FMF February 25

God is never distracted. Every time I look at Him, He is looking at me. So when I pray, I will fall on my knees, and with my hands lifted, I will praise You.

Feb. 21: The Lord's pray begins and ends with worship. 
Worship is
a prayer of professing who God is: Our Father who is in heaven,
a prayer of admiration of God: Hallowed be Your name,
a prayer of expectation: Your Kingdom come,
a prayer of submission: Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven,
a prayer of supplication: Give us this day our daily bread,
a prayer of confession: And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors,
a prayer of subjection: And do not lead us into temptation but deliver us from evil,
a prayer of recognition: For Yours is the kingdom, and the power and the glory forever and ever, Amen.
The Lord's pray begins and ends with worship.

February: But
You have heard, but
Here is what Jesus says about personal relationships from the Sermon on the Mount.
v. 21 You have heard, 'You shall not commit murder,' but I say that everyone angry with his brother shall be guilty. (short version) Remember, you are forgiven of your many trespasses, so be reconciled to your brother.
v.27 You have heard, 'You shall not commit adultery,' but I say that to look at another in lust has already committed adultery. Mediate on God's Word, redirect your thinking, and stop before it becomes problematic.
v. 33 You have heard, 'You shall not make a false vow (lie) but fulfill your vow to the Lord,' but let your words be true.
v. 38. You have heard, 'An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth, but I say I do not take personal retribution, let justice (Law) deal with lawbreakers or the unjust. The Mosaic law was one of limitations. It was a type of measured grace.
v. 43 You have heard, You shall love neighbor and hate your enemy, but I say to you, love your enemy.
Jesus came not only to fulfill the Law but also to show the context of the commandment, correct the corruption of the Law, and show how grace was to be applied.
We are to stand firm against evil and trust the legal system that God ordained for justice; we don't seek personal revenge, knowing that vengeance belongs to God. The but in the Sermon on the Mount clarifies the Law and how to apply grace as we walk by faith.

God expects us to love and find a way to love.
How much to love? God's love is a resource that never runs dry.

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One response to “FMF February 25”

Get Out of Your Head by Jennie Allen: Stop the spiraling of toxic thoughts. 

1. Your thoughts produce actions that echo out into eternity. We cannot shut down but must operate within our God-given purpose. We have the power to think like Jesus because we have the indwelling Holy Spirit. You are not a victim of your thoughts. EX: Jennie describes Paul as a religious terrorist.

2. List of enemies and weapons: Noise vs Silence
Stillness comes in letting go.
Sometimes we are overwhelmed, our faith shaken,
sometimes we are just tired and need rest,
sometimes we have lost our way, darkness overwhelms.
Despite our circumstances, God calls us to him. PS 23
Take an intermission and rest.
A respite brings clarity.

3. Stillness comes in letting go.
Let go of insecurities: Romans 8:1-2
“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death”
Let go of the fight: Exodus 14:14
"The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.”
Let go of doubt, ask for help: Matthew 11:28
"Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."
Let go of resentment: Colossians 3:15
"And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful."
Let go of worry: 1 Peter 5:7
"Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you"

4. Quiet is when I can hear myself think.
Quiet is silence around me, rest from busyness, undisturbed quiet time, sitting outside in the cool of the evening.
Quiet is not complaining, ruminating, sorting out precious thoughts and memories, unscrambling my thoughts.
Quiet is waiting for the Lord to speak and for me to listen.

5. The mind set of the spirit yields: spiritual consequences, life, peace, discernment, forgiveness. The same spirit that raised Jesus from the dead can raise me up.

6. Pray for awe in my life. God has an abundance of joy and delight for us—in this life.

7. Intentionality=Focus. Remove the time-consuming clutter in my life. Intentionality and gratefulness (humility) are choices we can make to fight the enemy and stop our spiraling thoughts. Think on these things: whatever is true, right, pure, lovely, of good repute, excellence, worthy of praise.

8. This is our thought process. Andrew Murray: Humility is perfect quietness of the heart, when all around is trouble, I can go the Father, kneel, and step in a deep sea of calmness

9. I can do all things through Christ Jesus.

10. God has called us to joy, to have hope and to persevere.

NAHAWRIMO Feburary Poems 2025

Leaf canopy
secret Smultronställe
spring sparkles


Smultronställe - A Place For a
rare moment of peaceful tranquility
Seasons begins with
hot roller dogs and
hanging out with
my best friend.
Hot diggity dog,
bases loaded,
crack to left field,
crowd goes wild.

