A Medley of Happiness Guarantees or Love's Happy-Sad Reality

Today's prompt for poem-a-day from Robert Lee Brewer @Writer's Digest:

For today's prompt, we have our first two-for-Tuesday prompt, 

which means you get two prompts. 

You can write to one of the prompts, both the prompts separately,

 or try to write a poem that works with both prompts at the same time. 

The prompts are:

Write a happy poem, and/or...

Write a sad poem.

Some sunny happiness-anticipation mementos today...

While the wind howls, wild as an untrained child!

Happiness Guaranteed

As long as there are boys with joys like fishing, baseball, pups

And girls with pretty curls, and brook-banks strewn with buttercups

And warm handshakes and birthday cakes and laughter, old and young

And spring following winter, and arbors wisteria-hung/strung/flung

And fortunes found in friendships crowned with loyalty and prayer

And skies of blue and work to do and poems still to snare/share

And birds to sing as the morning dissolves the heavens, dark

And simple things like trees with swings, like picnics in the park

Like beauty to behold and shelter from the cold, bold gale

Like hope secure for the soul moored in Love that will not fail

Or, like fresh bread or coffee or berries, sun-warm and sweet

Or gardens, where gladness runs wild as a child in bare feet

As long as two agree and ‘will you marry me’ hears ‘yes’

And babies coo and wonders woo, there will be happiness

As long as you and I try to be kinder every day

And live to bless, then happiness will never lose its way

© Janet Martin

Irreparable Alloy 

In greatest happiness and sadness, love is always chief

The flipside of love's gladness is, inevitably, grief 

The higher love's apex of joy the deeper sorrow's trove

Irreparable alloy; the bitter-sweetest price of love

True love is like a treasure no imposter can attain

A finely mingled measure of profound pleasure and pain

Not for the faint of heart is love's vexatious certainty 

The twain can never part; love's happy-sad reality 

© Janet Martin

Inexorable Irony 

The only way we know for sure that happiness exists

Is because of the sadness that this broken world untwists 

How dumb would be delight's caress, how numb, the rousing cheer

Without sadness to sweeten happiness with bitter tear 

© Janet Martin

Without determined dedication

Without valiant effort

Victory is flavorless

***

Wilt thou be happy, oh,

  so happy thou couldst burst?  

Well, then,

Forget about thyself; 

and love God first

then fellowmen

© Janet Martin

It's nice to be appreciated and loved

And we all know

That its important, once in a while

To tell each other so!

***

Wishing one and all a happy day!

Yea, happy is that people, 

whose God is the LORD.

Psalm 144:15 KJV

Like Music Notes (In a Brand, New Love Song)

Happy April!

My, how a month doth fly!!

April is the month of the poem-a-day challenge!

 From Robert Brewer at Writer's Digest...here is today's prompt.

"It's time for the first day of the 2024 April Poem-A-Day Challenge! Each day, I'll provide a poetry prompt and a poem to get things started. You can secretly poem along at home, or you can share your poem in the comments below.

For today's prompt, write an optimistic poem. I find the beginnings of things to be a time of great optimism. Whether it's the beginning of a sporting season or a month (or even a week), there's so much opportunity available. But optimism can exist anywhere and at any time; so don't limit your optimism to the beginnings of things."

Today we embark on

a new day, a new week and a new month!

All great new reasons to embrace optimism!

Behind us lies the dust and ash of seasons spilled and spent

Unfurling in its aftermath a bittersweet tableau

Of what may sometimes seem like a cosmic experiment

Of love, learning how to hold on while learning to let go

Like an unblemished phoenix today gleams, a priceless stone

In hands where we, fumbling proprietors of precious time

Proceed, through daybreak's gaping door, vessels of skin and bone

And Soul, shouldering grin and groan as on and up we climb 

I love the loveliness of a new day, like a clean sweep

Like a fresh page, rather than yesterday's returned 'so-long'  

I love the way the ending as we drifted off to sleep

Evolves into the Intro of a whole new worship song

Behind us lies the old; the dust and ash of ages set 

Before us gleams the new; like treasure from an unplumbed trove 

Beneath us streams a fresh measure of moments never met 

Like music notes composing brand-new hymns of hope and love 

 

Janet Martin

Psalm 100 is a glorious way to refresh optimism with

unfaltering truth from the Word of God

A perfect wat to start a new

day-week-month!

Make a joyful noise to the LORD,

all the earth.

