Category Archives: Art

Waxing Lyrical a day before Wednesday

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Click image to find source of image.

I have in the past posted a poem – on a Wednesday purely because waxing and Wednesday start with the letter W. That’s pretty much the extent of my ‘wordsmithery‘.

But today is World Poetry Day and so here is a poem on a Tuesday. A dear friend recently lost his dear Ma or Oma as he would call her. Sweetly and tenderly he shared a few things about her. I was very moved.

This poem captures something of what he shared. I dedicate this poem to my friend, his family and the LORD who now securely holds Oma.

Wave

Waving goodbye

She almost always stood at that little window

and that little woman

round in form with her heart smiling,

we her family she loved, we her family she had.

Waving goodbye we smiled back,

further down the road and

a final glance revealed, the wave continued,

her love – always lingered long on the heart

like a lighthouse

radiating light and warmth

a wave of life beckoned us in

and blessed the journey out

and now we too have been waving

in loving, holding, accompanying.

Praying as this soft woman

now leans into the end of days

her journey almost over, almost begun.

And so she is gone, we weep and wave for her now –

she journeys apart from the body,

at home in the presence of the Lord.

Her head bowed here, but lifted there

He waves and beckons

and blesses her journeys end –

the lighthouse keeper with many rooms.

For if it were not so – he would not have told her.

He would not have told us

Wave – come in come in

Wave

Original poem by Humble Donkey. This poem cannot be reproduced without the permission of the author.

Waxing Lyrical on a Wednesday

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Click image to source original

Click image to source original

To Do

There’s to do time
and there’s time to do
and there’s do time too
but is there do their time too?

Original Poem by Humble Donkey – must not be reproduced for commercial purposes without express permission

Waxing Lyrical on a Wednesday – Only those who have loved.

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Only those who have loved

The warm blanket of good memories

wrap themselves around your shoulders.

The coldness of grief like a winter’s night

is pushed back by fabricated threads –

of love, laughter and lasting hope.

 

The cold it comes and it cannot be stopped.

The winter of grief befalls such a loss –

but the blanket warms against

and holds off the worst.

 

Forming a new season where cold dominates

but moments and movements of aching warmth and comfort

– waft about, coming up around the back,

sweeping over shoulders – tired with the exercise of tears.

And their caress lands to have and to hold.

 

Warm memories made today are threads for the future,

The blanket being sown through time,

for a time to come.

An eiderdown of beauty, of light and shade,

only to be known – in the grip of grief’s winter.

 

The greater the love, the deeper the winter,

and more achingly beautiful the blanket.

Only those who love will know griefs cold vastness

or the unfolding healing comfort of memories

Only those who have loved.

 

Original poem by Humble Donkey. This poem may be reproduced electronically for non commercial purposes, without express permission and with a link to this blog post.

Waxing Lyrical on a Wednesday – Come by

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my love

Click image for source

 

Come by

Come by me, my love,
close, hold me to you.

Let’s stay like this, throughout the aft’
until this evening comes.

The week itself has drawn me,
left me feeling soft.

The weekend now reviving
and your heart its sweetness turns.

For the life ahead sustain me,
Walk me close to him and pray.

For the love that poured out for me,
Compelled not was the cup.

Just let the depths of our hearts,
entwine this scarlet thread.

Come by me, my love, 
your tender arms, they friend me.

Come by me, my mate,
until the morning comes.

Come by. Come by.

Original poem by Humble Donkey. This poem may be reproduced electronically for non commercial purposes, without express permission and with a link to this blog post.

Waxing Lyrical on a Wednesday – Violence Works

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violence

Click image for source

 

Violence Works

Violence creates waves, loss, and a space at the table –

space disproportionate to its entitlements,

violence creates fear and demands respect.

Violence never earns, never persuades, never negotiates.

Violence demeans,  demands.

It shrinks the dignity, security, and power of others and expands to fit the space created.

Violence pays.
Violence talks.
Violence inspires fear.
Violence inspires others to emulate, to embrace, to enter in.
beware those who proceed with violence.
no matter what legitimacy they have or had.
Viloence works.
Original poem by H

Waxing Lyrical on a Wednesday – Domesticating God

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desertDomesticating God

We hate his hating so he is not allowed to hate.

We loathe his loathing so he is not allowed to loathe.

We cast out his casting out so he is not allowed to cast out.

We despise his despising so he is not allowed to despise.

We judge his judging so he is not allowed to judge.

We shun his shunning so he is not allowed to shun.

We condemn his condemning so he is not allowed to condemn.

We reject his rejecting so he is not allowed to reject.

We find wanting his finding wanting so he is not allowed to find wanting.

There is in God an attribute, called holiness

which determines how he relates to all the evil that exists,

within humanity and beyond

and we find it so repugnant, so distasteful,

so unbecoming, so unacceptable, so objectionable,

that we have poured our wrath and scorn and contempt on it.

We say no to it.

No!

And we feel right and good about this response.

But what is this thing we are so wrathful about?

Wrath.

The wrath of God.

We hate and loathe it,

we despise it and cast it out,

we judge and shun it,

we condemn it and reject it,

we deem it as lacking.

We are wrathful about God’s right to be wrathful.

And we never see the irony.

Original poem by Humble Donkey. This poem may be reproduced electronically for non commercial purposes, without express permission and with a link to this blog post.

Waxing Lyrical on a Wednesday

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Wife and Husband

Wife and husband touching base

– winter gloves and hats, in new place –

“how’s this system working out for you?”

within top drawer by the front door blue.