Hanging out with
my best friend
hot diggity dog.
Dickey Stephens Park
Traveler's Fan
The season begins.
His arms wrapped around her tight, covering her with prayers at night. 

Gentle art of letting go, unchained love freely flow.

Restful peace seals their bond, with trust, two heartbeats respond.

Carried through by love's heartbeat, a restful peace seals their bond.
silence broken
winter creaks
lost footfalls
wintry threnodies
vermilion cardinals
exquisite encomium

(encomium means praise)
Vibrant winter blooms 
Cast against a snowy canvas,
beneath brooding skies
frozen heart
a kind touch
melting point
February 6 is SIERRA NEVADA
snow-cap mountains
giant sequoias
ant sympathizer
standing on the ridge
nature's beauty shines
altered point of view
Mt Magazine, AR
Picture by R Bronte Brown/ South Korea
Feb 3 Summit
Standing between worlds
piercing the sky, the summit
glimpses immortality
February 1 is EVEREST.

the gentle art of letting go
carried through by love's heartbeat
reaching Everest
February 2 is MOUNTAIN.

Picturesque shapes
lurking unseen in the shadows-
craggy contours

Feb 24 Crevasse
Picturesque
craggy contours
hidden crevasses
February 4 Volcano
Crusty plates
Tectonic ring of fire
silent vents, ticking

spewing chatter
of a jaded woman
seismically clueless.

cool surface
a woman's silence
red hot underneath

Volcano or Tsunami

Rumble, grumble
growing, growling, seething,
politics
Feb 5 Moraine
weathered beauties
moraine remains,
jumbled genesis
His arms wrapped around her tight and covered her with prayers at night. 

The gentle art of letting go, unchained love freely flows.

A restful peace seals their bond, responding in trust; the two heartbeats become one.

This is what women want: to know they are protected, loved, provided for, and safe as they care for their families. And yes, women want to work, be heard, and be understood, but to arrest fears- understand the words above. Arguing with your husband when he wraps you in prayer is hard.
tickled pink
sun's in-sync
rising star
The Saguaro cactus survives int the Sonoran Desert  and is an important ecological pollen trail for the lesser long-nosed bat. The Saguaro Cactus releases its scented flower to attract this tiny bat. Leptos bats fly at night by scented highways, which is time for their migration. Enticed by this heavily scented trail, this bat hunts by smell and sight. The cactus flower glistens in the moonlight like a beacon. Mutual survival, ecosystem sustainers, man, the land, and bat survive. 

Nature’s pollen connector
Saguaro Cactus

Leptos bats fly at night,
guided by scented highways.
timed for their migration.

Flower-powered highways,
bats follow the nectar trail,
and hunt by smell and sight.

Mutual survival
Ecosystem sustainers
Man, land, and the bat.

Leptos is a nickname for the lesser long-nosed bat.
seismic shift of public opinion, winning avalanche
Feb 8 Avalanche
Feb 10 Peak
Pistol Pete
44.2 points per game
LSU career peak

Pete Maravich set an NCAA record that holds true for today. The assembly center at LSU is now called the Pete Maravich Assembly Center (PMAC) in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Feb 17 Serac
towering serac
between two crevasses
artful deception

Ice towers
built on deceit
will crumble
Meat for Tea Review submission 
Silky smooth glacier
Shimmering ice sheets
what lies beneath
Feb 7 Glacier
life is a vapor
but it leaves a trail,
sweet and memorable
Andes' biodiversity
tropical, arid, wet,
life choices.

Adaptability
is key to finding
your fit.
Feb 9 NaHaiWriMo
Pinnacle Mountain
stair steps to slipper boulders
not for novice hikers

Pinnacle Mountain is the second-highest natural point in Pulaski County, Arkansas.
elegant skier
vs a flailing flier
my mind's eye lies
Feb 16 skier
the night sky frolics
under silvery moonbeams
in stillness, tomorrow sleeps
or
dreams dance
on silvery moonbeams,
tomorrow sleeps
complementary
one out shines the other
or muted a blend.
packed piste
slick and black
any green slopes
February 12 piste
eventide falls on one
mountain range as dawn rises
on another
Alpine butterfly-
climbing, connecting, creating attachments,
loop to loop

climbing, connecting
creating attachments
alpine butterfly loop
February 18
Window in time
for the vertical summit
what's in a name?