2Serve the LORD with gladness;

come into His presence with joyful songs.

3Know that the LORD is God.

It is He who made us, and we are His;a

we are His people, and the sheep of His pasture.

4Enter His gates with thanksgiving

and His courts with praise;

give thanks to Him and bless His name.

5For the LORD is good,

and His loving devotion endures forever;

His faithfulness continues to all generations.

Forever God Is Faithful

Unfailing Love (Worship Hymn)

Happy Easter!

Christ Arose

His Love Cannot Fail

The Scarlet Purple Robe

The joy of God and man has been fulfilled; praise He

Who satisfied salvation's plan and won the victory

Death and hell overthrown; no power could prevail

To thwart the will of He whose love and mercy cannot fail

Come, join the worship hymn that nevermore will cease

Hail He who clothes all who believe in righteousness and peace

The hope of man abides; Christ's sorrow, not in vain

He who bore our suffering; He who took up our pain

He who was pierced and crushed for our iniquity

Through his wounds we are healed; Praise He who sets death's captives free

Though hatred sought to scorn His glory with a cross

His glory increased all the more beneath love's albatross 

The love of God transcends the schemes of Satan's vice

He gave His Son to be sin's everlasting sacrifice 

Ah, what more do we need than love, mighty to save

Than He who broke the curse of Adam's seed and robbed the grave

Come, join the worship hymn lest the stones start to sing

Exalt the Name of Jesus Christ, our Saviour, Lord and King 

Janet Martin

Rom.8:31-39

God’s Everlasting Love

31 What then shall we say to these things? 

If God is for us, who can be against us? 

32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, 

how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?

 33 Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies.

 34 Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, 

who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. 

35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? 

Shall tribulation, 

or distress, 

or persecution, 

or famine, 

or nakedness, 

or peril, 

or sword? 

36 As it is written:

“For Your sake we are killed all day long;

We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.”

37 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.

 38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life,

 nor angels nor principalities nor powers, 

nor things present nor things to come, 

39 nor height nor depth, 

nor any other created thing, 

shall be able to separate us from the love of God 

which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Remembrance Hymn

 

Lead Me to Calvary

Oh, let me not forget

To let hope intercede

For He who died to pay sin’s debt

Has met my greatest need

And let me keep in mind

With every breath I take

The mercies of a God so kind

Who suffered for my sake

Then, when troubles befall

Forbid, I should despair

But with unshaken faith recall

God’s love beyond compare

The love that did not shirk

The cross, nor fled its dread

But endured till the finished work

Had crushed the serpent’s head

Nothing I wrought could win

The grace that I received

That saved me from the wage of sin 

The hour I believed

Oh, let me not forget

The cross that Jesus bore

On my behalf, to seal the ‘Yet’

Of life forevermore

Then, let no dearer laud

My fleeting frame entice

Than to be, for the love of God

A living sacrifice

© Janet Martin

Romans 12:1

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters,

 in view of God’s mercy,

 to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, 

holy and pleasing to God—

this is your true and proper worship.

Veiled Glory

Judge not, by outer countenance the merit of the goal...

The above picture from

The Bible in Pictures for Little Eyes was my first introduction

as a child, to the sorrowful images of the Greatest Love Story!

John 12:27-28

Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I say?

 ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? 

No, it is for this purpose that I have come to this hour.

  Father, glorify Your name!”

Then a voice came from heaven:

 “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.”

Glorify Thy Name

Judge not, by outer countenance the merit of the goal

One facet of a circumstance does not reveal the whole

The Saviour of the soul could see beyond salvation’s price

Beyond the awful cost as He became sin’s sacrifice

While gaping throngs reviled and railed and jeered what appeared loss

The darkness of the hour veiled the glory of the cross

Love’s agony of grief and pain in mingled passion poured

Redemption’s unrelenting gain and glory of the Lord

Fret not the trouble that this world can never overcome

But look to where God’s love unfurled the hope of Christendom

Beyond the gory cross, the empty grave, beyond death’s toll

The glory of the resurrected Saviour of the soul

© Janet Martin

John 12:44-50

Then Jesus cried out, “Whoever believes in me does not believe in me only,

 but in the one who sent me. 

45 The one who looks at me is seeing the one who sent me.

 46 I have come into the world as a light,

 so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness.

47 “If anyone hears my words but does not keep them, 

I do not judge that person. For I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world. 

