Life's Afterglow

When I shall lay me down to sleep
Forever in earth’s clutch
And all that you have left to keep
Are memories to touch
I pray that in a little while
Your tears will cease to flow
And thoughts of me will make you smile
In my life’s after-glow

Grief has a season; we must weep
And tears must have their place
But Time will heal your tender-deep
And in its soft embrace
Should thoughts of me return sometimes
Upon life’s ebb and flow
I pray that it will be a kind
And joyful after-glow

When I shall lay me down to sleep
Oh, do not weep too long
For grief is not a thing to keep
And love will make you strong
Then, in the quiet of your heart
I pray that you will know
The beauty of love’s finest art
Caught in life’s afterglow

Janet~

Linked to:http://withrealtoads.blogspot.com/

Observing the Fall of Winter's Eve

From vaults beyond the human eye
In silver chivalry
Snowflakes tumble from the sky
Like un-rhymed poetry

Beyond the glowing fireside
Twilight transforms earth’s hue
As sparkling sweeps of argent tide
Deepen to icy blue

The wind has teeth, its biting chill
Tugs weary laborer’s home
As visions of warmth and goodwill
Cheer tired feet along

The earth, a dazzling avenue
Beneath a jeweled sky
Enthrones the dream of summer blue
And wind-song lullaby

From vaults beyond daylight subdued
The winter twilight falls
To wrap the world in solitude
And winters frigid shawl


Janet~

Contemplating Kindness

Kindness is a lovely flower
One cannot force its seed
But there is nothing like the power
Of kindness touching need

Kindness is a lovely bloom
It needs no pot or bowl
Its fragrance fills the dreary room
And cheers the down-cast soul

Kindness is a stunning rose
Of pure and humble beauty
Its root in selfless visage grows
And never out of duty

Kindness is a lovely flower
All can afford its splendor
In every season, every hour
Its bloom is fair and tender


Janet

I brag unashamedly about our neighbors because we have the best in the world!
My apologies to the rest of you;))
It’s a blessing easily taken for granted, but I was reminded of this as I heard the snow-blower and Victoria asked, ‘Did you call them or are they just being kind?’
‘It’s a beautiful act of kindness,’ I replied.
“WE have the best neighbors, don’t we?’ her eyes sparkle.
“Yes, we do” I smile and pray a special blessing on them.

Contemplating Endings

http://poeticbloomings2.wordpress.com/2012/01/01/every-ending-is-a-beginning-prompt-36/

Words do not end silences

Honesty will

Having does not end yearning

Love will

Walking away does not end grudges

Forgiveness will

Knowing does not end learning

Ignorance will

Growing does not end childhood

Maturity will

Sight does not end blindness

Acceptance will

Morning does not end darkness

God will

Sudden Undoing

http://sundaywhirl.wordpress.com/

Who could have expected such numbing pain

Or that something as completely mundane

As a shovel

Leaning against the plum-tree

Would be the undoing

Of carefully protected stitches

Loss has many faces

And leaps from unwary places

The wind cannot set a-drift need

Anymore than a thousand friends

Can replace the missing of you, my love

How perpetually longing can bleed

Easily, as yarn unravels from torn sweaters

Memories spill from tear-worn letters

And mere thought cannot stop its undoing

‘Darling, remember our pledge at the plum-tree, because’

Your words blur; a shovel is futile

When trying to bury the past... and us

Janet~

The 'I Can' ABC's

I Can…

Because of

His assurance and assistance

His body and blood

His comfort and compassion

His death and His deliverance

His encouragement and endurance

His forgiveness and faithfulness

His Grace, guidance, goodness and Gift

His hope, His hands

His invitation and inspiration

His justification and joy

His kindness and knowledge

His love and Light

His mercy and might

His Name and His nearness

His omnipotence and order

His plan, promise, power, purpose and patience

His quiet and his quickened Word

His redemption and resurrection and righteousness

His salvation and strength

His tenderness and temperance

His understanding and unity

His victory and vision

His wisdom and will

His X-ample,

His yoke and His yea

His zeal and Zenith

Because of God

I can!

Janet Martin

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Phil. 4:13

Where Do you Go and How?

Where and how do you go, old year?

Running and leaping and flying, my dear

Thrumming and sleeping and crying, it’s clear

You have one destination in mind

Dashing and dancing, a skip and a whirl

Grinning and glancing, a trip and a twirl

Crooning and moaning, a swish and a swirl

With only your thought left behind

Where do you go and how, dear sir

Spring, summer, fall and back to winter

Don’t close your eyes for time is a blur

And slips through your fingers with ease

Where do you go and how, old year

Fleeter your foot with age I fear

I'll cherish loved ones and hold them near

For Time offers no guarantees

Where do you go so swiftly now

Over the snow with the winds that blow

Never a curtsy, a wave or a bow

Silently into the night

You take your laughter, the longing and tear

Leaving our dream for the impending year

Parting is such sweet sorrow, my dear

Softly you slip out of sight

Janet~

New Year's Wish

Mary,
I'm borrowing my comment to you, but it is my wish for everyone who visits here...

May this year bring
in place of sorrow, healing
In place of tears, laughter
In place of loneliness,
friends and more friends,
In place of despair, hope
In place of the unknown...
...still, the unknown
For how else can we trust?

God Bless you in 2012.

Janet Martin

In Limbo

http://withrealtoads.blogspot.com/2011/12/marys-mixed-bag.html

It’s a tug-of-war of sorts to me

This holding on and letting go

Caught twixt the ache of history

And warm anticipation’s glow

The old year, like a crumpled ball

Of paper, rolls beneath our feet

We hear the bells of midnight toll

A farewell-greeting, bitter-sweet

Within our hearts, within our pen

Memory and expectation blend

Time does not seek applause from men

And it is neither foe nor friend

Ring out the old, ring in the new

Four seasons worth of living wait

For as we bid the old adieu

A virgin Year slips through Time’s gate

Janet Martin