Identity
Whose? Denali or Mount McKinley
I've seen both
I cannot say
Appalachian ties
rooted in the Ozark,
mountain music
NaHaiWriMo prompt for February 20 is APPALACHIANS.
sliding seamlessly 
uninterrupted syllabic note
downhill slope
safely tucked
under subnivean snow,
revealing rain
decluttering
letting go of time itself
finding new horizons
when the space is clutter so is the mind, reclaim space, simplify life. 
relentless onslaught
freezing, thawing, loose scree
lost footfalls
February 19 Cairn
marked for battle
from the Jordan River
a cairn of twelve stones

markers along a trail
a connection, a guide for
redeeming the lost
wave of rolling hills
reaching its summit,
hilltop view

Eagle's perch
Petite Jean State Park
NaHaiWriMo prompt for February 21 hilltop
relentless onslaught
revealing heart's scree
lost footfalls
Fairfield Bay AR
combination of two haiku
Leaf canopy
secret Smultronställe
spring sparkles

where imagination,
fairies and pixies
play
South Korea
Eventide falls on one mountain range as dawn rises on another.

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March Moons/ Haiku and Haibun

March Moons / Haibun by rbrontebrown

The sky looks down with the dark eye of a new moon; spring buds pop their heads. Winter snaps, not yet. March Moons howl for seasonal winds that breathe change. Terrestrial tides collide, and winter gives way. Sun and moon stand poised.

Worm Moon signals the nightcrawlers to rise and stir the loam, breaking free of the frozen dirt. Spring Moon stirs the sleepy pods to shed winter's coats and stretch their fertile roots. The Sugar Moon coaxes the sweet maples to release their sugary sap.

Permafrost relents. Skywatchers eagerly anticipate the moons of March.

A morrowless day
arriving on the equinox
perfectly balanced.
---

Spring Sings!
"Zephyr, carry the seeds far and wide. Loam provides for their needs. Seeds shed those winter coats. Nightcrawlers dig underground moats. Clouds, let loose your showers, ushering in bouquets of mayflowers!"
A morrowless day
arriving on the equinox
perfectly balanced.
Sun and moon poised  
on a morrowless day
equinoctial time shift
Andy Perrin
@aperrincycling
·
43m
Replying to
@RhondaLBrown2
The sky's the limit with your lunar show. You certainly touched on the cycles of the transitions we watch closely day by day as winter drags and the hope of spring begins to emerge. Love the push and pull of the moon in the connections you made. Thanks for sharing today!
March Moons by Bronte Brown

the sky looks down with
the dark eye of a new moon,
spring winks to the stars

seeds shed winter's shield
roots stretch in fertile dirt-
March winds howl for spring

loam stirs, breaking free-
muddling nightcrawlers rise
under the Worm Moon

Spring's foretokens
Marsh marigolds in damp fields
butterflies delight.

Sugar Moon shines down-
sweet maples release sap,
March winds breathe change

Terrestrial tides collide,
rising high, but twice a year.
Sun and Moon stand poised

a morrowless day
arriving on the Equinox,
perfectly balanced

Skywatchers wait for
spring's first Full Moon,
the frozen Earth relents

	

Fmf January 2025

FMF: Jan 17 Effort
A paradox is like a mustard seed and so is faith. Even faith as small as a mustard seed can move mountains. Your faith gives you access to the eternal. Your faith carries you through mountains of doubt, loss and pain. Your faith calms the heart and strengthens the soul. Being rooted in his word is a reflection of how the soil loves the tree. Colossians 1:9

The power of faith is that it can break mountains of doubt, loss, and pain. Mustard seed is the tiniest seed of all seeds. Jesus used its impossible size to illustrate how big our God is. Angels laugh (cheer) to hear of your song of faith. The sound of faith is a small quake that rumbles beneath mountains and quietens the soul.


Actions: I will make a plan and use a daily time plan to maximize my time, be flexible and kind to myself and others- no judgment, just do.
Jan 10 Satisfied
1. Take our eyes off the impossible circumstances or the mountain of trouble.
2. Refocus on our possible God who has made all things possible in Christ Jesus, which means I'm capable of walking in the Spirit.
3. Faith the size of a mustard seed can move mountains even through doubt and pain.

