Poem #195 - Glimpses of Divinity

Rows of corn reach up to the sky-
Their long green stalks as high as the eye.
A sunflower stands on guard nearby,
And smiles at children passing by.

In all of nature you can see
Glimpses of divinity:
The mighty strength of a tall oak tree…
The determination of a bee.

All work together without strife
As if they knew that Spirit is life.
It’s only man who bears a knife -
Whose life with hate and greed is rife.

If man could only realize
And see the truth with his own eyes,
Oh, he then would be so wise
And claim on earth the Heavens’ prize.

Too many choose to run and hide
From the place God does reside.
Spirit’s there – just look inside.
There nothing man from God can divide.

Poem #194 - Balance

“Honor they Father” ...
Good advice for any soul.
But honor thy Mother as well,
For both parts make up the whole.

The masculine and the feminine –
Two sides that seem apart.
But merely different ways to know
The Love that’s in your heart.

Father God and Mother God –
It matters not the name.
For in the wholeness of the thought
All Spirit is the same.

You are a part of All That Is –
A tiny spark divine.
And honoring all parts of Self
You walk the central line.

Balance is the key to life.
Tread not the path extreme.
And you will know true peace and joy
As your life’s guiding theme.

Poem #193 - On Natural Law

Suffer the little children.
Where’s the reason in this?
Why do the innocent ones
Experience anything but bliss?

All results from cause and effect.
It is the natural law.
Just as the apple drops from the tree,
There’s a reason for the fall.

The earth is run by perfect rules.
There’s order in all things.
Without the laws of nature,
Each day would chaos bring.

Suffering, it does result
When things seem out of order.
But you will understand the cause
When you cross the final border.

The law it is immutable.
There’s nothing you can do,
That won’t result in something else
That comes to pass to you.

So pay attention to your acts
And make your choices well.
For each man reaps what he has sown
When rings the final bell.

And since all lives are linked as one,
Your thoughts and actions they are, too.
There’ll be so much less suffering
When all know that this is true.

Poem #192 - True Strength

Here come the elephants
With their trunks so long,
Raising them into the air
To spout a hearty song.

Trumpeting, you call it.
A bellow, oh so loud.
Magnificent is such a beast,
So mighty, and so proud.

Size and strength mean much to you.
You think they equal power.
But the tiniest of microbes,
Your strength it can devour.

True might comes not from things you see,
Nor that which you can feel.
The greatest power lies in that
Which no hand has yet to feel.

The spirit’s where true strength resides,
All courage and all love.
And this is found in all of life
From man to hawk and dove.

Honor that which gives you breath.
The part you cannot see.
It’s present, everlasting…
Into eternity.

Poem #191

In the aftermath
Silent tears
Unspoken fears
Amid the crushing silence

Who is there to help?
Send out a prayer
Is no one there?
Anxiously you wait

A rustle in the leaves
Tiny footsteps
Help does approach
Upon the silence it does encroach
An opening

Lift your head
See the shining light
View it not with fright
It’s there to guide the way

No more darkness
When you heed the call
No longer can you fall
Your steps are always guided

Poem #190 - Love Can Heal

Comfort comes in many forms:
A touch, a kiss, a smiling face...
But always when there’s love involved
Will you find peace in every case.

Love is healing energy.
It calms as it does soothe.
For its higher frequency
Helps blocked energies to move.

You can send love
Within your mind.
See it flow
With thought so kind.

Send it like a beam of light
That starts within your heart.
Reaching out and touching all
Of which you are a part.

You’ve far more power than you know.
To help your brothers heal.
This knowledge will come easily
When love’s true strength you feel.

A neighbor has friends in her home state whose child is in critical condition in the hospital. We have all been praying. While I didn't ask for this poem this morning, it's quite obviously meant for the family and friends, but applies just as well to anyone in this position:

You stand a vigil by the bed,
Waiting for the slightest move.
The flutter of an eye perhaps,
That “life goes on” to prove.

The love that does surround you all
As you pass the days in fright,
Is there to give you confidence
That she will make it through the night.

She may not speak or look at you,
But trust she knows you’re there.
The tender touches and the prayers
Add greatly to her care.

Remember that the one in bed
Is not the only one in need.
Many pray for you, as well,
And thus your souls they feed.

