Echoed Refrains

The year is closing in

As silently its door

Will seal within Time’s resting-place

Retrospect’s nevermore

Fearless, the moments pass

As future moments urge

Like whispers in life’s hour glass

Or autumn’s stricken dirge

Thought wings in shadow flight

Across the wending year

How quick the bud turns white

How soon winter is near

Nature’s sage interment

In solemn stillness weeps

The lowered shadows bent

Where resurrection sleeps

The Year is closing in

How swift the daylights wanes

And twixt its rising, setting sun

We write love’s rare refrains

© Janet Martin

Joy-shapes

Who can explain the shape of its cup?

These moments of joy that we hold up

To our Maker; as we dance and laugh

On summer’s tangled after-math

Even the chill wind cannot dull

The song in our heart and mouth; thankful

Thankful for the golden walnut tear

Marking the close of another year

Thankful for duty, never-ending

For the colors of farewell softly blending

With nature’s response of mute, barren trees

Stoking the moan of the wandering breeze

Thankful, yes, even for the aching sigh

Spawned by love and the tear in our eye

Who can define its measure of worth?

Humble design;  startling treasures of earth

Shaped in a smile, or the driving rain

As we dream from the dry side of the window-pane

Shaped by the leaf dangling from a limb, brave

Before spiraling, drifting to its umber-musk grave

Or else, by the madrigal of bronzed corn

As it rustles; once emerald, now brittle, forlorn

Shaped by the reaper bent on filling his sheaf

With the scattered remnant of sun-flower grief

What is the shape of summer-end joy?

Of bittersweet, beautiful autumn alloy

Of moment-drops melting away soundlessly  

In prelude to the music of memory

© Janet Martin

What is Longing?

What is longing, this inferno

Burning, yearning hunger

This groaning internal reaching

For what?

Is longing

Self-induced affliction

Carnal appetite?

Or is it holy hungry

Of things spiritual,

out of sight?

What is longing?

It cries, un-heard

Un-hushed

Weeping in the dead of night

Moaning in the noon-day rush

What is longing?

Is it folly?

or is it real?

Is it perchance, earth’s lonely sorrow

That only Heaven can heal?

© Janet Martin

Equations~

Life is a drop

In Time’s vast sea

Time is a drop

In eternity

Janet~

His Word IS...

Sometimes as I gaze upon you

Dear child, young woman, man

I wonder who will lead you

When from this nest you’ve flown

Then a sure sweet assurance

Surges from within

For His word IS, forever

And ever on, amen

His Word IS, not fleeting

Like flesh-tongue salutations

His Word IS, not bound by Time

Or parchment imitations

His Word IS, pure, faultless

And changeless through the years

A rod and staff, sure, ageless

A comfort in our fears

His Word IS; creation

Its tangible first-fruit

But it will reign forever

Though it was flesh and blood

It IS; death could not conquer

Or dis-annul its power

For His Word IS; not something

Transient as earth’s wee hour

His Word IS; true, faithful

In every age to come

His Word IS a beacon

To guide the pilgrim home

His Word IS; eternal

Dear child, young woman, man

His Word IS; infallible

Forever without end

© Janet Martin

Morning...

 This morning the sun-rise looked like a pink heart-cloud:)

Awesome God

Morning in triumph rends night’s raven bar

Mercy and grace have not withdrawn their hope

Ascending over earth’s need-stricken slope

Opaline glory flings its gates ajar

To shed upon this toil and trouble strand

Not judgment, void of love’s long-suff’ring plea

But from the backdrop of life’s mystery

Holy compassion lavishes the land

From porticoes not marred by flesh and blood

He bathes the dark with heaven’s hallowed flood

Marauders of covetousness and lust

We gaze from sepulchers of want and greed

To He who for mortal’s Primary Need

Put on a robe of humble, human dust

And Immortality with arms wide spread

Upon rough timber, cried out ‘it is done’

He satisfied The Need for everyone

Redemption once for all, His blood was shed

And all He asks of us is to believe

In Him; and everlasting Life receive

He does not leave us pining in the Dark

But lights the Way for everyone to see

For Truth and Life lead to eternity

And Hope is more than a translucent spark

His faithfulness and mercy lights the dawn

Forgiveness flows; sacred, sufficient stream

Not sealed within death’s mute, mystic requiem

But pouring from the power of the Son

As Light in triumph rends night’s heavy veil

His mercy, grace and love will never fail

© Janet Martin

 

Refocusing...

God, help me to remember

Every moment, every breath

Is part of a bigger picture

We cannot behold on earth

Remind me, when I lose focus

That success is so much more

Than the ‘what’ that we are doing

It’s the ‘Who’ we are doing it for

© Janet Martin

Three things I can always count on...lots of laundry,
lots of dirty dishes and
lots of big beautiful sky in whatever hue the Creator decides!

Almost Enough

Singing in the Rain...

Sometimes, when you press so close to me

It almost feels

Like it used to be…

Sometimes, when thought is vivid and keen

I almost believe

In what might have been

Sometimes, I re-visit the bittersweet so

I can revel in the pain

Of letting go

Sometimes I am satisfied with love

And sometimes I know

It will never be enough

J~