Divinity and the Damned

My dad said that people are "no damned good;"
This was played out in his terrible brood.
There were no boundaries we wouldn't break
There was no goodness "for Goodness' sake."

Our household was one of catch and punish,
The way of the god with whom we were furnished.
And now we're told to be so sentimental
About a new god who is kind and gentle.

Was the old god, in fact, never true,
Punishing what we think, say, and do?
And is not this new person of god
Part of The Father that spared not the rod?

I am much more comfortable
Believing The Spirit infuses the world,
And that each of us is free to choose
How much of our Divinity we will use.

People choose to embrace the good or the bad;
There is much "no good" to be had.
But we are not bound to come to be
Any of the earthly evil that we see.

We must seek the good in ourselves and others,
And seek our spiritual sisters and brothers.
Blood is not thicker than the good in our souls;
We can choose those who help make us whole.

Cynicism and Serenity

My husband says he's a romantic cynic,
Expecting the worst that life has in it,
But he is still quite disappointed
When the worst is, toward him, pointed.

I pray that I can live in reality,
Not in a product of my fantasy.
It is too painful when I come down,
With a great crashing to the ground.


Will a healthy dose of cynicism,
Not viewing life through a prism,
Protect me from disappointment,
Where so much of my life has been spent?

But can we live with open eyes,
Instead of believing all the lies,
And not become discouraged,
Feeling our souls to be mortgaged?

Is it right to accept that life isn't fair,
And not feel guilty when I don't share?
Is it enough to accept my share of grace
Without feeling that I, humanity, disgrace?

Do I have the right to protect myself,
Even at the expense of someone else?
Here, I must pray for serenity,
To know what is my responsibility.

Personal Priorities

It is true that I have a limited capacity for others' structure,
But only hypocrisy causes my boundaries to rupture.
When I have a leader who leads by his or her example,
My ability to follow orders is certainly more than ample.
The job in which I find myself, much different than jobs before,
Has a department system that lives behind wide open doors,.
 
I now split my time between structure and complete freedom;
This need for balance seems to be part of being human.
We are both busy at what means much to each of us;
When we come together, we have much to discuss.
We also value the time for creating order in our home;
No longer is this a high priority of only my own.
 
It is absolutely marvelous having a sense of limited time;
Only then do I perceive of  goals to which I'll climb.
When I have no sense of  deadline from one day to the next,
There is a sense of relief that nobody can rightfully object.
But there is also a sense of floating in time and space,
Not really a contributing member of the human race.

When The Spirit Moves Within me, I Am Sore Afraid

So often have I offered pleas to a higher power than me;
Help has always come in a form that I could feel and see.
I am hugely grateful for The Breath that fill the hearts,
And inspire others to reach out and do their parts.

The miracle drugs that seem to have cured my daughter's cancer
Are possible because so many did their best to find this answer.
Those who honor the sparks of Divinity within themselves
Will not find peace without sharing The Light that, in them, swells.

What we sometime feel as anxiety is actually a driving force
That nudges us to move upon our most blessed course.
There's a reason that songs of The Spirit often said,
"When The Spirit moves within me, I am sore afraid."

We begin doing things we didn't know that we could do;
The need to honor others is proof that The Spirit is true.
Those asking for a helping hand are as special as those who give;
Lending strength to the most vulnerable is a good reason to live.

Participating in Paradise

Returning to the sounds of seagulls takes me back to a magic time,
When my grandchildren, after exploring nature, onto my lap would climb.
We would sing songs of A Shepherd, and love, and other things;
We would re-imagine every item for the adventures it would bring.

We had crabs for supper, who would swim into our traps,
And the shrimp lady down the street would fill our supper gaps.
The beaches were a constant source of pretend independence,
Where our silent, watchful eyes were an ever-vigilant presence.

Oh, to be able to reclaim this lost bit of our own paradise
I would gladly long hours work, and to pay whatever the price.
There is nothing quite so wonderful as children in nature's thrall
I wish that I could share this with earth's people, one and all.

Praising Productivity

Having a job is a most wonderful thing
That this stage in life can bring
I've always felt torn before,
As I dressed and walked out the door.
My children are now long-since grown;
My time is truly my very own.
My husband has his own pet projects,
And I no longer feel the need to fret.
The place that provided his heart transplant
Cares for him as other hospitals can't.

I had trouble believing, when first told,
That the other employees wouldn't be cold.
The office is filled with friendly faces
Who all share each other's places.
Perhaps it's a function of market makers
That they are givers, not takers.
I couldn't be happier with my position;
My dream is coming to fruition.
I'm doing work in which I believe;
No longer for my old life will I grieve.

I don't want to become too complacent; 
Long-term, this may not, for me, be meant.
But while it lasts, I feel needed;
With happy faces I am greeted.
Housework has never filled my need,
And earning is not simply for greed.
We can much longer be independent
If one of us is, on a paycheck, bent.
Isn't this what we all want on earth,
A place that we can call our berth?

Serendipity and The Spirit

When we are surprised by things that fall into place,
We have different words to describe this grace.
Some say it was "God" doing a favor for me;
Some call the event serendipity.
We say it was Providence, or it was pure luck;
Karma is credited for us being so struck.

One thing seems eternally and universally true;
We're all trying to understand what we go through.
Those who seem to feel the most content
Are those who believe that good for them is meant.
But unless they accept the grace with humility,
They often look down on you and me.

It seems that many credit "God" with good things,
But blame others for the natural pain that life brings.
There is always a balance that must be struck
Between personal responsibility and our "luck."
But there has never been, and will never in life be,
A full explanation for The Power we can't see.

I am grateful whenever The Force of The Universe
Has positive energy, upon me, dispersed.
I make a very sincere attempt to understand
How this gift fits into The Eternal's plan.
Even not understanding, I still feel driven
To share, with love, the gifts I've been given.