Strategy 1: Pray by faith, not by feelings- just pray.
Strategy 2: Pray, looking forward not back. God's plan is active and healing.
Strategy 3: Pray by saying how you feel and asking for understanding, peace, and a spirit reconciled to God.
Strategy 4: Create a deliberate prayer time. Declutter first by removing time-wasting activities such as YouTube, TV, etc.
Strategy 5: Make a prayer list and pray specifically.
Strategy 6: Know that the consequences of sin are real and sometimes lasting. It is possible to walk through my circumstances and not be overwhelmed.
“Two things I ask of you, Lord;
do not refuse me before I die:
Keep falsehood and lies far from me;
give me neither poverty nor riches,

but give me only my daily bread.
Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you
and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’
Or I may become poor and steal,
and so dishonor the name of my God.”

It all boils down to contentment, doesn’t it?

Lord, make me content in You alone. Verse posted by Kate Motaung

2 responses to “Fmf January 2025”

  1. Cindy Avatar
    Cindy

    I love that you’ve created a “satisfaction plan”! Strategy 2 and Strategy 4 are definitely ones that challenge me. Thank you for the reminders! God bless, your Five Minute Friday neighbor, Cindy

    Like

  2. aschmeisser Avatar

    Just gotta keep on going,

    I know this all too well,

    for there’s a point in showing

    up every day in hell.

    It hurts more than I ever thought

    than it really could,

    but every pain I know I ought

    to turn to the Lord’s good,

    and that means staying positive

    when I’d rather scream,

    but this is not my narrative;

    it’s God’s, and I won’t dream

    of getting in His holy way,

    ’cause if I do, there’s hell to pay.

    Like

Leave a comment

January Poems 2025

The night sky frolics
under silvery moonbeams
in stillness, dreams come.

Dreams dance in joyous leaps,
skating on imaginative trails,
night treasures.

Night recedes behind
the stars, no thought to pending
troubles- tomorrow sleeps.


celestial alignment
rare one/25/25
an eventide view
Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune, be on the lookout tonight or now, depending on where you are.
President Donald J Trump
was fond of the campaign stump.
Mover, shaker, and policymaker,
Unlike President Nixon, the Quaker.

Clerihew- rhyming couplets, Jan. 20, 2025
pastoral cacophony 
robins, warblers, blackbirds
antiphonal tweets

morning’s song returns
chee-pippety-chee
spring arias

dawn’s light hums
dreams dance on ember’s shadow
young hearts sing
tanka WIP

the night sky frolics
tomorrow sleeps, dreams skate
on imaginative trails,
dancing on silvery threads,
knitting our hearts together.


the gentle psithurism
of a wooed heart,
she catches her breath or (catching her breath)
slowly, evanescing,
yet time spins memories of you


reminiscent of
a weathered beauty
the gentle psithurism
of a wooed heart, evanescing-
yet time spins memories of you.

laden white
resplendent splendor
pulchritudinous beauty
#HaikuSaturday #Haiku
Scenes from Arkansas

dancing in the sky
rhythmic beauty
synchronous flow

swallow dance

shimmering night cadence
skipping across a frozen plateau
Mangata reverie

laden white
resplendent splendor
pulchritudinous beauty
#HaikuSaturday

evening surround sound- 
life nestles, tweets and twitters cease
swissssh goes the porch swing
seasonal changes,
sturdy branches, grounding roots
true friends, the rings inside.

seasonal, sturdy
grounding roots, true friends
the rings inside


Sturdy branches
fallen, silent, still-
helping hands

branches
fallen
helping hands
Vermillion cardinal
resplendent and showy
pulchritudinous
Laden gray skies 
Snowy white background
Morning sings

Vibrant winter blooms
cast against a snowy canvas,
beneath brooding skies
A crimson trim comb /cut
Proud strut, perched high.
Teachers giggle
morning’s blush
slips through
the mizzling mist
if rain no longer fell, 
would your smile return
if blue dropped from the sky,
and longing understood,
would you be mine

December Poems 2025

Winter’s Lace 

First snow, falling softly.                         
Amaryllis’ view from the window,
warm thoughts.

A little ray of sunshine,
that banishes winter blues—
Winter jasmine.

Cold persistence
Periwinkle’s winter wink
Pansies thrive.

Deep into winter
Primrose’s color delight,
stark against the snow

Varied highs and lows
February vacillates.
Snowdrops appear.