While this may seem your darkest hour,
There’s beauty here as well.
For love has been your saving grace
Since all the darkness fell.

No matter what the outcome,
This one great truth please know:
Never do you walk alone,
No matter where you go.

Poem #188 - Who You Really Are

True beauty lies not in a lash ...
A finely painted face.
The beauty of the human soul
Is the same in every case.

You tend to think you’re different,
Separated by your skin.
But, in truth, you all are One.
The Spirit lies within.

No distance does divide you,
For God is what you are –
Pure consciousness in human form,
Right here, not outside/afar.

The ego makes you think of “I”
When this is not so true.
If you would just surrender “I”
You’d find the holy You.

Fear not that you will show conceit
By worshipping your Self.
In blessing who you truly are
Do you discover wealth.

We speak now not in terms of gold,
But riches beyond measure.
For when you realize Who You Are
You’ve found life’s greatest treasure.

Poem #187

Look down upon the huddled masses.
Compassion wells.
Your heart speaks without words.
Torture could not hurt as badly.
Suffer this feeling gladly.
‘Tis the voice of your soul awakening.

Compassion, pity,
The desire to help…
These are the gifts of the Spirit.
You need not great wealth to give.
Open your hearts and send love.
The greatest power there is.

“But love won’t feed a hungry man,” you say.
How little you understand.
Love is all there is.
You must first find love,
Then all else will follow.
Wallets will open.
Food and water will flow.
But first true compassion must all men know.

Break down the barriers that divide.
No color, no status does love abide.
Love knows nothing of differences,
Only pure light.
So open your hearts
And brighten the night.

I thought, “That was beautiful. Now can you give me a more traditional poem?” The following immediately flowed, non-stop, but I see now that it can't compare to the first one:

Once upon a distant shore
There came a strong and frightening roar
As walls crashed down, reduced to rubble,
Leaving millions with pain and trouble.

So many died, yet more still live.
And now the world will learn to give.
By seeing that all men are one,
Uniting in the work to be done.

When so many face such need
With endless little mouths to feed,
Then color and language matter not
For all are reduced to one small dot:

It's the spark of awareness from which all arise
The light of God’s love, which fills the skies,
And feeling this within the heart,
All work together for a fresh, new start.

Poem #186 - On Prayer

Miracles happen every day
When you quietly sit and pray.
Oh, how powerful is the word
Which so often goes unheard.

We hear you when you speak to God.
No request can be too odd.
But know we answer as we can
Although not always by your plan.

For people think they know what’s best.
Their prayers are sometimes like a test.
And when things happen as they should,
It is not always seen as good.

Pray for safety, pray for health,
But save the prayers that ask for wealth.
Know that you will get your due,
When your best efforts do accrue.

Be careful not to always ask,
But sit in the power and just bask
In the warmth which always flows
From the One who all answers knows.

Give gratitude for what you’ve got.
Don’t focus on that which you have not.
Just trust and pause for some reflection
Upon the face of sheer perfection.

Poem #185 - Eternal Spirit

Quiet like the snowfall
Whispers on the breeze,
The rustle of the branches
As it moves softly through the trees …

Spirit seems ephemeral –
Fleeting, like the wind
Like a thought that passes through your mind
That you never can rescind.

You can try to grasp it,
But touch it you cannot.
A sense that something lies within
Is all that you have got.

But when you sit in silence,
Then you truly start to know,
That spirit’s not so fleeting –
It’s a constant inner glow.

Eternal, never dying …
That which lasts beyond the ages.
Enduring well beyond the facts
Written on your history’s pages.

Your spirit is a part of you.
It grows stronger with each breath.
And it will carry you beyond
The change which you call death.

Just like the leaves that rustle,
You, too, will float on air.
So trust that spirit’s what you are
And sense it if you dare.

Poem #184 - Guidance

Foreign voices in your ear
Whispering a message.
Is it a test?
Do they know best?

How to trust the guidance
When it comes?
You think a man must stand his ground,
Deal with things when no one is around.

Honor all the thoughts you hear.
Send them love as they draw near.
Help is never farther than your mind.
Especially when life seems so unkind.

Go within and seek your guide.
From true wisdom do not hide.
Push down the worries and your pride.
Inside you utter beauty does reside.

