knees

Don’t let this moment pass Buying into misinformation and conspiracy A future avoiding catastrophic outcomes Depends on our actions indeed

Thank you, Lord, for vaccines

To put COVID 19 down In you there is victory Without would not be found

Justice Realized

Beyond Measure

Within a moment

This life I see Are the blessings

God has granted me

Moments shared

Derived from love

Gods promise delivered From heaven above

Healing, strengthening

Each time

Forged in goodness

Surely divine

Grateful am I For these wonderful treasures That has blessed me

Beyond measure

God

Thank you Father With profound gratitude For the family

Images of Life

Welcome to a series of poems which through words draws images of my life. A life full of sorrow, joy, loss and victory. It possesses the uniqueness of being me…. A view of life seen through a prism of a retired veteran of the US military, a divorcee who survived financial turmoil, single fatherhood and familial loss. Who took on challenges with great faith in God emerging victorious