48 There is a judge for the one who rejects me and does not accept my words; 

the very words I have spoken will condemn them at the last day.

 49 For I did not speak on my own, 

but the Father who sent me commanded me to say all that I have spoken.

 50 I know that his command leads to eternal life.

 So whatever I say is just what the Father has told me to say.”

Gift of Today...

It is futile to wish for 'lost' time.

But each Today is a fresh opportunity

to make the most of moments in reach!

It was such a delight to join my mom and sister

on a lunch date at the Sterre Café  where my sister works

to surprise her on her birthday!

Happy Birthday Lucy💓

The gift that tumbles from God’s grace to man’s embrace each morn

Settles so briefly within reach, before its lease is borne

Beyond our fingertips; the only remnant of its shroud

Is what we did with it while opportunity allowed

‘Each day passes but once’ but, each day grants mercy renewed

The best we can accomplish starts with hearts of gratitude

To He who is the Giver; then with holy, humble vim

To turn the gift He gives us into gifts of praise for Him

Today is the substance whereby a lifetime is composed

And no one knows how near we are to today’s last door closed

So, while we can let’s make the most of opportunities

To turn today into a gift of precious memories

Let's love each other well today before it is too late

A lifetime is too fleeting to desecrate it with hate

So let's live as if today was the final chance we had

To take this day the Lord has made to rejoice and be glad

© Janet Martin

Ps.118:24

This is the day the Lord has made;

 We will rejoice and be glad in it.

Ps.90:12

So teach us to number our days, 

That we may gain a heart of wisdom.

Other interesting tidbits of today...

We are having roast beef dinner tonight.

My sister-in-law came home from the hospital today!

Mourning dove siesta...

 

I Like (or, So Much to Love)

A riot of snowflakes tumbling from welkin reservoirs... 

It feels SO good to get up and want to stay in the upright position 

after a few mornings of lying down again as soon as I was up...

thankfully the worst of the bug only lasted a few days! 

Still in slow motion, but at least I'm in motion!😅

There really is no end to a poem like this...

I began this poem after reading Brenda's post on Friday morning, HERE

before I was 'under the weather'.

The first line inspired by these little guys...

Thatch matted metamorphosis of finches turning gold...

Icicle-brickled eaves...

Because granddaughter is going to celebrate her birthday this year

 with her other set of Grandparents (in Nova Scotia!) 

we had an early celebration planned for Sunday but needed to cancel it. 😪

However, Granddaughter's/grandchildren's (well, everyone's)

 disappointment was cheered a little

 after being told she would still get her gift.

They did an outdoor 'deck drop-by'...

When they were ready to leave youngest Grandson came to me

 for his regular goodbye hug and kiss.

 When I told him gramma is sick, and better to skip hugs today 

he didn't move but just stood there with his arms held up 😂💗

gazing expectantly with his big blue eyes,

 so of course he got a big tried-not-to-breathe-on-him hug 

and a kiss on his hat 😂

Bird entertainment...

Robins.

Things I Like...

Thatch matted metamorphosis of finches turning gold

British accents; a patchwork quilt, laughter of young and old

The pleasure of an afternoon when to-do lists are tossed

Blush hush of dusk. Pale crescent moon. Babies. Dawn, dipped in frost

Old books that smell like years gone by; that stoke nostalgia’s kiss

Warm mug to wrap chilled hands around while lost in coffee-bliss

Nature's quieter pose, before spring flings ajar bud-doors

A riot of snowflakes tumbling from welkin reservoirs

Impromptu lunch date with dear mom and dad, while life allows

And cherishing them more and more as time its touch endows

Epiphanies while sipping tea with comrades, battle-scarred

(there is no ‘small talk’ when love trusts enough to low'r its guard)