Narcissus’ beauty
shines for all to see,
defying winter’s hold

Colorful and sweet
Pansies’ cousin, Viola,
a winter survivor.

Glory-of-the-Snow,
whimsical, star-shaped clusters 
greet winter’s end.

Pale Season of Titivated Lace 
(rewrite of Winter’s Lace)

Vibrant blooms ignite
against a blank canvas
beneath brooding, iron-gray skies.

Amaryllis gazes out from the window;
a periwinkle winks back, whisper-warm.

Across a stark alabaster landscape,
autumn falls silent;
pansies persist.

Bleak and bitter, yet in defiance,
Narcissus lifts its radiant face.

A small ray of sunshine,
burnishing a crepuscular gloam,
Wendy’s Gold rises.

Lucille’s Squill emits its whimsical scent
As the season turns.



Write an imaginative landscape poem without using snow, snowy or wintry terms- atmospheric implication, art of resistance.
a brief magic moment
nighttide meets at winter's gate
light concatenates

#haiku #HaikuSaturday #haikuseed

A magical moment,
the sun stands still-
winter begins -

with a brisk,
cold
chill.
#haikusaturday #poems
Christmas Eve Night
Prelude to a noiseless world
Daybreak the fun begins
Wintry winds whistling 
Autumn's last dance-
a graceful genuflection
#haiku #HaikuSaturday
In sparkled light, night recedes behind the stars
tomorrow sleeps, harboring dreams once ours.
or
On silvery threads, dreams dance with joyous leaps.
Dreams dancing on silvery threads are for keeps.

Imaginative
Sheer trails appear laced with ice feathers,
Puck's in the wind searching for sky treasures.

Tiered January sky, nothing leaves a mark.
Eagles hitch a ride, ready to embark.
More verses: WIP 

Imaginative
Imaginative trails appear laced with ice feathers,
Puck's in the wind searching for sky treasures.

Sheer January sky, nothing leaves a mark.
Eagles hitch a ride, ready to embark.

In sparkled light, night recedes, tomorrow sleeps

Dreams dance
on silvery moonbeams
while tomorrow sleeps.
Molecules and particles 
testing each other, establishing
sanditon boundaries.

Sandillion is an old way to quantify something as numerous as grains of sand.

Sarah and Hagar
Twelve sons from each
A Lion and a wild donkey,
battle for supremacy
in the Middle East

Sandillion boundaries
seismic shifting, waiting to erupt, in the Middle East,
Russia and Ukraine.

The bad and the ugly of
Territorial boundaries,
where is the good?
Molecules and particles 
testing each other, establishing
sanditon boundaries.

Sandillion is an old way to quantify something as numerous as grains of sand; Sanditon establishing boundaries, particles and molecules.
In sparkled light, night recedes behind the stars 
tomorrow sleeps, harboring dreams once ours.

In sparkled light,
night recedes-
tomorrow sleeps

Dreams dancing on
silvery threads are
for keeps.
Short form:

Night recedes in
dancing dreams, tomorrow sleeps
in sparkled light.

(WIP) #HaikuSaturday
Show more
original
the night sky frolics
under silvery moonbeams
in stillness, dreams come.

dreams dance in joyous leaps,
skating on imaginative trails,
night treasures.

night recedes behind
the stars- no thought to pending
troubles, tomorrow sleeps.
----
the night sky frolics
under silvery moonbeams
in stillness,

dreams dance
on silvery moonbeams,
tomorrow sleeps-
seasonal leaves
grounding roots, true friends-
the rings inside
As autumn falls silent under evening's snow, 
sheltered seeds don winter's coat below.
Sleeping silently beneath winter's breath,
trees fold into a counterfeit death.

A magical moment when the sun stands still,
winter begins with a brisk, cold chill.

Wintry winds whistle ceaseless threnodies,
glistens frosty precip amenities.
Amidst frigid fields, icicles drip.
Cardinals swoop midstream for a sip.

Mice tucked warmly under subnivean snow,
moonbeams prance across a snowlit plateau.
Betwixt two of astral stars, the moon hangs bright,
eerie wolf howls echo through the night.

Playful trickery, a spring bud pops its head.
Winter snaps and tucks it back to bed.
Emmanuel is born to the Father's
delight - Israel's long awaited
hope. The Word sang a poignant
story, a pure melody.

It was a melodious tune for those
with a heart to hear.
The whispered melody arrived as
soft as the tiny beats of
hummingbird wings.

