|
|
|
|
Poems
From Songs to a Watchful Lover by Donna Hardy
Poems: 81 | 82 | 83 | 84 | 85 | 86 | 87 | 88 | 89 | 90 91 | 92 | 93 | 94 | 95 | 96 | 97 | 98 | 99 | 100
===
Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise
I wake this morning to know again: you love me.
I open my eyes to see your face turned to mine;
open my mouth to greet you, open my heart to receive
the everyday blessing of you in my life.
===
thou does establish equity . . . thou was a God that forgavest
You challenge me to be more, Love, always more; and then you console me when I am less. You draw for me a clear path you know I won't walk. Is that so you can forgive me? You do me no wrong. You are the love of my life.
===
Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all the earth. . . rejoice, and sing praise.
Once we heard you were coming, Love, we've not stopped making music. Yesterday's rain drummed
a calypso beat; at sunset winds wailed and whistled. Owl called through the night; now coyotes
yelp and howl. And the birds! There are songs out there I haven't heard all winter.
===
Clouds and darkness are round about him . . . His lightnings enlightened the world
You wrap the darkness around me, weave into the black of my night strands of lightning from a storm just passed, stars flung from the fires of your passion. Now, held in the luxuriant folds of your creation, I await the blaze of dawn. No doubt. You are the one.
===
. . . sing onto the Lord a new song; sing onto the Lord, all the earth.
I've been writing poems, Love, poems about the sea, about a morning sky all peach and cream,
about that tree budding white in the side yard, the field out back yellow with mustard, the dusky
woods beyond, and poems about you. Actually, it seems all my poems are about you.
===
In his hands are the deep places of the earth; the strength of the hills is his also.
You fill every corner of my world with treasure. One more thing I need from you, Love: a thousand new words to sing your praises, to write sweet poems for hardened hearts.
===
Lord, how long shall the wicked . . . triumph?
Why, Love, do you let me get away with this resentment, this pride and spite? Sometimes
I hope you won't notice. But you're no fool. You see the petty things I do, you know my
cruelty and bluster, my fear and anxiety. And still you stay to comfort me.
Who are you?
===
The Lord is clothed with strength . . .
Your voice, Love, shimmers over the water, rolls in at high tide, stays behind in pools
where I hunt for stars, creatures left here from a night journey over which they had no more
control than had I over the rhythm of ocean in my belly or the song of you in my head.
===
It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord.
You're here. You fill my house with music, with maple and cinnamon and the sweet
warmth of Saturday morning. I am awed by your goodness, by the depth of your
reflection, the broad range of your attention, the precision of your caring.
To have you in my life would be enough; that you stay this close is beyond belief.
I swear, Love, even the flowers, even the trees in the garden, are glad.
===
Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night . . .
When I wake alone in the night, old fears creep in, whisper their warnings, murmur their threats. I freeze in their dark, familiar presence.
If I hear your breath, feel you close beside me, I turn over, punch my pillow, go back to sleep. With you here, Love, I am formidable.
===
Who knoweth the power of thy anger?
One tender glance from you, Love, fills my day with intention; one dark look turns all to ash. I am withered by your anger, confused.
The fresh sweet bread you bring at dawn can turn to stone by noon. I don't have forever, do I? Show me your love is lasting or leave me be.
===
Lord, where are thy former loving kindnesses . . . ?
You say it's forever. You settle in, fill every corner of my life, warm my bed at night, stir me awake each day to the passion of a life fully lived.
Your questions open new awareness, your ideas new dimensions, your love new compassion. I am seen as never before. I am chosen.
And then one day you're angry. You're gone. Is this forever, too?
===
I have cried day and night before thee . . . For my soul is full of troubles
It's never been this bad. I cry out to that in me that wants to live, and there is
no response. I'm mired in grief, so tired I cannot move. Friends have given up on me.
No one calls, no one comes to the door. Not even you.
Are you angry with me? Then show me that, at least. Show me something.
===
The Lord loves the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob
When I am with you, Love, I am at the heart of the city, at the core of my being, at the center of my life. When I am with you, I am home.
===
Be merciful onto me, Lord, for I cry onto thee daily.
It's me, Love, needing to hear your voice. I don't mean to be a pest. Call me when you can.
===
Mercy and truth are met together, righteousness and peace have kissed each other.
How delicious to come home, find the porch swept, dishes done, laundry folded, to find you here, Love, your anger gone. We kiss. All that I long for is possible.
===
For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand.
I love to come to your house. Even before I get here I feel welcomed.
On cold days you offer a warm hearth; in the heat of summer, a cool refuge.
Spring and fall you open to breezes that make all things fresh and new.
You always feed me something I didn't know I was hungry for.
===
Be not still, O God.
Beloved, help me to know when I am forgetting to do that which love needs. I get careless, forgetful, cranky, stingy. Without your gaze I will wither and die.
===
Defend the poor. . . do justice to the afflicted and needy.
You let me off too easy, Love. I get away with too much. Help me to be more just.
===
But my people would not hearken to my voice . . . so I gave them up unto their own hearts' lust
You give me all I hunger for, still I turn away, wander off, heady with the sense of my own power.
Then my strength runs out, the old enemies are at the door, calling at all hours, ruining my sleep.
I am worn down, hungry for the sweetness of your love.
===
My books | Bio | The Poems | Psalm Resources | Classes and Workshops | The Therapist's Journey | Contact | Home
|
|
|
|