Aventyr: "Murrain"

Damp mop of hair
Scabbed-over feet—bare
Black eyes beady
Warmth of fat needed
Broken nose pulled off
Cheeks hollow, bones soft
On the floor: bones, blood, spittle

"Roll Of The Dive"

Junkyard disaster
Creeping death
  —creeping
Bubonico
  the bringer of plagues
Bwuhahaha
  rats, fleas, mosquitoes
Poem scribbled on wrinkled napkin
Concert of garage implements
  symphony of tools
Clink clang bink bang
  OUCH!
Prayer of rarity
  steak uncooked
Bent grass
  crooked straw
Sleight of mind
  trickery of thought
A battle of wits
  against one unprepared
Destiny of a twisted fake
Ha ha wee wee
  tangle bop fizz ploof
I’m on a mount of peas!
  Ah!
Breath of death
  strife of life
Cold, shivering, chattering, clattering
  teeth on ice
    OW!
    —L
Universal truth of poetry with three vowels
  frozen flame

"Rose Of Sharon"

Bright red crimson toes
Your blood drips down falling in rows
Your body limp,
  sagging,
  crushed
Are you still a man?
  It’s hard to tell
Unrecognizable
  undeniable
You were bruised
  beaten broken
    for me
Your eyes (even still)
  ever heavenward
always doing the will
  of Our Father
I cannot grasp that you’re dead—
  and you did it for me, for love
You’re dead?
  You’re dead.
    You’re dead!
I have grieved
  these last days three
and grieve I still.
How? How can this be
  God’s will?
I mourn! I weep! I cry!
It’s not fair that you
  should die.

But wait!
  What’s this?
You told us you would
  yes You did quite clear
But we didn’t listen—
  or didn’t hear
My grief wanes
  and joy replaces
Unbelievable, uncontainable
  joy unlimited

You died. But You live!
  You live!
    And now I can too!

"Radiance Uncontained"

Radiance uncontained
Joy unrestrained
Sin and death undone
Bondage unchained

Rejoice Rejoice
for He is risen!
Rejoice Rejoice
for He ever lives!

Creator, Redeemer, Sustainer!
God is one!

Hear O Israel
the Lord
the Lord our God
the Lord is one

YHVH ad infinitum!

YHVH, a verb!
  to Be

"I Am An Abraham"

A myth?
  Hardly so.
  John saw so clear
  that which is so near
Jesus dear,
  Why am I disturbed
    in this place?
Am I an Abraham—
  called out of what I know
  to a land I’ve never seen?
I know that
  I am an Abraham
  and Heaven is my home
“In the world but not of it”
People balk when I stand
  but stand I do
  and stand I will.
for Heaven’s my home—
I am an Abraham

Aventyr: "Bardsong Of Neyrel"

When hammer and light
are found for reunite
shall be found that treasure of old
Lumen's first called the Gadol

Hammer and light
enemy of night
treasure of old
Lumen's finest: the Gadol

Before history was born
Before legend was scorned
Lumen sent its finest
to the valley called Storm

Given a quest
he sought without rest
the cause and source
for chaos and darkness

The wind is up
darkness draws near
Gnadhan! Gnadhan!
Bring your candle here!

Aventyr: "Illumination"

A cave—soon forgotten—lit by a single flame
A grotesque flame perched upon
          the unfleshed head
          of a human long dead
Dreary red candle
          melts down like blood
          I shudder to think
          it might be wax
Mystic energy,
          evil and dark,
          emits from the candle’s light
This cannot be!
          This must not exist!
Darkness and light?
          Impossible!
But no, it’s true
          it’s true
No other light...
          it’s most certainly night
The candle becomes my obsession
          all else fades
                    away
I ponder the candle,
          this incarnation of paradox
Why does it glow?
          How does it burn?
The eyes of the skull—
          those vile sunken holes
          —bore deep into my soul
Light brings life
          or at least it should
This brings naught
          ‘cept maybe fear
And as I stare
          —nothing else I dare—
          deeper I sink
          deeper I creep
          deeper deeper
                    to the deep

"Heaven"

The maliciousness of injustice
fetters my heart to this plane of existence
I’m not content
here on this planet
People hate, hurt
There’s no worth
I’m not from here
  I feel it
  I know it
I belong quite elsewhere
I know my home;
  it calls me daily
But I must stay for now
  for someone else may too...
  —call Heaven home

"Why I Wait"

A verse
  a line
A hearse?
  No time!
I’ve no time
  to be dying
For in death
  I’ll get my rest
Peace, dear soul,
  fear no trouble
Work while you’re here
  strive for those dear
For Heaven is yours
  (you need not fret)
  but I wonder,
  do you think It’s theirs?