The dawning light of a new
beginning altered our precepts,
arousing a sanguine hope in a
song-less world.

The morning light hummed as
angels sang the Troubadour's
song of man's redemptive story.

Picture & Poem by rbrontebrown
WIP
Emmanuel was born
to the Father's delight.
Israel’s long-awaited hope.
The Word reveal its melody.

It was a soft, melodious tune
for those with hearts to hear.
Its whispered melody arrived as soft as
the tiny beats of a hummingbird’s wing.

(Wip)
It was a soft, melodious tune
for those with hearts to hear.
Its psithuric melody whispered softly
as whispered wings.

The dawn of a new beginning
altered our precepts, arousing a
sanguine hope in a songless world.

The morning light hummed.
Angel marveled. the Troubadour arrived.
of man's redemptive story.

Haiku version

Anticipation,
to the Father's delight,
Emmanuel is born

The dawning light
of a new beginning
slates our thirst.

Arousing
a sanguine hope
for the coming year.

A salubrious optimism
laced with intent,
tempered.




Suffering:
Fear and darkness abide side-by-side, hiding the old crone of despair.

Cohorts of hatred entrench themselves against the light.

Incoherent thoughts rattle the brain, searing the heart.

Stirred perturbation (agitation) summons dementia.

Death grins from the abyss, as the human soul withers.

Yet, darkness recoils at the light.

The old crone flees, abandoning despair.

Defeated, Death returns to the abyss.

Light enters, dispelling darkness.

Love’s glow lights the way, sparking hope.

Life, light, and love embrace the soul.

What specific events or experiences led to the presence of fear and darkness? 

How can love specifically counteract despair and the influence of death?

What does the journey from darkness to light look like for those who struggle with despair?
Drugs and confusion act 
as cohorts.
summoning dementia to rattle

the brain,
Stirring perturbation
pərdərˈbāSH(ə)n/,
darkness settles in.
Darkness cannot extinguish light.
shrinks away [recoils/ flees]from light. The old crone gags (gags) in despair
A dawning light hums,
the eternal once wrapped in clay,
has set Terra free. (resurrection)

The Troubadour sings,
illuminating darkness
with salvation's song,

His message rings true.
A gift of grace freely given
honoring choice.

The song of the church
is the gospel story of
God's eternal plan.

The harvest complete,
the church caught up,
Israel will once again
have a hand in redeeming
Man.
Santa's toys
And Christmas morn can
Never replace
Thankful hearts
And God's grace
#AcrosticAdvent #AcrosticAdventChallenge #poetry #acrosticpoem #Santa #WinterIce
Anticipation.
To the Father's delight,
Emmanuel was born

The Eastern Star shone
through the night
illuminating the way.

The Word sang a melody
for my heart to hear,
poignant and pure.

For those with ears
to hear, it was soft
and gentle.

Akin to the beats
of hummingbird wings, arrived
a whispered message.

A songless world
yearned for echos of the
Troubadour’s aria.


Prophecies of old fulfilled,
arousing a sanguine hope,
for redeeming mankind.

An Angel announced
the King's arrival.
He dwelt with us.

The dawning light
of a new beginning
slates our thirst.
synonyms for light:
beam blink burn dazzle flash flicker glare gleam glisten glitter glow illuminate radiate shimmer sparkle twinkle.
Winter Stores
Charlotte Brontë


We take from life one little share,
And say that this shall be
A space, redeemed from toil and care,
From tears and sadness free.

And, haply, Death unstrings his bow,
And Sorrow stands apart,
And, for a little while, we know
The sunshine of the heart.

Existence seems a summer eve,
Warm, soft, and full of peace;
Our free, unfettered feelings give
The soul its full release.

A moment, then, it takes the power
To call up thoughts that throw
Around that charmed and hallowed hour,
This life’s divinest glow.

But Time, though viewlessly it flies,
And slowly, will not stay;
Alike, through clear and clouded skies,
It cleaves its silent way.

Alike the bitter cup of grief,
Alike the draught of bliss,
Its progress leaves but moment brief
For baffled lips to kiss.

The sparkling draught is dried away,
The hour of rest is gone,
And urgent voices, round us, say,
“Ho, lingerer, hasten on!”

And has the soul, then, only gained,
From this brief time of ease,
A moment’s rest, when overstrained,
One hurried glimpse of peace?

