Poetry Page

Diary

That's love

Michelle, written and played by Gord Sissons
Choose your accompaniment

This page features poems I like, some by members of the GCUC congregation.

Christmas is by Mabel Boucher
I like to hear by Mabel Boucher
Knee deep in summer by Sheila Green
Desert Song by Laurie-Ann Zachar Copple
Promises in the valley by Laurie-Ann Zachar Copple

Qing Ping Le by George Dai

Nian Nu Jiao by George Dai

Seeking Forgiveness by Badia Kashgari
Trance by Badia Kashgari
The Hand of Christmas by David Wybou
T'was the night before the Christmas Party

CHRISTMAS
by Mabel (Hamilton) Boucher

CHRISTMAS. . .
is for cards, carols, a crown;
children who sing;

is for hearts, health, hope,
healing in His wing;

is for righteousness, a royal robe,
Christ reigns above;

in Bethlehem, Israel,
one Christmas morn, He was born;

is for a story that is told,
something more than gold,
He is the shepherd, we the sheep
are safe in the fold;

is for talents, time, the tree,
for these we give our thanks to Thee;

is for miracles, many more,
for His mercy our thanks
we now give!

is for all things bright and beautiful
all things great and small,
the dear Lord loves them all;

is for the Spirit of Christmas-Santa Claus
there is a star it is shining in Heaven afar;

is for stripes.
for by His stripes
we are all healed

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Desert Song
by Laurie-Ann Zachar Copple
June 1997

I wander through a dry, thirsty land
A land of refining and biting sand
The wind as I walk is shrill in its cry
That despite all appearances, God does not lie

Time in the desert does not mean God's quit
Surrender your striving and climb from the pit
Self pity is only running from Him
And burrowing deeper in unneeded sin

Relinquishment is like a valley of dross
Where slowly you realize that you're not the boss
Where what you thought best is no longer a joy
Its empty, so barren, of life it's a void

Yet Abram and Sarai sojourned in a tent
Believed in His promise and did not relent
When wavered, God did not give up on them
To show that He meant it he gave them new names

The Lord's loving mercy it never ends
He promised to nomads that they'd be His friend
He promised a land, a blessing and son
Passed through the pieces, to reveal He's solemn

Promise did come to this couple of Old
For the Lord is more steadfast than all we uphold
And if I trust in Him as I ought
The way won't seem so hard as I've sought

Just like in Proverbs, I choose to trust
Not my perception, but you, Lord, I must
With all of my heart Lord, I say this in faith
You set your path before me quite straight
If I follow you in all of my ways

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Trance
by Badia Kashgari
Abu Dhabi, March 5, 1999

The final day in the calendar of my stars;
My consciousness renders me unconscious
I leave the darkness and the nadir of the brain,
Among bleaky flames of madness
Shrouded by waves
I cross the threshold of a trance
Like the light, I unfold my wings from my ribs
To nurture in a distant garden, a birth,
And from the rites of a wilderness pervaded by a desolate neighing,
The elements of my being take shape
Unarmed, I call you,
Embroidered by a cascading glow
That dwells in the amber of the soul,
As another form,
I dissipate into the void before creation.
To reincarnate afresh,
Look you in the face, and become one with you,
Free of former weakness
And liberated from my past aberration.

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Seeking Forgiveness
by Badia Kashgari
Ottawa, January 5, 2000

I wept
For a stream of love whose source dried up
For a firebrand that consumed itself
For a widowed moon
That witnessed the senses flare.
I wept for the lotus tree of the soul
Whose fragrance penetrates the cycle of dryness.
I wept profusely
For each bleeding part
For a song that followed
The funeral of my lightning
I wept long
Until I gave up seeking forgiveness from my tears
Look at me!
Am I not the eyelid squeezing the grapevine?

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I LIKE TO HEAR
by Mabel (Hamilton) Boucher
1986

Making little noise on the street
The East wind brings with it rain
(Though we may pull the curtains tight)
It splashes on the window pane.

There is a gentle whispering
Of it blowing through the trees;
And I like to hear the sound,
Of leaves blowing in the breeze.

Time for Spring, it awakens
Very joyful thoughts for me.
I like to hear again the song,
"Cheer-up, Cheer-up, Cheer EE, EE "

But I like to hear the crackle,
While I sit there to mend.
Inside a darkened acorn screen,
Where I see the flames ascend.

I like to hear the tick of the clock
With its musical chime;
It strikes out every passing hour,
While it measures out the time.

I like to hear the drops of rain
When all is still at night,
Fall gently on my window pane.
God's in Heaven and makes things right

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THE HAND OF CHRISTMAS
- by David Wybou
2000

Christmas shopping almost complete
One more gift and all will be replete
For that special person, something magical I must find
Something to show how they share my heart, soul and mind

Christmas lights glistening in the snow
Looking here and there in a store window
All the people about me so busy
Moving so swiftly, it makes me feel dizzy.

The streets so pretty and white
By the corner someone comes into sight
A lonely Hand reaches out in need
People passing swiftly, pay no heed

No thoughts of the cold or to the snow in the sky
No thoughts for the lonely or those who may die
It is Christmas and where is all the spirit
We are prejudiced as to who we think merit

Could this lonely person one day be
My son reaching out, wishing for me
Thoughts of my son, home, warm, safe and sound
Thoughts of the future, and what may be bound

It is Christmas time, a time to give
Let us not forget all those who live
How can we put a smile on the face of a stranger
Forget not, one day it could be someone else in danger

We are all strangers when we are alone
Sometimes forgetful, until we are shown
Small deeds that can ease the pain of those
Who suffer and go hungry as the cold grows

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KNEE DEEP IN SUMMER
by Sheila Green
3rd July 1999

Come, steal away
kick off those shoes and socks
slip from those worn out mules
and unencumbered
feel bliss, exquisite
of grassiness
you now do tread

Delicious, cushioned, soft
its coolness on your skin does linger
as you in passing,
step in silence
unfettered
upon this live and living green, green, place.

Just let the soul
and soles, unshod
sink in and on and all around
with not a sound,
but only walk
and make no murmur
only wonder on this velvetness,
this unadulterated lush, meshed nap of thickness.

Then bend the knee
to sink way down,
way, way, way down
for rest
and stretching
let face and hands and all thy being
by this simple swathe, be touched.
Caressingness abounds
by smell, by feeling touch
and starts earth's sweet communion
in all its summerness.
Now, when old winterness is gone a million, trillion, miles away.

Why don't you?

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PROMISES IN THE VALLEY
by Laurie-Ann Zachar Copple
November 1995

Lord of the wilderness, Lord of the Valley
Lord of all Faithfulness, I give you praise
It may seem as if you've abandoned me
Yet I turn around and you are right there

You have promised to be My Security
You have promised that You'll never leave
You have promised a life filled with wonder
These are your promises I will believe

In finding this life I lose my own
To be refined of all that I've sown
Even the good that I've done in your name
Next to your holiness, is put to shame