There can be no final proof.
Only you can know the truth.
When you feel it in your heart –
The place where always you should start.

Poem #183 - On Death

Since time began
Man has tried to understand
Death.
The ceasing of life –
Always shrouded in mystery and fear,
But finally, let it be clear…

Death is merely a transition -
A change of condition.
There is no need to cry and wail
When one leaves the body’s jail
And once again is free to fly
Simply not seen by your eye.

Spirit’s really what you are
Free to travel near and far
Limitless with no real bounds
News that some it does astound.
But hear us when we say to you:
Greater things they are your due.

When you pass from earthly life,
No longer will you deal with strife.
So pity not the ones who die.
In no coffin do they lie,
But wander freely, like a cloud,
Far freer than your earth allowed.

Poem #182 - Live Only in the Now

Into each life there comes sorrow,
Tears, and pain, and grief.
Your heart it aches for tomorrow,
When you think that you’ll find some relief.

Think not of the future.
Live only in the now.
The present’s all you ever have
But just “to be” you know not how.

Think not of future times
Dwell never in the past.
This moment which you’re living now’s
The only one to last.

If what you’re feeling brings you pain
Take comfort now in knowing,
That everything’s ephemeral
Like a breeze that’s softly blowing.

Just like Fall leaves that flutter past,
Your pain it comes and goes.
And from these passing moments,
Is how each spirit grows.

So feel each moment fully.
Reject not bad nor good.
For all are part of life’s great plan,
And cherish them you should.

Poem #181 - What Life's All About

You don’t understand that all is one.
You, too, shall know the truth …

Prepare.
Be as loving as you dare.
In this way you make your bed
For what lies there up ahead.

Every action you do take
Is for your future’s sake.
So do everything knowing
That by your act’s you’re showing
That you understand
Your role in this plan.

A cog in the wheel
Of all that’s real …
Seen and unseen
And the places in between …
All is God.

May you find comfort in this
And know holy bliss.
That God is within and without --
What life’s all about.

Never fear you’re alone.
All love please condone.
For it’s the source of all life.
It can heal any strife.

Spread it far and wide.
In love’s presence abide.
For love’s all that’s real.
When it’s presence you feel,
You are living your role,
And then you feel whole.

Spread the word.

Suzanne's note: Okay, 2nd day in a row (see the end of yesterday's poem)... I just opened my daily thought-of-the-day email and it's what today's poem is about: "Without God there is nothing, because the definition of God is all-pervading, omnipresent, omniscient, and omnipotent. So there is no non-God." I love when this happens.

Poem #180 - Creation

Start at the beginning,
Before there was man.
You all want to know
How your world it began.

Nothing but blackness
Was all that there was.
Then into existence
There came a slight buzz.

The start of creation -
With the fluctuation of time.
Then what followed was matter
From thoughts of the Divine.

All that you see
Did arise from the void.
All particles created
To thus be enjoyed.

For why create things
If not for the chance
To touch and to feel them -
To know them by glance?

All things on your earth
And throughout God’s creation
Are there for God’s pleasure -
For the act of sensation.

It is not all perfect
This e’er growing world.
For it’s creation in action -
As yet being unfurled.

And through your own thoughts
And through your own action,
God experiences life.
Yes, all cause and reaction.

The gift of free will
Which to humans is given
Is what makes you like God -
Not one trapped in a prison.

This gift’s to be used
For your soul’s evolution.
So use it quite wisely
For the best resolution.

May your choices reflect
What is truly God’s will -
Sharing kindness and love
Not the motive to kill.

For life is quite precious.
From the Void does it spring.
So treasure it greatly
And thus to God glory bring.

Note from Suzanne, every day after meditating, I read the daily “thought for the day” email I receive, called “Nectar Drops.” I never read it until after meditating, and it’s amazing how often the message deals with or IS the daily poem’s theme. Amazingly, I just opened today’s email and here is today’s Nectar Drop:

“The power of God is present everywhere, because He created this universe and, having created everything, He entered into the creation.”

Poem #179 - Worrying About the Haitians...

You see only the tip of things
Like the iceberg.
How much lies beyond the curtain you cannot know
Until you throw off the cloak of the body
And fly in your mind.
Pure awareness are you…

**

So much heartache for so many souls
Their lives reduced to rubble.
All feel the pain from afar
For you live not in a bubble.

