Abundant Mercy

For today’s prompt,Day 19, write an abundant poem. 

There are so many instances of abundance in the world: 

Abundant sunshine; abundant happiness; abundant evil; and in November, abundant poetry!

We who wear both want and wonder

Walk where Love never forsakes

From His Heaven mercy thunders

Through time’s blunder-chiseled wakes

We who trip and slip and stumble

Are not left to our own means

Mercy, mentor to the humble

Pours in hope-restoring streams

We who make a mess of blessing

When regret opens our eyes

Find abundant mercy waiting

To forgive repentant cries

We who need so much assurance

In this trouble-rubble race

Lean on mercy’s kind endurance

From a faithful Father’s grace

We who weep and mourn find courage

Mercy meets us where we are

Frees the heart and mind from bondage

On the black night pins a star

 

© Janet Martin

 It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.

They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.

Lam.3:22-23

But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ, even when we were dead in our trespasses. It is by grace you have been saved!…

Eph.2:4-5

I Meant To Say 'I Love You'

 PAD prompt 17: For today’s prompt, write a “what I meant to say” poem. As someone who takes his time to consider what to say, I often find myself in this position of knowing what I meant to say…after the moment has passed. If you’ve ever been in that position, here’s your chance to write out what you meant to say.

 um, I haven't told Matt yet...
I forgot to bring in his hockey equipment last night:(

 

( post script; when Victoria saw this photo she shrieked so I showed her what I wrote about it below then she laughed, choosing to 'embrace' as well, instead of clean...for now:)

Dear son, I meant to say I love you

by airing out your hockey equipment for you,

but then I left it in the rain...

 Dear daughter, instead of saying 'I love you so much'

I asked you to clean up your room

...again

Hubby, why does my 'I love you' come out

too easily misunderstood

because somehow it didn't sound quite like

I know it could or should

...and God, why is it easier to spout love

in poesy-sweet rhymes

Oh, oh, no small wonder I blush

when I think of all the times

I shut the door

 or shut The Book

or shut my eyes

and ears

to Your love

ever faithful

through my tantrums, fears and tears

..so today I pray for ways to tell again

to those whose lives I touch

"I love you" (with no 'buts' attached)

So very, very

Much

Janet Martin

.. so He nudged me to walk over to Victoria and give her a big hug, right where she was,
and tell her "I love you very much" so I did, much to her puzzlement
so, I told her what I was writing
and how I don't tell her in plain 'I love you' language nearly enough, that I do!
AND...I didn't tell her to clean up her room but chose to embrace Her expressions of
loving the life she lives;-)

 

Good-for-nothing Love

PAD Challenge day 18: For today’s prompt, write a good for nothing poem.

Initially, I couldn't think of a topic when I saw today's prompt...

...but when I told my son (after he came home from a LONG overdue haircut)
 that I can look at him with motherly pride once again
he said, 'oh, so you only love me if I have short hair' to which I said,
"my love for you is the same no matter what your hair looks like;
my motherly pride, however, isn't" :)
(I simply like his hair shorter rather than a floppy mop, but that's just an exterior preference
which, I reminded him, is why I never told him to get a hair-cut because I wanted him to want it:)
...it got me to thinking,
Imagine if 'love' meant meeting full approval or
if it was gauged by circumstance!
What a good-for-nothing love that would be!

my  love for you
 has nothing to do
with meeting my approval
or with circumstance
if it were so
love would be a pitiful show
of word gymnastics
and clapping hands

(which is why I often sign my little messages to my children,
love always,
Mom )

Janet Martin

Today The Artist Chooses Gray...

Yesterday grinned like a giddy November flower

 Today drips from heaven's eaves and strips gaze of its bower

It lolls, a listless lake in leafless limbs stripped of cajole

It drapes a shapeless cape across croft, coppice, creek and knoll

It hangs a hood on brooding woods and veils the face of day

A weightless, widespread weight agape in gray on gray on gray

It muffles manmade mayhem in a diadem of fog

The car we hear but cannot see, the neighbor’s barking dog

A velvet vroom gone viral, it obliterates the view

And makes the small man reckon he is smaller than he knew

The Artist of this Masterpiece mutes colors giddy-gay

He murmurs ‘it is good’ and moves his brush through welkin tray 

He, Whisperer of spheres metes more than meets man’s naked eyes

Today He chooses gray; plush hush shrouds Expectation’s prize

© Janet Martin

Hold To The Hand...a repost

For I am the LORD your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, 

Do not fear; I will help you. 