No; while the sun shone kindly o’er us,
And flowers bloomed round our feet, —
While many a bud of joy before us
Unclosed its petals sweet, —

An unseen work within was plying;
Like honey-seeking bee,
From flower to flower, unwearied, flying,
Laboured one faculty, —

Thoughtful for Winter’s future sorrow,
Its gloom and scarcity;
Prescient to-day of want to-morrow,
Toiled quiet Memory.

’Tis she that from each transient pleasure
Extracts a lasting good;
’Tis she that finds, in summer, treasure
To serve for winter’s food.

And when Youth’s summer day is vanished,
And Age brings winter’s stress,
Her stores, with hoarded sweets replenished,
Life’s evening hours will bless.

Christmas Story: stuff legends are made of

Black Bough Poetry Submission 
2. The Troubadour’s Song

Emmanuel is born
to the Father's delight.
Israel’s long-awaited hope.
The Word sang a pure melody.

It was a soft, melodious tune
for those with hearts to hear.
Its whispered melody arrived as soft as
the tiny beats of a hummingbird’s wing.

The dawn of a new beginning
altered our precepts, arousing a
sanguine hope in a songless world.

The morning light hummed
as angels sang the Troubadour’s song
of man's redemptive story.

Haiku version

Anticipation,
to the Father's delight,
Emmanuel is born

The dawning light
of a new beginning
slates our thirst.

Arousing
a sanguine hope
for the coming year.

A salubrious optimism
laced with intent,
tempered.

12/13/2024- Long Distance Christmas

Wintry Threnodies

As autumn falls silent under evening's snow, 
sheltered seeds don winter's coat below.
Sleeping silently beneath winter's breath,
trees fold into a counterfeit death.

A magical moment when the sun stands still,
winter begins with a brisk, cold chill.

Wintry winds whistle ceaseless threnodies,
glistens frosty precip amenities.
Amidst frigid fields, icicles drip.
Cardinals swoop midstream for a sip.

Mice tucked warmly under subnivean snow,
moonbeams prance across a snowlit plateau.
Betwixt two of astral stars,the moon hangs bright,
eerie wolf howls echo through the night.

Playful trickery as spring buds pop their head.
Winter snaps, not yet, and tucks them back in bed.


[rhythmic and end rhyme]
Rhythmic and end rhyme 
Wintry Threnodies
As autumn falls silent under evening's snow,
sheltered seeds don winter's coat below.
Trees fold into a counterfeit death
sleeping silently amidst winter's breath.

A magical moment, the sun stands still-
winter begins with a brisk, cold chill.

Wintry winds whistle ceaseless threnodies,
glistening frosty precip amenities.
Amid a frozen field, icicles drip.
Cardinals swoop mid-stream for a sip.

Between two stars, the moon hangs bright,
wolf howls echo through the night.
Mice tucked warmly under a subnivean snow,
moonbeams prance across a snowlit plateau.

February trickery, spring buds pop their head,
Winter snaps- not yet, and puts them back to bed.


wintry winds whistling 
a graceful genuflection,
Autumn's last dance-

climactic moment
nightide meets at Winter's gate
light concatenates

Sloppy Journalism

The fact that this journalist is comparing the event in the Bible to pornographic content placed in elementary and middle school books is egregious. A journalist is to know the source and content correctly in context. The Bible does not teach how to perform pornographic acts. Sloppy journalism ticks me off and proves what people already know–that the mainstream media and its journalists are liars. Parents spoke out against this content being available to their children in the school library without parental consent. The school boards that approved this material refused these books to be read out loud in a public meeting.

The movie industry rates it as X, adult only, so why is the media acting as if this is censorship? When children are not ready to handle adult problems, they turn to drugs, alcohol, or suicide. Adults cannot handle pornography, so why put it in the hands of children?

Romans 8:1-3

Tamar was raped by her half-brother Amnon. She fled to her brother Absalom's house in torn robes. David was angry but did nothing because Amnon was his heir apparent. This story is in the Bible not to condone acts of violence but to show man's depravity and the consequences of sin, of listening to evil friends that say you have the right to do whatever you want. Amnon was murder two years later for his actions and did not become king of Israel. 

Look at God holistically. Rightly divided, the word of truth is as sharp as a two-edged sword.