What happens to one, happens to all.
For all lives are intertwined.
When one feels pain, the rest do suffer
Until relief you can find.

Your earth it is fragile
Prone to cause and effect
Cataclysmic events
Make you stop and reflect.

When so many do suffer
Send your love and your prayer
And through all the misery
Know that God is still there

Those who’ve died feel no pain
They are now well protected
Place your focus and love
On those left so dejected.

In this way you can help
When all minds think as one
And with love and compassion
Do the work to be done.

Poem #178 - Playing Possum

Such caring lies there in the heart
Just waiting to be free.
Open up the lock
With your thoughts as the key.

By holding back love
You withhold your true self,
And therein miss out
On the greatest of wealth.

Forgiveness and kindness
Are ways to show love.
Compassion and giving
Are the gifts from above.

When spread about freely
Inside you do blossom.
But withheld deep inside
It’s just like playing possum.

For the soul it seems dead
When your gifts you do hold.
But it comes quite alive
When allowed to unfold.

There’s no need to clutch them
And hold them so close.
There’s nothing to gain
Being tense and morose.

Open your heart
And let the love pour,
And into your life
Will flow oh so much more.

Poem #177 - Knock Down the Walls

Free as a bird that soars so high
Your spirit longs to fly.
Yet kept locked in its prison there,
It doesn’t get to try.

How sad that you should think you’re stuck –
Nowhere that you can go.
When, in truth, your spirit’s free
The universe to know.

Don’t think your spirit’s trapped inside.
A prisoner it’s not.
For spirit’s everywhere at once,
Such freedom has it got.

Your spirit travels best at night,
By thought so unencumbered.
But you can know the spirit now,
Not just in times you slumbered.

So let it soar; just cast it free
And let your soul fly high.
Then greater will you feel the love
That comes from those nearby.

For in your shell you cut off love.
A wall do you erect.
And shutting off your energy
True feeling you reject.

Behold the power of the soul.
It passes through all things.
You only have to know it’s there
To sense the love it brings.

Knock down the walls that cut you off,
That keep you so divided.
And sense the part of you that’s love –
This gift your God provided.

Poem #176

Well, friends, I just write down what I hear. Today's is a strange one. I've said it before: I'm no poet, so this one's open for interpretation... (Some of you will recognize this voice)

Creep, creep, like the vine
Slowly crawling back in time…
Hark!
Who goes there?
Who’s that calling?
Tis the past…
A long and snaking line.

Salute your memories,
Then let them drift and float away
Not sinking
Slowly drinking
Drops of thought that linger
To whet the hunger
For better days

The past… the future …
Why bother?
There is only here and now
Take a bow
Upon this stage on which you act
Do not just react
But be a shining star.

Learn your lines quite well
And you’ll escape this Hell
Ascending to the stars
Where beauty rains like silver glitter
Precious litter
Not to be discarded like the trash
But spread out like golden ash
Embers of the fire…
Of the light so bright
On this,
Your one and only stage

Poem #175 - Walking Lighter

Oh so cumbersome, the burden you bear.
The weight, it wears you down.
Trodding, plodding with this boulder on your back,
Upon your face a constant frown.

You think you walk alone in pain
But this is far from true.
If you would only call for help,
Much peace would come to you.

Your helpers in the unseen realm
Are there to ease your troubles.
But when you block us from your thoughts
It seems your burden doubles.

The trials that you face in life
Are lessons you must learn.
But bearing them’s much easier
When Spirit’s help you do not spurn.

So sit in silence; ask for our help
And we will comfort you.
We’ll lift the boulders from your back
And show you the way through.

Poem #174 - As Close as Your Thoughts

Starry, starry night.
Glitter in the sky.
Distant planets twinkling…
Light from years gone by.

Such distance does divide you
From the light which you do see.
It’s hard for you to fathom
Another galaxy.

But as you gaze upon the planets
Do not think that we lie there.
We’re as close as your small finger
For the spirit’s everywhere.

We live in every flower.
We dance upon the grass.
And if you put up barriers,
Then through those walls we pass.

For spirit has no boundaries.
It knows not time nor space.
We merely need to think of you
To gaze upon your face.