Isa.41:13

Hold to the hand that holds the sand that trickles through time’s glass

The Keeper of His promises knows what will come to pass

Then should the fight be hard and night reach far into the day

Still, hold the hand that holds us in each untold come-what-may

Hold to the hand that holds the land and sea in folds of blue

He parts the waters of the deep so that we may pass through

And should the way that he allows seem foreign to our want

Still, hold the hand that holds us close where fear and worry taunt

Hold to the hand that will not fail though oft it seems, we must

Yet, if we never failed then would we ever truly trust?

His hands are rich with mercy, granting courage for this strife

Hold to the hand that holds us in the gray and gold of life

Hold to the hand that holds the plans for every one of us

And wore the nails and bore the cross for our sin; Jesus

Hold to His hand, He understands what we can never know

Hold to the hand that holds us near and never lets us go

© Janet Martin

rerun time:) 

6 kiddos coming today, two in a few minutes so no writing time for now:)

Hope we all have a  hold-to-His-Hand kind of day!

God Bless.

Dear World...

PAD Challenge day 16;For today’s prompt, write a poem to the world

Yesterday morning...

  

...this morning

Different colours, same Creator!

Dear World,

We are all in this together

the rich with the poor,

The strong with the sick,

the beautiful with the ugly

we all weather the same weather

breathe the same air

bear kindred care

that love inspires 

By the grace of the Same God

we go, to and fro

giving and taking

making promises

we don't always keep

we wake

we sleep

so much in common

so, come on

...let's love one another instead of hate

for we are all kindred

sister and brother

and no one is greater than love

or its Creator

Dear World, 

we are all in this together

so, let's weather

whatever the weather

...with kindness

and patience

and love

Janet~

Imagine if we actually put in action the love described below!!

 Love is patient, 

love is kind. 

It does not envy, 

it does not boast, 

it is not proud. 

It does not dishonor others, 

it is not self-seeking, 

it is not easily angered, 

it keeps no record of wrongs.  

 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  

 It always protects, 

always trusts, 

always hopes, 

always perseveres.

 Love never fails. 

1 Cor.13:4-8

Sole Survivor Sonnet

Poetics Aside PAD Challenge day 14:

It’s time for our second Two-for-Tuesday prompt. If you’re new to these challenges, you can pick either one prompt or the other. Or decide to do both. Your choice.

For today’s Two-for-Tuesday prompt:

1. Write a sonnet or other traditional form poem. I specifically mention the sonnet, because it’s day 14 and the sonnet traditionally has 14 lines. But any other traditional form (villanelle, triolet, sestina, etc.) would work as well.
2. Write an anti-sonnet or other traditional form poem. If you’re anti-form, good news! You can vent about it in a poem–or just write a poem that attacks form and structure of any kind (even beyond poetics). Anarchy poems?

Go!

Busyness, sick kids and a half-sick me took priority over poetry:)
A little catching up to do!

Some of my friends love the show Survivor.
I have never watched it but
the gist of it is a competition to be, at the finish, the sole survivor?

Southward and northward and eastward and west

Scatter the peoples of earthy conquest

Faith-fear, joy-sorrow wrest, test and applaud

Upward and upward and upward to God

Trust, ah, we must but man’s dust is not eased

Into this Solace where Heart is appeased

Tender surrender spars with stubborn pride

Self like a monarch not meekly denied

Over the crest of the grave footsteps pound

Man is not slave to a hole in the ground

Southward or northward, east, west though we trod

Mortal moves forward, upward toward God

Knowledge and ignorance dance, lover-blind

Faith the sole soul-survivor, God-designed

© Janet Martin

 For the LORD Almighty has purposed, and who can thwart him?

 His hand is stretched out, and who can turn it back?

Isa.14:27

A Simple Thank-you for Simple This...(and a prayer request)

 Thinking of my brother Dave today(see below) as I survey a mountain of 'mundaneness'
I can lift the laundry up to the clothesline without second thought or pain!

Thank God for the plainness of common mundaneness

The beauty of duty that puts us to work

It saves us from sorrow of trouble we borrow

When idle mind dawdle where demon-lords lurk

Thank God for the wealth of good health, strength and hunger

Driving us to toil with more purposed pursuit

Wild wolf at the door, love, moves us ‘cross the floor of

Plain planting and pruning before gripping fruit

Pity the lazy, lackadaisical dreamer

Weighed with wanton taunt and fat-cat attitude

Thank God for life’s labor and toil’s simple saber

It keens with kind favor, humble gratitude

Thank God for the glamor of swinging a hammer
And pray for those who dearly wish that they could
Thank God for the plainness of common mundaneness
And never forget... it is good, it is good

© Janet Martin

Please continue to pray for my brother Dave and Karen's encouragement. 

(click link for previous update posts)

Dave still has very limited use of his arms and shoulders and is then, unable to work...a true trial! 

They really appreciate continued prayer!