"Mosquitoes"

We're going to step outside
Where mosquitoes will surely bite
They really make you itch,
And with a lot of might,
They hold on really tight
It's hard to put them in sight
But if you slap
     and do it just right
You'll be free
     at least until tomorrow night


(with help from my three sons)

"Holes In My Grief"

All thro' this ordeal
You have carried me
Held me tight
Despite my squirming

And now
You have poked holes in my grief
Hope shines and refreshes
But what is that hope?
I thought I had accepted
I thought I had moved on
But now I understand
That I was blind
That I was suffocating
You shine and You breathe into me

Other lights I brought
But they dimmed
I changed the batteries
But again they dimmed

Your light is true
Your light lasts
And needs no recharging

You have poked holes in my grief
Now I can breathe
And I long to see
With great clarity
What lies on the other side

"Grandma And The Reindeer"

Reindeer got run over by my grandma
Driving home on Texas 32
You can say there's no danger on highways
But as for me and Rudolph, we believe

---

adapted from "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer"
Elmo Shropshire and Patsy Trigg, 1979
Sony Music Entertainment

"A New Wardrobe"

Our old clothes are stained rags,
Filled with holes, torn from snags,
Hung from bones since we were born,
Totally tattered and overly worn

But a new wardrobe has been bought,
Paid for with blood—that of the Begot,
Hung from a cross all beaten and bruised
To give us the following, each garment new:

Patience is our pants (both start with letter P)
Our shirt? Think sober of self, a.k.a. humility
Walk in forgiveness (how else shall bitterness lose?)
—Makes sense that it's our socks and shoes

A kindness coat gives an impression that lingers
Mercy and meekness: mittens for fidgeting fingers
I made these pairings, most off the top of my head,
But God stitched them with love, a most powerful thread

"An Epitaph For Fajitas"

Here lies T. R. Castor
She bought food for a meeting,
Overestimated how many were eating
The credit card, our boss had passed her
Now she's buried in this pasture