His Workmanship

Man celebrates what God allows

And never more or less

But simply what His hand bestows

Is all that we possess

Accomplishment and accolades

Spring not of man’s accord

For there is no man yet so great

He does not need the Lord

Whisper of dust, is mortal flesh

Life-breath from hallowed lip

What God allows man may possess

We are His workmanship

© Janet Martin

Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? Matthew 6:27

Just in case we've forgotten...

Enjoy fur Elise on your summer evening stroll...
(just click the wheel on your mouse to open a new link)

In case we've forgotten how the golden wheat field

stretches to the mouth of the sky

Or how the warm breezes of summer's late day

Soft 'gainst the evening lie

or how Queen Ann's lace graces the collar

of ditches and lanes, forgotten

or how God's handiwork awes us to stillness

in masterpieces dangling from heaven

In case we've forgotten the music of grasses

etched in the waning of day

or the sketch of a daisy outlined on the canvas

of twilight melting away

Perhaps we've forgotten, beneath winter's blanket

the dancing of wind on the corn

How each day of August is glimpses of heaven

begun on a summer's morn

In case we've forgotten, we wait while the curtain

of winter remains tightly drawn

We wait while the silver of ten-thousand miracles

dance over garden and lawn

No winter is able to out-live spring's verdure

soon its chill fury will pass

And soon we'll remember the peace of December

When its time to cut the grass

Janet~

I took a video of the howling gale but it will not upload...

...so I posted a sweet alternative:) Enjoy!

Blown Away by the Wonder of it all

The Tides of March

 

They rush in oceanic sweeps

To muffle winter's dirges

Startling the earth from vaulted deeps

In wild and untamed surges

These are the tides of March

They snuff the golden bliss of noon

In howling, hastening fury

To spill the honey from hope’s spoon

Lest spring should think to hurry

These are the tides of March

The pine of stiff and stately pride

Of groomed and gilded figure

Is bent against the sudden tide

Of winter’s desperate rigor

These are the tides of March

Oh, wail across petulant earth

Release your final measure  

For you cannot restrain the breath

Melting your futile pleasure

These are the tides of March

©Janet Martin

 Seriously, there is someone playing with the weather switches today!

We are shifting from blizzard to clear sunshine back to blizzard in the blink of an eye!

Moody March

At one a.m the day was still
no flicker, wisp or sigh
The earth a barren shoulder; brown
against a turquoise sky
But as night parts her restless lips
in moody March refrain
an ocean-tide of winter slips
to paint the earth again~

Janet~

Earlier today ;)) when I took a picture of the moon (see Lunar Torment)
even those low clouds slipped away and the sky was pure silver-blue,
without a hint of snow!

Yesterday there was NO SNOW to be seen!
Hello, March in Canada!

Birthday Verses

This is no ordinary day

This ‘moment-splash’ from heaven

This is the very special day

Victoria turns eleven

0~0~0~

Each birthday is mile-stone

Of heaven-gifted grace

It will not pass this way again

So stop, and celebrate

0~0~0~

I have learned a thing or two

Within my adult-skin

To celebrate, like children do

The moment/birthday I am in

O~O~O~

God splashed an ocean of sunbeams

Into the dark of this world

When he took His most tender heartstrings

And created earth’s best: little girls

O~O~O~

Today is a beautiful treasure

Oh, and I simply can’t wait

For today, my dear, is your birthday

A reason to celebrate

O~O~O~

God used his extra-special bits

Of wonderment and joy

He chose the best of heaven’s gifts

And made a little boy

O~O~O~

Today is extra-special

In each and every way

For an extra-special little girl/boy

Is having a birthday!

O~O~O~

Happy Birthday, my precious

Happy Birthday, my dear

Happy Birthday, I love you

Every day of the year

O~O~O~

I thank God that He made roses

And lovely skies so blue

But most of all I thank Him

For the special gift of you

Janet~

Yes, our 'baby' is eleven!

Lunar Torment

Tonight I allow you to take me

For I can no longer resist

Desire out-weighs common senses

Wrap me in your ocean of mist

Tonight I need more than a promise

Whispered through my window-pane

Tomorrow gleams on the horizon

Oh, let not this night pass in vain

Tonight you spread over my being

Translucent; you taunt, I beseech

But all I can hear is you breathing

In oceans that I cannot reach

J~

I had all the lights turned out.

I was going to bed...

and then I looked out through my bedroom window at the sky!

I ignored the clock and went outside...heaven like this waits for no one

and morning can steal it away! 

The Tides of 'Almost Spring'

The tides of spring

They weep and sing

In oceans from the sky

To glassy ponds

And stricken fronds

She lays her garments by

And on the girth

Of somber earth

She hints with softened lips   

Of under-tones

In violet moans

And emerald finger-tips

The darkened slope

Stripped of its robe

Is begging for her kiss

The umber tide

Of dull hill-side

Unclenches its cold fist

The woodland stark

Against the dark

Is budding with desire

And in the tomb

Of autumn’s bloom

Smolders a hidden fire

The tides of spring

They weep and sing

In love-songs warm and tender

Winter defies

But in his eyes

Are whispers of surrender

© Janet Martin

A warm rain has dissolved the snow!

Tonight a cold wind rebels...

Contemplating Faith

We speak of faith

This ‘thing’ not seen

In which we put our trust

Upon a Rock

Of hope we lean

To reach beyond this dust

Oh, what is faith?

How can we know

Until it has been tried

If it exists,

If it is real

Or just our misled pride?

We speak of faith

A precious hope

The anchor of our soul

But will it be enough to cope

When life’s vile tempests roll?

And will this substance

We hope for

This evidence not seen

Carry us to heaven’s door

When this earth’s shore grows dim?

We speak of faith

We cannot show

The doubter any proof

Of certainties

Of why’s or how’s

As we cling to its truth

And this is faith

To trust and know

In every step we take

That He who has

Ordained it so

He makes no mistake

© Janet Martin

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. Heb. 11:1

“To one who has faith, no explanation is necessary. To one without faith, no explanation is possible.”

St. Thomas Aquinas~

Lunar Hypnotism

A captive audience

Universal

Falls beneath your subtle spell

You sing your tune

In every language

To earth, wide-eyed and vulnerable

A maiden

Ever youthful

Casting your bewitching glance

To steal the hearts of poet's

In your soft, mesmeric trance

 © Janet

She looked so lonely as she stared through our window at dinner last eve...so I took her picture.

Poet's United Prompt

My Prayer for you

May God give you courage

May He keep you strong

May His Presence fill you

When pain steals your song

May His whisper within you

Be your power and might

And gently sustain you

When you cannot fight

May His goodness and mercy

Guide you through the vale

And comfort you always

For His love will not fail

© Janet

I'm off to visit my sister-in-law who has had many years of hospital visits

and suffering due to an accident where her body was severely broken after

being hit by a drunk driver. She is one of the most beautiful people I am blessed to know.

In spite of daily reasons not to, still she has forgiven him and lives with joy.

If you read this, and if you feel led to, would you pray a special prayer for Karen and her family?

God bless~