An immense sense of gratitude no poem can curtail

A little lad, mud puddle glad where paper boats set sail

Flowers to give or to receive. April showers. Family

Enchanting lands of make-believe beneath the willow tree

A hand in hand stroll with a child. Icicle-brickled eaves

Worship hymns. Wisdom. Lilacs. Field full of hand-stooked sheaves

Autumn leaves. Winding backroads. Woodland trails. Old bridges. Trains

Thunderstorms. Horses running free with waving tails and manes

Gardens. Meadows. Babbling brooks. Bare feet and Butterflies

Spring peepers. Innocence. Lamplight. Old apple trees. Sunrise

Bible stories and Birthday cakes. Lakes, silver in the sun

Puppies. Long stretchy skirts. Winter rainbows. Workout done

Raindrop plip-plop. The humble joy of health after flu bug

Littlest grandson who won’t leave without a Gramma-hug

Bird entertainment. Robins. Rail fence. Tulips. Daffodils

A freshly cleaned or painted room. Vista of rolling hills

Window sills with flowers. Mother-in-law’s geraniums

Sea-song. Beach walks. Flip-flops. August. Crickets. Dahlias. Ripe plums

Poem-a-day-challenge, God’s glory that heavens declare

Grape arbors. Campfire cooking. Wisteria. Fix of fresh air

Lines filled with flapping laundry. 

Shadow-art on countryside

Scent of summer’s rain-tamed dust or fresh-mown hay. 

Bike ride

Music. 

Forget-me-nots. 

Mercies, too manifold to name

Sisters. 

Hot-cross buns. 

Easter. 

Hope through He from whence we came...

© Janet Martin

I wanted to mention more but the poem was getting too long;

little fists full of first dandelion bouquets

rosy faces framed in woolly hoods

a warm handshake

the meeting of eyes... no words needed

wild-flowered meadow

crisp apple (or, apple crisp!)

mellow, yellow pear

pussy willows

picnics

sap buckets brimming,

wood smoke curlicues,

neatly piled wood stacks,

cellar full of canning=thankful satisfaction

cookbooks,

supper soup,

weathered buildings,

front porches,

front doors,

and so much more

bee-butts, (their bodies  shamelessly burrowed in bloom-bells,)

zinnias, 

watering cans,

ivy,

wind-chimes,

snowmen,

okay, I will stop

Thank-you God, for filling this world with so much to delight us...

Ps.40:5

Many, Lord my God,
    are the wonders you have done,
    the things you planned for us.
None can compare with you;
    were I to speak and tell of your deeds,
    they would be too many to declare.

Heaven, Upside Down or Such Is Love

Such is life, we often say, as plans change 

and carefully arranged schedules run awry!

Sometimes love pours a cup of tea, ‘with milk and honey, dear?’...

As I finished this poem I returned and traded the word 'life' for 'love';

 it was originally going to be a 'such is life' poem because

 this was a week rife with changed plans...but

as the poem evolved so did the realization the 'such is life'

 is often more aptly expressed  'such is love!'

The ultimate plan of Love, for man's redemption

God fulfilled at Calvary!

Love appeared in that hour, to have lost!

Heb.2:10

For it was fitting for Him, 

for whom are all things 

and by whom are all things, 

in bringing many sons to glory, 

to make the captain of their salvation 

perfect 

through sufferings.

Isa.53:10-11

Yet it was the LORD’s will to crush Him

and to cause Him to suffer;

and when His soul is made a guilt offering,g

He will see His offspring, 

He will prolong His days,

and the good pleasure of the LORD 

will prosper in His hand.

11After the anguish of His soul,

He will see the light of lifeh 

and be satisfied.

By His knowledge My righteous Servant 

will justify many,

and He will bear their iniquities.

Alas! And Did My Saviour Bleed?

Sometimes what first looks like love’s loss is Heaven, upside down...

Love suffers long and is kind...1 Cor. 13:4

Oh, if only love more often,

 suffered longer 

and was kinder

 how much more lovely,

and much less broken

 this world would be!

Sometimes we find it, sometimes not; such is love’s want-list, hon

Sometimes love is a little tot that keeps us on the run

Sometimes it caters to our plan but often not, it seems

…love’s give and take twixt God and man far outmaneuvers dreams

Sometimes love is a graceful glide, a ballet’s perfect hurt

But oft it is a wild slide to home-base; face down, in dirt

Sometimes love pours a cup of tea, ‘with milk and honey, dear?’

But oft it startles you and me with sudden, bitter tear

Sometimes love's havens that we seek must first weather love's gale

Sometimes love’s kiss upon the cheek is crushed in love’s travail

Sometimes love's payoff that we thought should bear visible fruit/loot

Gets lost; often love’s prize is not a made-to-measure suit

Sometimes, we would forget to pray; I think love's push and shove

Must be God’s higher thought and way to teach us ‘such is love’

Whoever does not bear love’s cross is not fit for love’s crown

Sometimes what first looks like love’s loss is Heaven, upside down

© Janet Martin

Here Is Love, Vast As The Ocean...