To travel to a distant star
Is nothing hard for us.
For we can be all spots at once
With very little fuss.

So knowing this, please call on us
When company you crave.
And in an instant we’ll be there,
From cradle until grave.

And when beyond the grave you pass,
We go, too, hand in hand.
Helping you this brand new life
To finally understand.

So gaze upon the twinkling stars.
Appreciate their light.
May they help you from this moment
To see your future with no fright.

(AND A LITTLE ADDENDUM...)

Searching for answers
You need not look far.
The answers you seek
Are as close as you are.

For your Higher Self
That which “spirit” you call
Is connected supremely
With the Source of it All.

Poem #173 - So You Think You Know it All?

So you think you know it all
All the answers have you got.
But as much as you know now
Far, far more you have forgot.

Where you came from holds the answers
To your questions far and wide.
There in the seat of knowledge
All information does reside.

You can access this great wisdom
Any time you do desire.
We are waiting just to help you
All great knowledge to acquire.

Still the mind, then let us fill it.
Much great wisdom can be yours.
When in silence you come knocking
We will open up the doors.

Poem #172 - On Prayer

Stormy nights … thunder claps.
Children huddle in their beds.
Mommies and daddies sit at their side
Stroking their round, silky heads.

Comfort comes in many forms…
A tender caress, a whispered voice.
Whether or not you find relief,
This is a personal choice.

So many people feel they’re alone
Silent tears they fall.
Help is always as close as a phone.
If only you’d make that one call.

“Oh, God, I need you,”
‘Tis all you need say.
Sit in the silence
And to your Source pray.

Then bask in the knowledge
That love does surround you.
When out goes your prayer
Spirit comes all around you.

It’s there every moment
But most times you don’t feel it.
But it is your prayers
That help to reveal it.

So cry not in anguish.
There’s no need for fright.
You weep not alone
In the still of the night.

Just like the child
God does stroke your soft cheek.
He’s there all the time
When you’re strong and when weak.

But mainly at moments
When your strength it is low
To you He gives courage.
This great comfort, please know.

Poem #171 - Through the Glass

Look upon the window.
See the shiny glass.
Just like that through which you go
When to our world you pass.

It’s like a one-way mirror--
That which you look through.
You look but cannot see us
But we certainly see you.

We’re with you when you call us.
We gaze upon your face.
But know that while we like this,
Your touch it can’t replace.

We miss your hugs and kisses,
The feel of your soft skin.
But all else remains the same for us,
Most of all the love within.

Call us when you want us ‘round.
We’re with you in a flash-
Brushing by your shoulder
Like the flutter of a lash.

One day you’ll know our world up close.
For now you see it not,
Yet you go there in your dreams at night
And by morn you have forgot.

But remnants of us do remain
In your thoughts when you awake.
This gift we leave you in your mind-
A part of us that you can take.

So gaze around you through the glass
That so thinly does divide us.
And know that when you think of us
Much joy you do provide us.

Poem #170 - Holiest of Holies

Holiest of holies
This you call your God.
For He is there to guide you…
Your thoughts He gives a prod.

Do not fail to worship this,
Your inner guiding force,
For most certainly is holy…
The Universal Source.

You call God “He”
But mistake this not,
No one set of features
Has your God got.

The One is He and She combined.
There can be no separation.
For God is everything that lives—
Indivisible, like your nation.

The holiest of holies, yes!
For there could be no greater
Than the power and the beauty of
Your infinite creator.

Poem #169

An unusual free-flowing style today, as if a new poet was feeling the way...

Seeds of wisdom
Blowing in the wind
Like dandelion feathers.
Catch them in the breeze
If you please.
Hold them in your palm.
Feel the overwhelming calm.
That flows through every fiber…

Such a delight
It is to write
Creating pictures with words …

Footprints in the sand…
Reminders
Of passersby.
Do you ever wonder why
Your paths did cross?

Many walk the same beach
Yet remain just out of reach.
Separated by mere minutes.

All lives are intertwined.
The link you’ll one day find.
Follow the footsteps…
Leading down the beach
What’s ahead still out of reach
But yours for the taking.

Beware of what you crave
The future’s for the brave.
When you step out on your own.
But following the trail
Smooth waters will you sail
With your conscience as your guide.

