Douglas Polk- A Poem

Holy Spirit

Jesus Christ,

the sacrifice,

allowed God's presence upon the earth,

the holy spirit alive,

both inside us,

and out,

grace builds and grows though the ages,

a force for good,

God's presence abounds,

even in the darkness,

and despair,

God's spirit always with us,

always there,

trying to help us grow,

towards goodness,

and peace serene.

 

Danny P. Barbare- Two Poems

The Homeless

A faithful friend the homeless
maybe. He holds a box lid that
says “work for food.”  Why come
he can’t eat at the Salvation Army
or soup kitchen on Stone
Avenue?  But to
say this is to say having
always had a Corelle plate to serve
beef stew, carrots, and potatoes
or corn beef and cabbage
cooked good and slow in
a Rival Crock Pot for a Sunday meal
and a house to call
home. Maybe a divorce. Mental illness.
Medical. Or loss of  income.
Their demons that prevent them
from getting
help. How a shadow can lean away.
Except for the light of Jesus Christ.


The Man Always Walking

A man wears a heavy coat,
raggedy clothes
and no shoes on his feet and
has a scraggly beard. Who he
is it seems nobody knows or even
cares where he comes from
or goes, but he always seems
to be around, faithfully,
whether cold rain or sun.
As if it is He who walks on
earth to this day and carries the
Cross of Calvary in front of
Walmart, or bathing in the
sink and brushing
his teeth at the county library.


Danny P. Barbare has recently appeared in Doxa, The Santa Clara Review, and Assisi Online Journal.

Linda M. Crate- A Poem

people say 

 

people say i seek salvation in all the
wrong places,
but i don't think i do—
i've found more of God in a water fall
than i have sometimes a church
i have found more Jesus in a tear filled prayer
than in a room of 'believers';
don't tell me how to worship and how to pray
or how to have communion;
it is my life to live,
God has given me free will just as He has
given you
so live and let live—
you have no right to judge anyone
so don't start throwing stones
at me
you are not all saints
i know your deep dark secrets you try to hide,
and i have had dreams about churches
burning in their own wickedness;
don't tell me i don't know what i say because i am
young
for if God is for me who can be against me?
no one, that is certain.

Faraje Nyandiko- A Poem

He Is Able

Just when I was about to loose hope

Entangled in series of frustrations,

Some voice from my heart said nope,

Urging me to confront my limitations.

So, I realized it was the voice of God.

 

There and then my spirit got revived,

Right then began to replace wrong

Unexpectedly as my reasoning thrived,

Like an iron on fire I became strong.

Yes, I was feeling the touch of God.

 

Charged and blessed is how I felt

After that miraculous restoration.

Receive Christ and he will melt

Everything that’s causing you affliction,

Sooner or later because he is God.

 

J.D. DeHart- Two Poems

King David

 

See him now, tiny child

slinging a stone and see him later

writing a praise song.

See him in shame, standing

on the rooftop, and see him flee

his own son’s blade.

See him wrap his arm

around Jonathan.  See him dance

madly.  See him be loved by God.

Figure of mankind, scraps of courage,

dignity, and failure, king and human.

 

 

The Good News

 

The Good News is that Jesus

came, but what does that really mean.

A celestial cloud figure returns,

parting clouds like waves.

He divides the earth with a sword.

Harvest time.

A lowly figure is born in a stable

and put to death by the state.

He is human and God and yet human,

and yet…

Tempted, sobbing, crying out.

Triumphant and prophetic.

Perhaps the Good News is really that now

we have a name to put with the kindness

we need to show one another.

JD DeHart is the author of the collection, The Truth About Snails.

Andrew M. Bowen- Two Poems

Untitled

What did trilobites
dream when God walked the waves on
Ordovician nights?

Untitled

City lights stain clouds
the shade of drying blood, but
the chilling rain’s ceased
and I draw warmth and joy from
God’s love and mercy.  Amen.


Mr. Bowen is a sales manager in Bloomington, IN.  He has published several poems in various markets including Calvary Cross and recently submitted his first novel for publication.  He is an actor who has appeared in eight independent films and five stage productions.

Charles Burgess- A Poem

A Walk with God

Look to the heavens and praise his name

Just pray to him he will take away your pain

Just walk with god the bad will fade away

Walk with god when the devil tries to bring you down

Don’t be afraid to take his hand

Just walk with him to the promised lands.

Don’t let people bring you down hold onto your faith

Walk with god and you will be safe

Shut your eyes and open your hearts just walk with him

He takes away sadness all you do is pray

God loves us all you just got to have faith

Walk with god everyday he will free you from the chains bound to your soul

I can go on and on of how god makes me feel

I don’t care about those who throw stones

I will be praying for them when the lord takes me home.

