Poem: Come listen to a Prophet's voice

Prepare -
For:
Instruction,
direction,
and revelation.
Come listen
to a prophet's voice,
and be taught
from on high.
Words -
That:
Uplift
and rebuke.
A blueprint -
For the construction
of:
Character
and virtue.
Sons and daughters -
With:
Confidence
and desire,
come forth
and place
hammer to nail;
Building
the Kingdom of God
on earth.

Photo: Flowers - Daffodil - Greeley, Colorado - March 30, 2012

Pencil Sketch: Scrap paper faces - Archive

Poem: Ghosts and lepers

Field workers:
Bent over,
in tattered
Winter clothes.
Weeding onions,
in the scorching
August sun -
Ghosts and lepers.
Kitchen help -
During the evening rush:
Washing dishes;
Manning
sweltering steam ovens;
Busing tables -
Stares of disdain.
Ghosts and  lepers .
Late night
office cleaning crew:
Scrubbing toilets;
Mopping floors -
Ghosts and  lepers .
The day is done;
Sweat and grime.
Home:
To a loving family -
Laughter and togetherness.
Bonding hugs
and sealing kisses.
Home:
A temple -
Filled with 
love and unity.
Made of
a wartime bungalow.
Constructed of
scraps, leftovers
and discarded materials -
A beacon
and refuge.

Poem: Brother Personality

Brother Personality;
Everyone's friend.
One of
"The Good 'Ole Boys".
Tearful testimony;
Blasphemous handshake.
A perfect marriage -
Best friends;
Eternal partners.
"Not tonight dear."
"I dare you,
to say that again."
He threw her down
on the bed.
She wrestled away,
before he could begin.
"I've got you!"
"Don't try and get away!"
His suffocating grip
cracked 
one of her ribs.
Her body,
riddled with bruises.
Rumors;
A cracking facade -
Snake oil defense.
"She's hysterical."
"You know
how women are."
"Making something
out of nothing."
Winning over
old friends.
Beguiling
bedazzled strangers.
Embracing and tears -
Forgiven,
with a slap
on the hand.
A smirk 
and a twinkle.

Poem: There's a special place in Hell

There's a special place in Hell
for the likes of you.
The larceny
of her innocence and virtue -
With each scaring touch
of your hand.
The acid searing kisses -
Demonic tenderness.
Behind the leprous skin
of trust and protector -
deceiver and manipulator.
What kind of monster
takes pleasure
in giving in
to such
vile urges.
Weak and selfish,
void of intimacy -
Stranger and intruder.
Shattered -
Her thoughts engulfed
in an infinite nightmare.
A cynical and angry heart.
Her tears of violation -
The howling cries
of an aching soul.
A solemn prayer,
to a vengeful God.
The blood
on your hands.

Photo: Trees - Out on a limb - 6th Street and 28th Avenue, Greeley, Colorado - March 2012

Poem: Where is courage found?

Where is courage found?
Is it found in:
The first wobbly steps,
of an unsure,
yet resolute
infant?
Is it found in:
The cheerful and enduring,
terminally diagnosed
face of service?
Is it found in:
The financially struggling family
willing to pay
"The Widow's Mite"?
To give,
friend or stranger,
"the shirt of their back"?
All the while,
with a spirit
of remembrance and gratitude.
Is it found in:
The volunteer soldier,
ever vigilant,
in the defense
of family and country?
Is it found in:
The Bravest and the Finest,
who enter
a collapsing tower,
to save -
Just one more?
Is it found in:
The condescension,
of a sacrificing son,
willing to drink
the bitter cup?
To silently face,
scourge and scorn,
and suffer -
Upon a cross.
That all may live
and receive:
The healing salve,
of the balm of Gilead.
Is it found in:
The Worth of a Soul -
A Child of God:
Once stumbling,
now standing,
"steadfast and immovable",
with a
"perfect brightness of hope"?

Poem: Porcelain Goddess

Porcelain Goddess;
Painted Lady,
flat on her back.
Whitened sepulchre -
Helplessness and despair
housed within.
Neon eyes;
Smoky gaze -
Anesthetized desperation.
Silk and lace -
Ceremonial gowns.
Benefactor
and Carnal Trader -
In the shadows.
Financed rape -
Vacant soul.

Photos: Sunrises and Sunset - Magma Shoreline - Greeley, Colorado - March 21, 2012

Poem: Nature - Wildflower Meadow

Wildflower Meadow;
Golden sunset filter.
Revelations
of iridescent splendor.
Painted visions.
Celestial bodies -
Scripture
of the firmament.
Evergreen Cedar forest -
Steadfast and presiding.
Like quorums of Apostles -
Infinite their Priesthood.
Red rock formations;
vivid and chiseled.
Temples of worship,
for natures congregation.
Wingspan Priests;
Four point Elders.
High Priest Grizzly;
Bishop owl.
Baptismal river;
Burial and renewal -
Rebirth.
Constant companionship
of the whispering wind.
Born
of the Quaking Aspens.
Baptism of fire;
Blackened forest seedling -
Consecration;
Sanctification;
Purification.

Photo: Sunrises and Sunsets: Cauldron Sky - Greeley, Colorado - March 2012

Photo: Trees - Twin Legacy Tree - Greeley, Colorado - March 19, 2012

Poem: "It's better than nothing."