"Vertigo"

          I stand at the edge of a cliff;
     My future looms before me
      Begs me answer: “If?”
     Behind me,
     my past beckons,
     warm and comforting—
     A forest
     wanting me to stay;
     I want it too
     But my path
     lies forward:
     "Onward!
     Upward!"

     I look
      over the edge;
     fathoms upon miles
     gaze back at me
     I cannot
     see the bottom
     but I’m sure
     it’s there

     ...somewhere

     I turn back,
     seeking solace
     among the trees
     But I can’t
     go there,
     not now:
      I’m here!
     I’ve no choice
     but to leap

     full force into my future

And trust God to guide me.
After all, He’s brought me this far.

"God Is Love"

Love is splendidly splendid.
We love (Him) because He first Loved us.
God is Love.
Gravity—
  a force that attracts.
Just so is Love:
  God’s attraction to us and ours to Him.
Love conquers all, knows no fear,
  keeps no record of wrong.
Love is always
patient
kind
unfailing.
God is Love—
  He never fails!
    Amen!

Aventyr: "The Breath Of Boredom"

The breath of boredom
shall bring forth
Aventyr’s greatest threat.

One from their midst
one of their own
will rise up and defy.

He will bring mountains
and rivers to places
they ought not to be.

Aventyr’s plight
will be that which
none knows how to fight.

Avoid boredom, avoid idleness,
for these lead to ruin.
Destruction shall be swift,

Death shall be sure.
Many shall perish and mourn
for the loss of their own.

Aventyr! Aventyr!
The Guardians weep for thee!
They know the place, the time, the year…
Aventyr! Aventyr!

"My Wife..."

My wife...
  she led me to new life
  and power through
  the Baptism in the
  Holy Spirit, Who is
My Friend...
  He’ll see me to the end
  and beyond
  It’s through Him
  I have a bond with
My Father...
  Creator, Savior, Friend, no bother
  He’s awesomely good
  providing me food—
  physical and spiritual
My Lord
  Jesus Christ? Yes! Not absurd.
  He’s the reason I live,
  Because of the blood He gives.
  He can be yours too,
    if you only believe and confess He’s true.

"A Grand Old Oak"

A grand old oak
makes the campus nice.
It’s leaves are green
even after August’s anti-ice.

A system of cables,
iron and cold steel,
holds up the branches.
Is this for real?

Why should a tree,
symbol of nature and life,
be altered by man
to one of stress and strife?

Is the university such a
blight?
If that’s the case,
it’s clearly not right.

Rebel from the forced lies!
Turn to Jesus!
Choose the Unaltered Tree!
Choose life!

"Progress"

I am a boy trapped within a man
I was a man with a boy’s body

Why do I digress?
  Or have I really made progress?

My inner age seems in reverse
from that of my biology

My spirit is in constant renew
While my physical self ages correct

I am both younger and older than I was yesterday;
also older and younger than you’ll find me tomorrow

Where will this lead?
  When will it end?

"Acrostic"

Apples appropriate abundant
and ample attitude
about all.

Brutality befits the best bridegroom
brandishing burning
branches to beat and batter.

Confucius claims configuration
cures colds, calamities.
Can Colbert come caress?

Do dogs doo-doo daily?
Desperation demands
dignified despotism.

Emasculate elephants
enrapture everything.
Ever eat Eskimo?

Fraudulent fiction foretells
future failure.
Forget it!

Goodness gracious
great globs of grease!
Grab a Gabel!

Hermann has high hopes.
His horse hits
hopping houseflies.

Iguanas imitating igloos.
Imagine it!
Ice over isosceles!

Justice just justifies
judicial gesticulations.
Just joking.

