Heat-wave Poem With a Grave Warning!

note; this poem is written with utmost respect for roofers, road-crews, 

and farmers who still stack hay-bales in a haymow!

The green leaf droops where the keen breezes fall

The perky petunia wilts in its pot

The old milk cow won’t ‘co’ boss’ when we call

Where we all have one thing in common; it’s hot

Far away turquoise sea-song monotone

Lures, while we swab salty streams from our necks

Morning-mist melts like a mint ice-cream cone

And high-noon rip-ripples across streets and decks

Sweet tea poured slowly on ice, crackle-pops

Lemonade luster winks in frosted glass

Shadows pool dark and deep where sun-sweep stops

And we seek sweet cool in its shallows of grass

Sprinklers toss two-second diamonds for tots

While brave youngsters shriek and dogs leap and bark

And sidewalks sport red and pink polka-dots

Where popsicles follow us home from the park

…and willows hang limp in the heat of mid-day

And lunch salad crunch is a fork full of bliss

We linger in its mini-holiday

To tickle wee toes and noses with a kiss

Cloud schooners sail by on high seas summer-blue

Time is a fellow, mellower it seems

Where joy is a little boy half-past two

With garden-dirt clinging to bare feet and dreams

Stars slide from heavens to land in our eyes

Stinging us as we heave-ho if we must

The wind finds a foothold and dips and dives

Stirring up dizzying spirals of dust

Some crank up ‘the air’, others turn on fans

Some soak in splashes of laughter and lakes

Some just keep going and don’t change their plans

While others do as little as it takes

Whatever you fancy when a heatwave hits

Whatever your work-wish-swim-fish-treat-drink

Make the most of its sticky, icky bits

‘Cause winter is not as far off as you think

© Janet Martin

Heaven's Foothills

The sky is full of blue

The earth is full of green

With every other glorious hue

Tucked grandly in between

© Janet Martin

For Prayer and Highway-to-Heaven Warriors

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
Eph.6:12

  For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does.   

The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. 

On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.   

We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, 

and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. 

And we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience, once your obedience is complete.

2 Cor.10:3-6 

Fear trains an army filled with fame but falters when we pray

Corruption keens a cavalcade that Kindness keeps at bay

Temptation taunts and flaunts but cannot compete with The Prize

That faith fixes its gaze upon; a promise in the skies

Despair would drown us without the life-rope of Hope secured

Within Hands scarred where hatred sparred with Love, and love endured

And we would all wander like sheep without a Shepherd's Voice

But for His Word of Truth to guide us through a world of Choice

© Janet Martin

Dear Pretty Pleasure

This morning's 1-minute Bible Love Notes  devotion focused on a topic that has filled a train of thought  going round and round in my head recently! 

Thank-you Gayle 'for drawing us closer to Jesus one minute at a time!'

I've listened to this message many times because it encourages us to be diligent and wise! 

Dear Pretty Pleasure...

You steal, with bold appeal, attention’s appetite to fill

Where taste and look and listen are always eager to thrill

Be careful, some enjoyments seemingly harmless at first

Drop little seeds that grow into a fruit flagrantly cursed

The root of evil oftentimes disguised by pleasure’s vim

Flaunts little lies to lure our eyes from attributes of Him

And not until the sting of consequence startles our gaze

Do we become aware of Temptation’s ingenious ways

…of tearing down while we were busy being quite at ease

With the compliance to senses always eager to please

Where human nature does not care to pay a pretty price

For something that purchases nothing… but humble sacrifice

Popular opinion based only upon Opinion’s sum  

Begets from dregs of blind belief a horrendous outcome

My dear, my precious, dearest child, pray God to draw your eyes

To look into His word to ever keep you truly wise

Our God, a kind forgiver forgives the mistakes we make

He does not leave us helpless or hopeless; but for our sakes

He gave His word, His perfect word that will not pass away

But guards and guides us with pure truth toward the Judgement Day

© Janet Martin