"It's better than nothing."
That's what she told her Mother
when he proposed.
The hair on top of his head
has been placed on the list
of endangered species.
But as luck has it,
there's a German forest
growing on his back
- And  in his ears.
He has "Donelop" disease
and Clark Gable's ears.
He has:
A furry caterpillar eyebrow
and mismatched eyes.
In his tattered pajamas,
He sells:
Day old donuts and muffins
door to door.
He lives:
In a Kenmore refrigerator box -
With a dryer box addition.
He brings me:
Stink weed instead of roses
and three year old
Convenience store chocolates.
On our first date:
We dined on samples,
at the local Wal-Mart,
followed by,
a "romantic" light stick lit,
slobbery kiss -
In a swamp.
"Sounds lovely dear,"
Her Mother cheerfully replied.
"He's such a nice boy."

Photo: Flowers and Buds - Early Bloom

Poem: Extreme ideology

Extreme ideology;
Violence and anger.
A gun in one hand,
a dogma in the other.
No room for compromise
or negotiation -
Without a price.
Capital fueled devotion.
Resources held hostage;
Cartel funded militias.
Imperial resentment;
Nefarious deeds.
Political manipulation;
High level schemes.

Poem: Mister Sunshine

Mister Sunshine -
Look at that,
"Brightly beaming",
dare I say,
"Radiant" smile,
ready to greet 
the world with a snarl -
and a wink -
and a nod.
Blistering and snarky,
angelic and ethereal crows 
serenade.
Friends and neighbors
know, 
not to delay.
For no one,
can stand 
in the way,
of this rather
auspicious day.

Poem: Ruthie T. Quagmire

Ruthie T. Quagmire,

sat in the mud,

she tripped on a wire

landing with a thud.

Ruthie T. Quagmire,

at the top of a hill,

rolled down in a tire

and had a big spill.

Ruthie T. Quagmire,

in the kitchen to bake,

started a fire

lighting candles on her cake.

Ruthie T. Quagmire,

took to her bed,

the diagnosis was dire

after she crashed on her sled.

Ruthie T. Quagmire,

in the park with her kite,

the wind took it higher

hitting a tree mid flight.

Ruthie T. Quagmire,

despite the stories I've told,

is never a quitter 

with a heart of true gold.

(I've always like the name Ruthie T. Quagmire, and thought it would make a good name for a character, in a poem.)

Photo: Tchotchkes - The Wife and Kids

Poem: A tortured soul

A tortured soul -
I can't let go: 
of haunting memories,
that linger,
in the shadows
of my mind.
A conflicted
and crowded stage,
for a maudlin play.
Like a transitory smoke,
voices echo -
Trapped and inconsolable.
An eroding
and lifeless prayer,
boxed in
the cancerous silence,
of a spiritually dying soul.
Endless retribution;
An incarcerating confusion.

Photo: Stuffed Animals - Pooh Bear Squadron

Poem: Liar! Liar!

Liar! Liar!
Stuck in a box,
walls getting higher.
The lid slams shut -
Trapped inside.
It started out small;
Premeditated growth. 
Hollow words;
Relative masking.
A tainted well;
Toxic water.
Seeking the living,
among the dead.
Familiar words -
Pleasing and  accommodating.
Tumor riddled spirit -
Cries for help
fall on deaf ears.

Photo: Head in the Clouds - North of Greeley, Colorado - February 2012

Poem: Goodtime Johnny

Goodtime Johnny-
Garishly adorned.
Silk shirts;
Tailored suits.
The emperors robes -
of the worldly priesthood,
of the doctrine of man.
Some say he's smart,
and rather inventive.
Truth be known,
he is brazen and subtle.
A slick parasite,
who stays out all night,
taking up
with good time girls.
A regular 
at the girly shows -
Glazed eyes;
unkempt appearance -
he reeks of liquor.
A monetary hijacker;
A silver tongue -
Words of milk and honey.
Late night whispers;
No tell motel.
A tale 
of torrid romance.
Fedora prince 
and hourglass princess.
Madly in love -
With themselves.
Seduced by
intoxicated glamour.
Flawless beauty,
without blemish.
Empty souls;
Surface reflections.
Trapped and frozen
in the mirror of vanity.
Time too precious,
to suffer,
such hapless fools.

Poem: Ignorance and prejudice

Ignorance and prejudice,
robs the vision,
to perceive:
An open vista;
A vivid touch.
Instead comprehending,
a mirror image, 
shaped,
by stereotype and pride.
Xenophobic;
Conforming.
Assimilation,
Homogenization.
Despising the diversity,
in the infinite hues,
of  humanity.

Photo Collage: Patchwork Vanity

Poem: The pain

The pain -
Too much to bear.
Lost and lonely;
The wounds deep.
A broken covenant;
A sinful heart.
I pray:
Dear Lord,
Please forgive me.
Heal my broken soul.
Breath life,
into my desolate spirit.
Lift the burden,
of the harrowing darkness,
of Godly sorrow,
from my shoulders.
Replace it,
with the merciful yoke,
of the light,
of faith, hope and charity -
The perfect love of Christ.
Made manifest,
in the creation and fall,
and in his infinite Atonement.
That I might
raise my head high
and praise thee.
Sustained and magnified;
Sanctified and purified -
In thy grace.

Photo: Breakfast Bunny