Category: Poems

Three things I yearn to give to you, my Lord.

Three things I desire that you take from me.

That I may have your better things.

Take my love of money:

Take that place within me,

And fill it with love of You.

Take my love of pleasure:

Shift me from my slavery to my five senses,

To gratitude for everything that flows from You.

Take my worldliness:

I give to You my every distraction,

Every thing which I seek in place of You.

I lay these at your feet,

That I may know your peace,

And enter fully into your mysteries.

~FS

Holy Spirit

cover me

like snowfall.

Hide my imperfections

and make me new again.

Soften the world around me,

enlighten the dark of night.

Bring all to silence

within your holiness.

Enliven our senses,

heighten our awareness.

That we may know You.

You are our hope.

Emerging from beneath this white blanket,

like spring flowers brightly to live again.

~FS

When I had fallen, when I fell,

I was despondent, I felt ashamed.

When I had lost nearly all hope,

You came to me, brother, sister.

You reminded me of the light,

To look only to The Light.

We are not failures,

Though we may fail.

Though we may court darkness,

Have given it license, for a time.

Or for times, it takes places,

Within us; We are not that!

In a moment of despair I cried out,

What am I, if not failure?

Have I not become a curse?!

Does not every moment of my life,

Tell the story of my failures?

I was blinded and deceived.

You brother, sister, came to me,

Shining Light into my dark night.

You knelt beside me,

And shared in my suffering.

Declaring what I have always been,

Made in the image and likeness of God.

We share this One body,

One life, One blood.

Our brokenness reveals the unity,

Beneath the fragile shell of our corruption.

We are partakers of a great Light,

Who heals us out of the midst of our brokenness.

~FS

Yours is the quietest voice,

With the greatest impact.

You rescue me from~

My imaginations.

You free me from~

My imprisoning past.

When I ran from my present moment,

To hide in my familiar past.

When I fell into a fantastical future,

To soothe the pain of now.

And dark thoughts prodded me to continue,

And night creatures pushed me to the brink;

Deep despair shook me awake.

A look into the abyss startled me,

And reminded me to fight for light;

To struggle, and to reach for You.

To humbly ask for you to help me.

And to listen intently…

Believing,

Hoping,

Trusting in You again.

I told you of my fear,

I shared my inner terror,

I cried before you,

And you did not shun me.

I admitted my horror in the face of evil,

And my impotence in the cause of good.

You strengthened me.

You healed me.

You caused peace to bloom in my heart.

Death lost its sting in the face of the courage,

Which You also gave to me.

When I imagine that You are not real,

I lose my mind in illusions.

When I choose to face Your truth,

I return to sanity.

~FS

Isn’t life grand~

Even in the midst of pain?

Isn’t it terrible~

Even in the midst of joy?

The tears that fall today~

May water a crop of laughter,

Which will bloom abundantly tomorrow. 

Within the laughter of this moment~

Is the knowledge that tomorrow,

May yield a new harvest of sorrows. 

Has there ever been a time~

In this life,

When one existed,

Purely,

Without the other? 

When have we not known pains? 

Perhaps as babes, or as drunks?

When have we not known pleasures?

When we were overcome with our losses?

No, even these times embrace possibilities of their opposite.

Oh, dismal joy! 

Oh, joyful despair!

Time holds all things within its embrace!

Until time is no more!

~FS

I want to live where experts do not go.

Where thought is easy,

And people trust in what they know.

I want to live there~

Where greed and power,

Are not the reason.

Where love and fear of God,

Are always in full season.

In this place I want~

Where peace and beauty,

Guide our ways.

Here, noisome entertainments,

Do not mar our days.

We dwell here~

In quiet simplicity,

This healing place~

Free of duplicity.

We live in joyful,

Fulfilling endeavor.

Seeking wisdom solely,

From our Creator.

~FS

I can understand the meaning of your words, Lord.

But I do not understand You.

I find myself in darkness and confusion.

Praise God!

Thank you for all things!

This world is passing.

Your kingdom I cannot fathom.

I am between worlds,

Always waiting in these moments that are my life.

And, I thank you God.

As You have directed me,

I thank You in all things.

We suffer and groan here as we wait,

Enjoying the pleasures of this foreign land,

Participating in Your theater of promises.

Thank you Father as we wait!

I do not live here,

And I do not live there,

I live nowhere.

Praise God!

~FS

Look too hard

You cannot see,

Relax your gaze

You’ll find it. 

Listen close 

To Divinity,

Within that Word

Is your way. 

Trust yourself

But not too much,

Distrust yourself 

A little.  

Trust mankind

A little less,

Trust in God

A great deal more. 

Within your heart

Commune with Christ,

Where no one else

Can see you. 

~FS

I have spent seasons away from You;

Now I am coming home.

I can smell your familiar scent,

Even here, while I am still afar off.

Your presence once filled me with delight,

Oh, how I yearn to be delighted yet again.

Why did I ever fly away?

Upon those angry wings;

Which carried me swiftly,

To unforgiving places.

I allowed them to slander you,

I slandered you quietly too,

In the midst of my desires,

So that I fell away into solitude.

Confused illusion became my companion,

Disorientation was my naughty guide,

Falsely contented and feeding on lies,

I filled all of my senses with emptiness.

Now I am ready to be filled by You;

I do remember the thrill of your touch,

I do desire the light of your gentle breath,

You give me life so that I can see,

And taste,

Your ultimate goodness.

~FS