"Tossing And Turning"

My bed is comfortable
My linens are cozy
It’s not that I can’t sleep
I don’t want to
The dreams I have frighten me:
Flames of fire, eternal burning!
All night long
Tossing and turning

The temple is packed this morn
The birds are selling
The sheep are shorn
Money changes hands with a grin and a wink
"It is a good day," I pause to think
A flash—a memory from last night
Fear grips me, I’m on my knees
There it is! The fire I saw!
It’s in his eyes
Chaos and noise!
Shouts and alarms!
Boxes tossing, tables turning

Who is he?

Another sleepless night
But now I must know
I venture out
To greet this man—how?
A compliment will break the ice
But he turns on me—that fire in his eyes!

I was wrong: this one’s a loon!
Wants me back inside my mother’s womb?

He speaks of earth
He speaks of wind
He speaks of love
 greater than my sins

The fear is gone
But questions remain
All night long
Tossing and turning
Something deeper, inside me yearning

Who is He?

"Other Duties As Required"

Meg'phone student number namer
Young man necktie rearranger

Honor guardian flag retrainer
Sometimes solo color-raiser

Onsite website email helper
Up there high-reach spider-webber

Just for students Scripture-quoter
Snack time lunch time package op'ner

Clothing brand name tag inspector
Lazy feline stage-play actor

Cook time oven food advisor
Insect antics strategizer

Orphans mar'thon 'ticipator
Rooftop loafer 'mancipator

"Farewell"

God builds our lives like a house,
From foundation to crown molding
Not everyone used is permanent
Some are only scaf’olding,

But without them,
The house could never be finished
Your life is enriched,
If only for a minute

When, in the course of life,
The Lord brings you a friend,
And then that person moves on,
The relationship shouldn’t end

Even if the time together
Could have been better spent
Don’t neglect the people you love
You don’t know—they could be sent

On a mission, a new path, or just a trip
We never know when they’ll depart,
So we must make the hours count
And treasure them in our hearts

"In Remembrance"

This evening I sat pondering
My mind drifted, wandering
Over the past eleven years
Have we forgotten our fears?

Out the window I gazed
Sun setting, the sky ablaze
I remember where I was
It’s clear, absolutely no fuzz

English class, at a computer
Teacher absent, never missed her
The door swung wide
“National Guard, get outside!”

Several students left
I remained with the rest
Didn’t know what startled these folks
Found what I thought was a hoax

Some Hollywood hype
Another site I typed
CNN and NBC confirmed
The towers twin—burned

I return back to the now
My dinner finished—but how?
Outside, beyond the glass,
Three flags, raised to half mast

City, state, and nation
One didn’t move from its station
Amazing how even Old Glory
Takes its part in this story

The wind was blowing
Two flags flowing
The third? Motionless,
Drooped in remembrance

Distracted by a flock of birds
Then I remembered those words
Of Mr. Francis Scott Key:
“O say—can you see?”