Poetspeaks

ON A WET STORMY EVE

On a wet stormy eve
I watched a man dressed in Bermuda shorts
pull his luggage down the street.
Very few things I see
make any sense at all...

That which is good fades
away, that which is cheap
ugly and of no
discernable value thrives.
Violence and revenge
rule the night,
expediency rules the day.

In such a world love
makes least sense of all
because it values life
hopes for eternity
offers sacrifice
in exchange for pittance
and dies 100 deaths
in search of that which is every bit
as ephemeral as itself.

But that one thing
which makes least sense of all,
it survives even
when it does not thrive
and in the end it may be the one thing
that makes difference
in this world that makes no sense.

So if you see a man
wearing Bermuda shorts
pulling luggage in a storm,
say a prayer for him
and then one more, for love.

George R. Pasley
May 11, 2008

THERE IS TROUBLE IN THIS WORLD

a Pentecost poem

There is trouble in this world,
I know, I know,
And sometimes close to home.

My neighbors came home at 4 a.m.
And settled into drinking-
Out into the streets the party overflowed.

The police were called
To disperse the crowd
Just as I was leaving
To give a homeless couple
Transport to the airport,
Where the police were waiting to yell at them,
“Come back later,
This ferry is for employees!”

Oh yes, there is trouble in this world
And sometimes close to home.

But somewhere in this world
Very close to home
A mother holds her child,
Whispering lullaby in time.
Here and there and everywhere in this world
God’s Spirit has settled,
Stirring prophets to speak for justice
Stirring people to pray for peace
Stirring those asleep to rise up
And make difference where they are.

Yes, I know this world
Is occupied by God,
So let’s praise the Lord,
And let the party overflow!

George R. Pasley
Pentecost
May 11, 2008

WITH EVERY BREATH

With every breath
I am holding on
To all my hopes
For justice,
For reconciliation,
For love,
For Shalom.

But with many breaths
I do not know
If I am holding on
To a snug, stout pole
Or to a vapor.

Perhaps it does not matter,
As long as I hold on
With every single breath.

But sometimes in the night I dream
And in those dreams
A promise says
That Hope
Is holding on to me
Until the harvest comes.

George R. Pasley
May 7, 2008
Ketchikan, AK

BUT WE CAN

sometimes we see
the world as it is,
too complex,
too mysterious,
too irrational
to be described by poem,
or a whole book of poems,
or even a whole library
filled with books,
not even with a special wing
filled with paintings
by the masters.

but we can
live in this world,
know its tender pleasures,
experience the dark depths
of all its pain,
journey as far in any direction
as life will allow,
and know something precious
that the poets strive to tell:
we know very little,
and there is beauty
in what we do not know.

George R. Pasley
May 2, 2008
Ketchikan, AK

IF

If
you can count
the raindrops
there are not enough
to be worth counting.

If
you shed
just one tear,
that may be just enough
to know for sure
that life is worth the living.

If
you can remember
just one dream
that you have laid aside
until another time,
this may be the time.

George R. Pasley
May 2, 2008

THERE IS RAIN TODAY

There is rain today
And that is fine with me
I’ve had enough of sunshine.

I missed the tiny waterfalls in the woods
Singing to me while I walked,
The tears I did not have to cry
Because the sky would shed them for me,
The patter of rain upon my roof saying,
“Shh! Go to sleep!”

But most of all I missed
The quietness inside of me
(Brought forth by rain)
That let me listen
To every quiet murmur of my soul,
Just like a steady friend.

George R. Pasley
April 26, 2008
Ketchikan, AK

DO NOT GIVE UP ON JOY (and how!)

“What a horrible thing if you gave up on joy just because of facts.”

That quote by Wendell Berry headlines my blog, and I had occasion to remember it one recent day when just one fact was causing me to give up on joy.

Never-you-mind what that one fact was! The important thing, it often is (though not always) just one fact that causes us to have a miserable day. So in the midst of my joyless day I decided to do what preachers do. I preached a sermon, but this sermon was just for me.

“George, you are a Christian. That means you trust in God. Furthermore, you are a Calvinist preacher, which means you preach that God is working his purposes out here and now, in your life and in the world. Never mind that God might not, probably IS NOT, a he. God’s purposes are still being worked out.

Furthermore, without being a fatalist sort of Calvinist, you believe that everything that happens to you happens for a reason. So you MUST believe that this thing is part of the will of God, and as painful as it is, God is working his purpose out.

Furthermore, please remember Romans 8:28, ‘We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.’

Therefore, trust that God is in charge, this has happened for a reason, God is working that reason out, and it will work for your good.”

That was the sermon, and it had an eager audience.

Okay, but today I was wondering (that’s what preachers and poets do), “How do you hold on to joy when the facts are otherwise?” (Which reminds me, there is a fantastic poem, OTHERWISE, by Jane Kenyon. Look it up.)

Basically we have two options. Option #1 is to ignore the facts. A lot of people try that method, and for a few of them it even works. But that method has no future, because sooner-or-later the facts will catch up with them.

So I prefer this method: face the facts. Take notice of them. Write them down even. But then, trust God.

Mind you, trusting God cannot- must not- become another way of ignoring the facts.

No, trusting God must become a way of facing the facts.

Trusting God must become a manner of life in which we listen for God’s direction, seeking to become aware of just how God is working his purpose out in this situation and just how we are to respond.

So maybe it will mean you wait.
Maybe it will mean that you do SOMETHING.
Maybe it will mean that you STOP doing something.
Maybe it will mean that you do the things you have been doing differently.

It MAY NOT mean that the pain will go away. In fact, I suspect that it will not mean that at all, at least not for awhile.

But it will mean that you can rejoice in spite of the circumstances (another theme from the Apostle Paul). You can be joyful in spite of the facts, all because of one fact, the most important fact of all: God is in charge, “and we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him.”

George R. Pasley
April 25, 2008

WATCHING BEAVER

Watching beaver this evening
I saw they are not sleek
not by far
and though they swim well
they do not swim swift-
but they complete their tasks
just as God intends,
even beautifully so.

So who am I
to fret about my weakness
so that my labor suffers
for the fret?
Even for me,
grace will be sufficient.

George R. Pasley
April 24, 2008
Ketchikan AK

EXTREME LOW TIDE

Extreme low tide
Brings out the treasure hunters
Seaweed gatherers
Even children,
Dancing on the rocks.
Things long hidden
Come to light
What was lost
Becomes redeemed.

So it is with us-
Our lives uncovered at the cross
Jesus gathers treasure,
Oohing, aahing all the while,
Sends us dancing,
Allegro,
Light and lively,
Across the waters
On the rocks.

George R. Pasley
April 20, 2008

TO DO LIST

Today
is my day off
the sun is shining and
there are things I need to do:

Pinch myself when I arise.
drink my tomato juice real slow
savor sunshine on my inside.

Do some errands but do not run,
celebrate in between.
Smile just because.

Build new bookshelves,
plant a bush of gooseberry.
Enjoy the sawdust fragrance,
imagine gooseberry pie.

Go out hiking in the woods,
ponder peace and justice.
Say first one prayer
then another more and more.
Let them weave together-
gratitude and supplication,
lament and fervent hope.
Hold my breath and listen.

Check the bush of gooseberry
when I arrive at home.
No goosberries yet?
Practice patience,
enjoy anticipation.

Check my email,
send a poem to those I love,
pray for them a blessing.

Go to sleep,
dream of Kingdom come.

George R. Pasley
April 21, 2008