Krap.
Krap.
Krap.

Love lingers longer.
Lately lethal.
Ludwig’s layover.

Mention mastication,
men meander
meaningless.

Nobody notices Norm.
Nerds never net
newlyweds.

Oliver opines opinions.
Odious otters obliterate
other obstructions.

Personally, politicians
persist playfully.
Pulverize, pit-bull!

Quickly Quint!
Quit quelling queer
questions! What’s my cue?

Rose red
really reeks
repugnantly.

Saturate smelly socks!
Sausage soon!
Smell spring—Someone Esquire

Triumphant truffles trouble
traveling troubadours.
Too true!

Usually undulating upstream,
upper understanding
undoes umbrellas.

Visual verification
verily vexes
voyeur vixens.

Words welcome wealth.
Wary wayfarers worry
‘way with wit.

X-ray X-men
x-tremely x-actly!
X-istence xylophone.

Youth yearns
yesterday’s Yule.
You’ll yet utilize.

Zany zebra
zaps zero zebu.
Zooming zigzags!

"Huh?"

Endurance, strength, weakness, drink;
War is economically good and lifely savage.
Brutality befits the best bridegroom
  who brandishes burning
  branches to beat and batter
  the Brothers of the Brook.
Madness best suits those in search of freedom.
Ring bells, ring! Freedom to think and dance and ponder and sing.
Rhythm and Bounce are cousins and friends.
  Their neighbors Beat and Leap join the song and a jam session is born.
How does one extrapolate the reasons for tardiness?

"Keep It Up!"

God Himself visited Earth
  to save it from itself
  reconnect that which was broken
  restore that which was lost

What wonderful news!
  He loves us!
  Wow and wonder!
He’s not going to collect on the bill of sins we’ve racked up
He declared “Paid in full!” when we racked Him up on a tree

Run the race and don’t look back!
  Keep it up! Keep it up!

"Truth Never Changes"

The world’s a blur?
Jesus is Truth
and truth is unchanging.
Why then? Why are
so many seeking answers
in other places?
Jesus is Truth and He
never changes!
Seek Him and His
righteousness and all
life’s questions will
be answered!
It’s that simple.
The Bible is not
complicated; people add
complication to a very
simple piece of true
literature.

"Reflections On A Forty-Something Goth Girl"

Wow!
She’s the teacher!?
Where are her shoes?
  Oh they’re boots!
I wonder if it hurts
  for her to pick her nose
  with that metal ornament
  poking through.
Channeling? Astrology?
  Dear God, help me
  to help them!
I’m gonna have to stand strong:
  God’s Word is truth,
  all else is foolishness.
Is her hair black
  or bruisish purple?
  Either way it’s unnaturally sickening.
Daily morning meditation, huh?
  On what?
  Can’t be worthy and good
  (i.e. God and His Scripture)!
The reason I endure this class
  is because
someone, someday
  will be affected by my stories.
  Maybe he’ll be
  pulled and broken,
  changed and restored by
  the Holy Spirit.
  In that case,
  praise God! And thanks for letting me help!
Why does she wear a cross
  of sorts?
  What does it mean for her?
    Do I really want to know?
Where are her shoes?
Do I really look like Hugh Grant?
  I don’t get it.

"Poetry, Art"

Is poetry art?
  Is there a process?
    Most definitely.
  Is there a product?
    What are you reading?
  Is there an experience?
    That’s up to you.
Is art poetry?
  Are there images?
    Almost always.
  Is there allusive alliteration?
    Depends.
  Do colors communicate words, thoughts, emotions?
    Yes—if it’s good.
So are the two interchangeable—poetry, art?
  Undeniably the answer cannot be
  either yes or no,
  for the poet creates a work of
  art
  but artists rarely if ever
  rhyme.

"Nothing To Revise"

Nothing to revise
None shall e’er read
This poem must stink
Why oh why
  do I write
    with invisible ink?

"A Psalm"

Let His praises resound in your heart
Let His praises overflow from your mouth
Praise Him in the morning
Praise Him in the noontime
Praise Him in the evening
Praise Him in the nighttime
Praise Him all seasons of your life,
whether high or low,
praise the LORD of hosts!