November Poems

burnt, buff, earthy, 
ushering in sienna hues,
autumn's display
#HaikuSaturday #haikuchallenge #haiku
@Bleu_Owl
leaf-whistles,
needles oscillate as
psithurism plays

wooing fall wind
passes through her,
catching her breathe

burnt, buff, earthy,
ushering in sienna hues,
changing seasons.

susurration whispering, murmuring, or rustling.
"the susurration of the river"
susurrous adj susurrous breeze
Whistling winds
through a mixed forest,
psithurism whispers

gentle winds
trees sway
psithurism's whisper

Needles oscillate,
romantic leaf-whistle sways,
quiet and rhythmic

Romantic whispers of
mixed forest,
psithurism
#HaikuSaturday #haiku @Bleu_Owl
he felt the gentle psithurism of her heart. "a psithurism seemed to pass through her, as when a full-foliage tree is caught by the wooing south wind."

the gentle psithurism passed through her, stirring her heart.
Broad-leaf-whistles, and needles oscillate in a psithurism wind
Her heart stirred by romantic whispers, she catches her breathe.

seasonal leaves
grounding roots, true friends- (love)
the rings inside

of a wooed heart,
she catches her breathe

Wooing fall wind
passes through her,
she catches her breathe

a gentle psithurism
passes through,
catching her breathe

tree whispers
back porch sharing
girl's retreat

leaf-whistles,
needles oscillate in
a psithurism wind

changing seasons
falling sienna hues
counting blessing
Snuggled in a blanket, 
thick socks warm my toes.
A hot latte melts my insides.
A cold breeze tickles my nose.
warm colors
delightful flowers
reminiscing
Sitting in my deer stand, on a cold November morning when twenty turkeys stroll by —it's deer season. No one will believe me so I pulled out my phone to take pictures. I look up, and a turkey looks straight at me. Click! 
He did not see a single deer, but this is part of nature's mystery.

Sitting in my morning blind,
twenty turkeys stroll by—
it's deer season.

No one will believe a
turkey looks straight at me
Click.

(Turkey to hunter-my son)
Not a deer did he see
Oh, what fun he had
taking pictures of me.

My son's story about his first day of deer season this year. #HaikuSaturday #haiku
@Bleu_Owl
Trees whisper in the wind as the gentle river flows downstream before the coming storm—a girls' retreat and back porch sharing. We listen. Leaves whistle one last time in a psithurism wind before letting go. As sienna hues blanket the ground, we count our blessings with each falling leaf.

Even with the coming seasonal changes, we are to enjoy the present. Yet, knowing storms will come as the seasons shift. Here is where we trust the Lord to bring in the beauty of each moment as we walk through life's changes.

leaf-whistles,
needles oscillate in
a psithurism wind
Time is always moving forward to its finality. As a fixed entity, time has an unchangeable purpose and is set for a season of salvation to measure man's free will.
a fixed entity
rushing to finality
time
When dreams and opportunity collide, a star is born 
#HaikuSaturday #haiku
@Bleu_Owl

dreams collide
with opportunity
a star is born
Ideas fall like rain
thoughts soak the ground
savor slowly
Molecules and particles meet
testing each other
establishing boundaries
sandillion

Sarah and Hagar
Twelve sons from each
A Lion and a wild donkey,
battle for supremacy
in the Middle East
Warm Pie
Weeping Meringue
Well, let's eat!
misty, moisty morning
hovering fog clouds
kissing the dew
not a thing or object,
but momentary memories
that echoes the past or echoing the past.
the gentle psithurism  
of a wooed heart,
she catches her breathe
Psithurism- the sound of wind in the trees.
Whistling winds
through a mixed forest,
psithurism whispers

Trees sway, needles
oscillate to a
psithurism's whisper

Needles oscillate
romantic leaf-whistle sways,
a quiet rhythmic psithurism.

rhythmic sway of a leaf-whistle

Romantic whispers of
mixed forest,
psithurism
the night sky frolics
under silvery moonbeams
in stillness, dreams come

night recedes behind the stars-
no thought to pending troubles
tomorrow sleeps
Whistling winds
through a mixed forest,
psithurism whispers

gentle winds
trees sway
psithurism's whisper

Needles oscillate,
romantic leaf-whistle sways,
a quiet rhythmic psithurism.

Romantic whispers of
mixed forest,
psithurism
#HaikuSaturday #haiku @Bleu_Owl
Pursue truth by
protecting the vote, then
Justice is procured-
Vote legally