Like A Rose...

Dawn blooms like a rose on the sill of first light

It flows like a river to sea

It plants on Past’s fathoms of fumble and flight

Unbroken opportunity

Its token of mercy fills heaven and earth

Its birth like God’s gentle reply

He pours hope’s redemption across field and firth

In offers of another try

Day is a like desktop strewn with much to do  

Clock edict orders every hour

Dawn is like a maiden with eyes, gentle blue

She brings to each door a fresh flow’r

Tip o’ heaven’s hat an’ good day to ye all

Be prudent, be patient, be kind

For soon this new bloom like all flowers will fall

To moon-lit pastures, echo-lined

© Janet Martin

Of Ties and Sighs That Bind...

Sometimes when looking back at fond, old photographs it seems

As if those precious days gone by are strange and distant dreams

The sickle that fells days and weeks, with naught but moment-spheres

Lays on the landscape of soft thought a world of yesteryears

The hunger of an hour soon devours its ado

It sweeps from deeps to heap love’s tray with gray or gold and blue

Then, in the twinkle of an eye the smith of smiles and tears

Melds high and low of joy and woe to tender yesteryears

…and in the middle of a moment, rife with life and death

Sometimes a bittersweet torment of longing steals my breath

Youth's callow bliss of hug and kiss with turn and twist adheres

To tug-of-heart-and-soul with boys and girls of yesteryears

Gentle, the blush of breaking day brushes the night awry

Upon the brink of new today Time meets the roving eye

To pave earth’s street of graves with heaven-gold where Mercy cheers

And fills the cup we hold with that which succours yesteryears

We are not here to mope and mourn, but make the most of Now

Beneath the rose and thorn of life and love we reach and bow

Where somehow none can tell us what we all must learn, my dears

Each season is a gift that all too swift binds yesteryears

© Janet Martin

Assure Me With More Than Kisses

The best way to prove how much we love those we love best 

is to love the best we can, 

everyone else! 

Assure me with more than kisses

And pet names

Or, ‘I love ya’ so’

It might sound cold

My darling

But I need more to know…

Assure me with more than hugs, oh

They are nice

And they warm the heart

But I need more than

Hug and kiss

To cheer when we’re apart

Assure me with more than roses

Love needs proof,

Like a second mile

Like a prayer

Between you and God

Reflected in your smile

Assure me with gentle gesture

To everyone

That you meet

Compassion

Does not choose its lovers

It washes everyone’s feet

Don’t worship me with whispers

Or handle me

With kid-gloves

Unless we are

Quite clear, my dear

On the order of our loves

I hate to sound greedy or thankless

But love is

A dominant thirst

Requiring

Reciprocation to

Someone who loved us first

Assure me with words of wisdom

And canons

Kind and true

Darling, tis a modest language

That utters

‘I love you’

Assure me with more than kisses

Though they are precious,

I admit

But love needs

More than kisses

To prove the full of it

© Janet Martin

Awed By God

Yesterday at the eye doctor I was introduced to a more in-depth look at the human eye;

...its complexity an incomprehensible miracle! 

(if you are interested do your own research!)

Here are a few links...

The Human Eye - God's Miracle of Design

The 'EYE' :The Evidence for creation - Evolution debunked!!! 

God or Evolution? Look at the human eye & decide for yourself! 

 I'm sure each sense, when explored, would fully awe!

 

Colossians 1:16
For in Him all things were created, 

things in heaven and on earth, 

visible and invisible, 

whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities. 

All things were created through Him and for Him.

The handiwork of He who cups

The magnitude of life and death

Stuns us where livings downs and ups

Spill to a stage that steals our breath

He shakes above earth’s hills and lakes

Blush, blue, gray heavens, ethereal

And everywhere we look He wakes

The essence of life’s miracle

The energies of wind and rain

Of sun and night and day declare

The manifestation of Him

Jehovah-God is everywhere

Human is not born atheist

Consider the eye’s grand design

…how it beholds gold, amethyst

Of bloom that bobs on breeze-strummed vine

Of trees that lob their leafy lay

Until its season-song is stripped

Where height and depth of day-to-day

Is star-frothed, cloud-clothed, flower-dipped

Beneath our feet a wonder-world

Is unfurled; viral, teeming sod

Is meadow-crowned and dew-drop pearled

Twig, petal, sprig and leaf applaud

Then pray for eyes that truly see

And ears that hear more than mere sounds

For mouths to sing the Majesty

Of He where-from all joy abounds

…and pray that we do not become

Numb to the place where posies nod

Lest, distracted by sorrow’s sum  

We forget to be awed by God

  

© Janet Martin

Well, it's off to the garden where the beaming beet-row is begging to be thinned out a bit;-)

How's Your Who-What-For and Why?...(and latest Dave update)

A jumble of thoughts and prayers stirred this poem. I came to this conclusion;

No matter what we are dealing with, if our motive is for anything/One other than God,

we've got a problem! 

Do not boast about tomorrow,
    for you do not know what a day may bring.

Prov.27:1

We do not know what waits to be;

We only know Who knows our heart

And its intent; humility

And human traits are worlds apart

The who-what-for defines the why

The eye is easy to deceive

Until we learn the Truth of lie

The hour that we first believe

If not for God then who-what-for?

What merit mentors word or deed

The eye, a wily troubadour

Is prone to pride and wanton greed

…and without God to guide and keep

Ah, we are like ships lost at sea

Until we learn to trust the lead

Of He who stirs humility

We do not know what waits to be

But this we do; God holds the door

Where Now leads to eternity's

Awesome, Awesome Forevermore

…then we should bow most earnest hearts

To what we hear, so what we do

Will not be for life’s lesser lords

But for He who loves me and you

 When life’s last breath dies on Time’s air

To seal Now's heel-toe tromp on sod

Pray, with humility prepare

Where this who-what-for leads to God

© Janet Martin

Here is the latest update from Karen, Dave's wife, on my brother Dave, who fell from a roof at the end of June...

Hi Everyone,

Well some good news! Dave is starting to be able to use his left shoulder/arm a bit more; he is beginning to be able to lift it a little. Tomorrow we go for the ultrasound to see if anything is torn in there. Hopefully it was just from the broken collarbone. Today was our first day in Elmira for physio. Dave is still having a hard time sitting- the chair has to be able to lean back. Dave has tried eating at the kitchen table but always ends back in his recliner-chair. It is hard to watch. I can see he wants to but it is difficult for him to use his arms and the chair just bothers him too much. I had to laugh today in Elmira. He was trying to fill out the forms but I could see that he was having a hard time, trying to hold the clip board and the chair was too straight. I am not sure what the question was but he looked at me and asked which he should answer; unable to work or something else. I laughed ‘you can’t fill in a form but you think you can swing a hammer!’ The secretary also had a good laugh. He really wants to get back to work.--days are getting long and boring. On Saturday we went to a family Reunion for lunch, which he enjoyed but it wore him right out. He came home and slept, got up long enough to eat and then was in bed for the night at 8:30. Please continue to pray for patience and healing.
Thank-you so much

Sidenote; The stress of Time it takes to heal can take a daily toll even while counting blessings. Please pray for them in these day-to-day challenges, that they may be gracious  and pray God keeps blessing Karen with her beautiful sense of seeing humor even in the hard stuff!