Poem #168 - Blessed are the Children

Blessed are the children.
So innocent are they.
They know nothing of worries.
They simply want to play.

Watch them as they run and shout.
See the glee upon their faces.
Dashing ‘round like dervishes,
Playing hopscotch, running races.

Oh, such innocence,
If only it would last.
But childhood is very short.
They grow up far too fast.

But with this growth comes learning.
And not just in the schools.
As years pass toward adulthood,
They pick up many tools.

The greatest of youth’s challenges
Is learning not to fear.
For in this comes mistrust and hate,
And loss of what’s most dear.

The greatest challenge all must face
Is how to live in love.
For it’s the greatest lesson,
One that comes from up above.

The urge to love is planted there
From long before your birth.
And how to share it is the path
You walk upon this earth.

So watch the children, see their smiles.
These come for they fear not.
Inside they still have purity
They have not yet forgot.

Remember what your life’s about.
Take the child’s example to your heart.
For in the great play of your life,
This is your grandest part.

Poem #167 - The Rhythm of Life

Silently you wait
Afraid of the dawn.
Great mystery surrounds the day.
What will happen
When the sun rises?
You can only sit and pray.

Have faith that in the light
The proper path will be shown.
Solutions await
But as yet go unknown.
If all were revealed
There’d be no real growth.
Relax and have faith.

Time is your teacher,
Not the preacher,
But your own inner voice.
You have a choice.
To listen and act
Or to stumble blindly.
Life is more kindly
When each step you do take
In time
With the rhythm of Life.

Poems #165 and #166

A friend who stressed the comfort these poems bring suggested I compile some of the best poems into a booklet to give to children’s hospitals and hospices (and how about veterans’ hospitals, too?) The idea, I think, was inspired. It’s perfect. I can see “Messages of Hope, Vol I” in my mind right now, sitting on a waiting room table, ready to comfort someone who’s hurting. I’ve begun a search for grant money for my step-daughter Susan’s foundation (Susan Marie Giesemann Foundation – a non-profit we established in her memory) to help in printing and distribution costs of the booklets (any ideas of how to make this happen are welcome).

Meanwhile, this morning I asked the Council of Poets for an appropriate poem for Vol I. I could barely write fast enough as they gave me Poem #165:

Oh, so sad
You see the little tears.
You want to make them stop.
Hip hop, little bunny, hip hop.
But no smile comes.
Where is God
In such a place as this?

Look under the covers.
See the tiny fingers.
Slender reminders
He is everywhere.
Even in a nail so frail.

The smile you give
Even when your heart is breaking
Is the pill.
Sweet medicine to cure a thousand ills.
Far better than pills.

Lunacy
To watch the pain.
Yet hope is not in vain.
Dry the tears.
Calm the fears.
God is there
Under the blanket.

*******
Do you want another? (Yes, of course I do…)

*******
Poem #166

Pain and sorrow come to all
Burdens you must bear.
Who is there
When troubles come?

Never do you walk alone.
No solo road do you wander.
The Spirit takes your hand.
You walk together ever yonder.

Do not fear what lies ahead.
It’s not for you to know.
Simply trust.

In your hand you hold a treasure…
Unseen wealth
Squeeze and feel the strength.
He will go to any length
Walking by your side
From His help you cannot hide
There can be no stealth.

You are not alone
As close as the phone…

Make the call.

Poem #164 - Dark vs. Light

Happy new year! May 2010 be filled with love and brightness ...

Black as a crow,
Dark as the night,
Why is it darkness
Does fill you with fright?

You’ve learned from your birth
That there’s good and there’s bad.
There’s hot and there’s cold,
Just as there’s happy and sad.

And darkness and blackness
Will always be less
Than brightness and light
Which both bring happiness.

It’s all in the vibration
The way you do feel.
Black vibrates much slower
Than white vibes which are real.

The higher the frequency,
The finer vibrations,
Much greater you notice
The pleasant sensations.

And so it makes sense
That dark gives you fright,
For you sense in its energy
That it feels not quite right.

So always to light
You will feel that you’re drawn.
For in light as with love
You’re reborn like the dawn.

So search for the light.
Find it there in your heart.
May the darkness that lingers
From your life now depart.

Fill your life with pure goodness
See around you pure white -
A reflection you carry
Of your own inner light.