Billy Campbell- Two Poems

Gifts of God

In a sea of soft color

A fiery sun sets

As if leaving an impression

So none forgets

Departing in a masterpiece

that none could afford

Framed in the heavens

The art of our Lord

Sacrificing his Son

to show us the way

Gifts of his love

are revealed every day

A glimpse of his glory

and the beauty that awaits

for living a life

as our Father dictates

I'll forever be grateful

however it may go

Though weak in my faith

I pray that He knows

If only I had listened

to what He had to say

Learning to trust in His love

and not be mislead

Joy in Living

Dawn is breaking

as life awakes

Another chance given

to learn from mistakes

A flaming Glory

rising over the trees

Heralds the morning

Our Lord has conceived

Birds sing in celebration

of this miraculous feat

Morning dew of the angels

Happy tears that they weep

Waste no time on regrets

or sorrows of past

Our Father has promised

the hardships won't last

Life is to short

Its beauty so brief

How is joy known 

without any grief 

Tyrel Franson- Two Poems

The Upside-Down Kingdom

In this land,

Stars strech out with rays of darkness cold,
The void emits a shining heat,
Freezing water burns my flesh and bones,
And I am quenched with fire sweet.
Here still, my God is present.

In this land,
Forests bury branches in the ground,
With roots that reach toward the sun.
Lightning tickles pink the puffy clouds,
And thunder lulls with softest hum.
Here still, my God is present.

In this land,
The poles are strewn in stoney cays,
With madly rushing magma rivers,
And ships which sail on lava waves,
Point compass at the cold equator.
Here still, my God is present.

In this land,
Giant whales warble as they fly,
With flapping fins and feathered tails,
While through the ocean avians dive,
On wings of irridescent scale.
Here still my God is present.

This is the Upside-Down Kingdom,
Where the driest bones are wrapped in flesh
And empty eyes are given sight.
Where the rich are robed in ragged dress,
And starving souls are clothed in white.
They are in God's presence.

This is the Upside-Down Kingdom,
Where the greatest bow before the least,
And every master is a slave.
Soldiers boldly march on shoes of peace,
Not to kill, but to save.
We are in God's presence.

This is the Upside-Down Kingdom,
Where the purest one took all the stripes
That my own sin had earned for me
Here I must die to find true life
Because my mortal flesh is weak.
I am in God's presence.

All the universe is in his hands,
Let no man think to contradict,
God radiant glory fills the heavens,
He rules from first breath to last trumpet,
When we will all be standing in the presence of God.

Let all creation praise his greatness,
Which mortal minds can't comprehend,
His backward kingdom stretches boundless,
This empire of evil will come to an end,
And we,
The Bride of Christ,
Will dwell in his house,

For ever and ever, Amen.

The Volcano, the Devil, and the Dragon

We sneak up on him while he is asleep to observe him without being consumed by his voracious conflagration. Smoke wafts from his jagged spine, the collected smoke of every city he has ever burned. Each plume is the trophy banner of a defeated enemy strewn across his back. If we listen closely, we can hear a high pitched sound echoing with the escaping steam, screams of the souls he has already savoured. His mouth stretches in in a gusting yawn, and we are temporarily blinded by the blast of smoke that comes from it, blanketing us in grey ash. In this colourless landscape, the sun is lost, and becomes nothing but a memory. This foul substance can even enter the lungs, causing a slow, choking death. Once thay foul fog has cleared, we gaze down his gullet, into the fiery pit below. His gut bubbles with the red-hot promise of death. The stench of sulphur pours from his pores, a mere byproduct of the viscous, burning liquid in his belly. When we hear the rumbling of his stomach, we know that he is longing for the taste of more lives to feed his unending hunger. His scales have an outward sheen, the slippery residue of blood in which he has bathed. They are a dark void which devouers the light. This hardened covering serves as armour against all but the most powerful of piercings. His chest and underbelly are decorated with sparkling gemstones and precious metals, medals he has awarded himself for proving his mettle. He sees himself as brave for struggling in a losing battle against the strictures and structures set upon him. He is a stealthy beast, no one knows exactly when he will once more awaken to devour houses, cities, and even nations. Some say he was even responsible for sinking an entire island beneath the waves, relishing the inhabitants' cries for mercy like the sweetest symphony. He stirs his massive bulk, and with an earth-shaking roar he announces his coming. Those bated fires which once resided inside of him pour from his mouth to bring death upon all that is good. Those sharp claws that were sheathed stretch across the land to slash at anyone foolish enough to stay within his reach. But even when he has annihilated everything in sight, there is hope. For in the wake of his wrath, life springs anew. That bright vigour which had been covered by apathy reawakens in the light of destruction. And, one day, he shall be bound, so that he may never revel in havock again. That mountain of destruction wil be chained by civilization, that beast of flame will be silenced by a holy sword, and the one that was known as Lucifer will be bound and cast into the fiery pit forever. The Volcano, the Devil, and the Dragon will trouble us no more.