Of Confession and Intercession

I bow down before you;

face to the ground

Oh my God you hear me

though I breathe not a sound

As I pour at Your nail-scarred feet

my tear-stained confession

You reach from the mercy seat

And you make intercession

A heap of shattered pieces

I lay down, my Lord and King

You make whole my brokenness

with One; love’s offering

And from my lascivious lips

pours my tear-stained confession

You heal me with Your promises

and You make intercession

God, there is no other

with the power to redeem

You cleanse the filthy sinner

in the flood of Calvary’s stream

Holy, holy, holy,

I pour out tear-stained confession

As you whisper, it is finished,

and you make intercession

© Janet Martin

Autumn and Fulfillment ...a Blitz poem

 Poetic Bloomings invites us to attempt the Blitz

The BLITZ was created by Robert Keim and is a 50-line poem of short phrases and images.
Here are the rules:

• Line 1 should be one short phrase or image (like “build a boat”)
• Line 2 should be another short phrase or image using the same first word as the first word in Line 1 (something like “build a house”)
• Lines 3 and 4 should be short phrases or images using the last word of Line 2 as their first words (so Line 3 might be “house for sale” and Line 4 might be “house for rent”)
• Lines 5 and 6 should be short phrases or images using the last word of Line 4 as their first words, and so on until you’ve made it through 48 lines
• Line 49 should be the last word of Line 48
• Line 50 should be the last word of Line 47
• The title of the poem should be three words long and follow this format: (first word of Line 3) (preposition or conjunction) (first word of line 47)
• There should be no punctuation

There are a lot of rules, but it’s a pretty simple and fun poem to write once you get the hang of it.

Time renders autumn

Time snuffs autumn

Autumn begins boldly

Autumn recedes coldly

Coldly the gale seethes

Coldly, the rain weeps

Weeps for lost hours

Weeps for lost love

‘Love endures all things’

Love hopes for spring

Spring is renewal

Spring is hope

Hope spawns comfort

Hope spawns thankfulness

Thankfulness spawns joy

Thankfulness yields happiness

Happiness is not a thing

Happiness is realization

Realization of God’s wonders

Realization of God’s grace

Grace for all ages

Grace for all mankind

Mankind is foolish

Mankind is forgetful

Forgetful of every-day mercies

Forgetful of every-day gifts

Gifts, not filling hands

Gifts filling hearts

Hearts need hope

Hearts need God

God is hope

God is love

Love is not a season

Love is immortal

Immortal purpose

Immortal power

Power to let go

Power to forgive

Forgive your enemies

Forgive your self

Self is a ruthless judge

Self craves affirmation

Affirmation of worth

Affirmation of love

Love is the universal need

Love is the universal fulfillment

Fulfillment needs love

Fulfillment needs God

Love

God 

Janet~

Initially, I thought this was going to be too hard, but it really is a 'blitz' of simply allowing word to lead...

  

Naught, but the Hours That Haste

I dream of apple trees

Heady with pink froth of spring

And beneath, on its petal-blanket

We arrest moment-offerings

Before the hour devours

Its fragrance from our lips

And bends the apple orchard

With fruit that autumn strips

I dream of a cup spilling over

With fragments of faded years

Time masquerades as a lover

While a lifetime disappears

Yet eagerly he insists on bringing

New flavors I must taste

While heedless, I am clinging

To naught but the hours that haste

© Janet Martin

Beautiful Yesterday...

 This is the swing of my childhood...how I did love to go up in a swing, up in the air so blue...

Though moments may sweep

Temporal pleasure away

I keep my beautiful

Yesterday

Time cannot take

This treasure from me

Kept in the locket

Of memory

Tides ebb and flow

And nothing can stay

But the joy of a

Beautiful yesterday

Today is an offering

Caught in time's decay

Tomorrow it will be

Our yesterday

Lord, teach us to cherish

This moment-sway

Creating a new beautiful

Yesterday

© Janet Martin

Of Purpose, Passion and Poetry

Sometimes I fear

It may seem trite

To string words together

To soothe and delight

As many suffer

Begging for relief

From pain, fear, sorrow

And gut-wrenching grief

As wars rage

And innocent die

As the homeless wander

And the lonely cry

But then again

Surely there ever must be

Room for hope

For love and beauty

As nature reminds us

This earth is mere sod

Forever at the mercy

And order of God

And surely then

There must ever be

Room in this world

For poetry

© Janet Martin

Sometimes I really struggle with being certain of my calling. I would hate to devote my thought, time and energy to something God did not intend and it is easy doubt; yet we trust that if we plant for Him then God will give the increase.

We all are created with purpose and talents

God, teach us how to employ

Our gifts and passions to Your honor and glory

So we may hear these words with joy…

‘Well done, my good and faithful servant’.

Out of Storm's Reach

Whispered vespers elevate

To an ominous roar

The ocean is a monster

Devouring the shore

Where we strolled

Leisurely

On boardwalk and beach

We tuck tender memories

Out of the storm’s reach

© Janet Martin

Thoughts and prayers remain with those hard hit! The winds are receding a little here…but we will need to hang onto our hats and hair-dos for a few more days.

Of Preparations...

Matt. 25: 1-13  

Warnings sound

Loud, they abound

Prepare for a storm is coming

The foolish sleep

Or ignore its plea

The wise man heeds the warning

The warning sounds

Long it abounds

Prepare, for the Lord is coming

The foolish sleep

Or ignore his plea

The wise man heeds His warning

© Janet Martin

As we diligently heeded the warnings and prepared for the storm today I had to think of this parable...

We know the storm is coming and so we do the best we can to be ready.

We also know it is inevitable, we are going to die, we are going to meet God. Are we doing our best to be prepared for this?

Goodnight all. Be warm, dry and safe. May God bless and keep us all in His tender care.
I hope to 'see' you tomorrow if our hydro is not out.

In Poetry

It is a little like love, I suppose
The height and depth and breadth of it
is not distinguished by whether
you are far away from me
or close 
But love loves in spite of circumstance
It is not a fickle fantasy
nor a hapless dance
but it is the matter in all matters
and such is the lure of the word
whether you are there or here
my want is stirred
not by your nearness or distance
but by an aching passion beneath my ribs
pressing against the levy
longing to break through its hold
and spill unchecked
urgently and bold
as thought is set free
to fall wheresoever it may be
in the inexplicable joy of poetry

J~