“Quite good  –  but could – it not be refined?

for there is a flaw within”

“Really?” comes reply with ear inclined.

“Do you not find hats and gloves snug there in?”

“Yes but only if they’re placed in there.

And that’s the weakness of your system new”

“Do explain oh special one! – eyes now rolling to a stare”

Excited, barely hesitates he – to share his crazy view –

“When Tony Stark the Iron Man lands

on the roof of his building in that Avengers band

and machines pop up, take gloves and hat.

and keeps them ready for his exit that –

will later happen when he springs to leave –

the gloves and hat are sure to cleave”

“Stop!! I’ve no idea of what you speak!”

Husband patiently repeats.

“Oh I see now”, the lightbulb glows

there is a flaw and now she knows –

“sadly, it depends on husband placing true,

the gloves and hat by the front door blue”

“You are so special, my husband sure -“

says wife with warmth and heart so pure.

husband says “thank you so much -”

and extends gloved hand – for her tender touch.

Original poem by Humble Donkey. Inspired by a true conversation.

May be reproduced electronically for non-commercial purposes with a link to this blog post.

Waxing Lyrical on a Wednesday – Wrath Cup

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Cup-of-Gods-wrath

For image source – click image

Wrath Cup

Wrath Cup it be full up

it be held over us

we wait for it to fall

it be right to be so

 

Wrath Cup it be poured out

it be our cup

it soon drown us

it be right to do so

 

Wrath Cup – it miss us

it pass us

it still pour out

it fall to another

be it right to be so?

 

Wrath Cup – why, how, who?

Wrath Cup – justice pour it

Wrath Cup – mercy cause it to miss us

Wrath Cup – grace instead cause us peace

be it right to do so?

 

Wrath Cup – justice poured

Mercy Cup – wrath cup averted

Grace Cup – grace cup drunk

 

Original poem by Humble Donkey.

Please feel free to reproduce electronically for non commercial purposes and with a link to this blog post.

This poem was inspired by this piece of writing by Jeremy R. Treat which I am reading at the moment. Out of my depth but getting blessed.

“To be handed over to the Gentiles is to be handed over to the wrath of God (Lev 26 :32– 33, 38; Hos 8: 10 LXX; cf. Ps 106: 41; Ezra 9: 7). 57 Even more explicit is Jesus’ reference to his death as drinking “a cup,” a common Old Testament symbol of God’s wrath (Ps 11: 6; 75: 8; Hab 2: 16; Ezek 23: 31– 34), especially for the Isaianic new exodus (Isa 51: 17). Based on this context, Bolt is right to conclude that “the servant’s death . . . has exhausted the cup of God’s wrath on behalf of Israel. Jesus now predicts that, as the servant of the Lord, he will drink the cup of God’s wrath.”

The Crucified King: Atonement and Kingdom in Biblical and Systematic Theology by Jeremy R. Treat     Kindle page 101

Waxing Lyrical on a Wednesday

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Husband to wife –

cries out in mock frustration,

“The things I absorb for love”.

“You think you are the only one who does such a thing”

says lovely, sharp as a razor, quick witted wife

“Why – you think other men have to do this also?” flies his retort

“Not others, me!”says wife.

“What are you absorbing for love?” comes his reply

“I am not telling, says she, then I wouldn’t be absorbing”

“Nice one!” says husband to wife.

 

An original poem by Humble Donkey.  Can be reproduced electronically without express permission so long as there is a link to this post.

Waxing Lyrical on a Wednesday

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Today I’m going to start a potentially short season of Waxing Lyrical on a Wednesday – a poem each Wrdnesday for as long as I can make it happen. I am not a poet but I enjoy expression through poetry. I increasingly like it as art form. To read and to write.

I have written other poems and posted them here on Humble Donkey – check the Categories on the right hand side and click Poetry to read more of them if you wish.

Also for those interested in the question who should be welcomed to the communion table at church, then check out my thoughts here The Table. Who’s it for?

SONY DSCCommunion

coming near to the coming near – communion

coming in to the incoming – communion

broken in by the inbreaking – communion

partaker in the partaking – communion

flesh remembering flesh – communion

eating and drinking remembering the eater and drinker – communion

grace received from the grace giver – communion

holy wooden table points to holy wooden cross – communion

presence with – communion

union – communion

Original poem by humbledonkey. Please feel free to publish this poem electronically, citing this humbledonkey post as the source. Thank you.

Tears of a clown

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I am somehow very sad today at the loss of a man, a father, a husband and an artist.

williamsThis loss touches me in a number of ways

  1. enjoyed much of his art – Mork & Mindy and Awakenings were highlights
  2. there is a quirky family resemblance and a funny story to go with that
  3. a family friend took their life through this most agressive and defiant way of ending it all
  4. I experienced seasons of functional depression during my teen years
  5. I experienced a long season of deep reactive depression in my early twenties
  6. I wish Robin could have experienced the life, love and liberty of Jesus of Nazareth without which I would not be here – but gone – in my early twenties
  7. I’ll never forget Nano Nano

Monday Music – Classic Adam Again

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Becoming a Christian believer and new life receiver some 20 years ago I sought good music with lyrics that would resonate with my new identity, my new journey, my new submission to the Almighty Triune God – Father, Son & Holy Spirit.

One of the great bands I came across was Adam Again. This haunting brood is beautiful and very affecting. Like a previous Monday Music Classic – it feels cinematic in scope and again it causes me to visualise all sorts of slow movements through it.

You know the rules – big stereo or through headphones on hand-held device but not tinny laptop speakers. Promise me now.