To Winter

Stay, season of calm love and soulful snows!
There is a subtle sweetness in the sun,
The ripples on the stream's breast gaily run,
The wind more boisterously by me blows,
And each succeeding day now longer grows.
The birds a gladder music have begun,
The squirrel, full of mischief and of fun,
From maples' topmost branch the brown twig throws.
I read these pregnant signs, know what they mean:
I know that thou art making ready to go.
Oh stay! I fled a land where fields are green
Always, and palms wave gently to and fro,
And winds are balmy, blue brooks ever sheen,
To ease my heart of its impassioned woe.

by Claude McKay

AS FOR POETS

As for poets
The Earth Poets
Who write small poems,
Need no help from no man.

The Air Poets
Play out the swiftest gales
And sometimes loll in their eddies.
Poem after poem,
Curling back on the same thrust.

At fifty below
Fuel oil won't flow
And propane stays in the tank.
Fire Poets
Burn at absolute zero
Fossil love pumped back up.

The first
Water Poet
Stayed down six years.
He was covered in seaweed.
The life in his poem
Left millions of tiny
Different tracks
Criss-crossing through the mud.

With the Sun and Moon
In his belly,
The Space Poet
Sleeps.
No end to the sky--
But his poems,
Like wild geese,
Fly off the edge.

A Mind poet
Stays in the house.
The house is empty
And it has no walls.
The poem
Is seen from all sides,
Everywhere,
At once.

by Gary Snyder

My Special List

I have a list of folks I know, all written in a book,
And every now and then, I go and take a look;
And that is when I realize that these names are all a part ...
Not of the book they're written in, but of my very heart.

For each name stands for someone who has crossed my path sometime,
And in that meeting they've become the rhythm in each rhyme;
And while it sounds fantastic for me to make this claim,
I really feel that I'm composed of each remembered name.

Though you may not be aware of any special link,
Just meeting you has changed my life, a lot more than you think;
For once I've met somebody, the years cannot erase
The memory of those pleasant words nor of a friendly face.

So please don't think my greeting as just a mere routine,
Your name was not forgotten somewhere in-between;
For when I send a greeting, that is addressed to you,
It's because you are on that list of folks I'm indebted to.

For I am the total of the many folks that I have met,
And you happen to be one of those I prefer not to forget.
So whether I have known you for many years or few,
In some way you have been a part in shaping things I do.

And every year at this time, I realize anew ...
The best gift life can offer is meeting folks like you.
So may the Spirit of this Season, that ever endures,
Leave the richest blessings in the hearts of YOU and YOURS.

~By Helen Steiner Rice 1949 in "Christmas Blessings"

The Heart of Friendship

True friendship isn't seen with the eyes,
it is felt with the heart,
when there is trust, understanding,
loyalty, and sharing...

True friendship is a rare feeling,
but when it is found,
it has profound impact on
our well-being, strength, and character.

True friendship does not need
elaborate gifts or spectacular events
in order to be valuable or valued.

To ensure long-lasting
quality and satisfaction,
true friendship only needs
a few key ingredients:

Undying loyalty, unmatched understanding,
unsurpassed trust, deep and soulful secrets,
and endless sharing.

These ingredients,
mixed with personality and a sense of humor,
can make a friendship last a lifetime!

This is just a thank you, my friend,
for all the wonderful and colorful
special ingredients
you've brought to my life!

~Author Unknown

Source: The Inspiration Line

A Father's Promise

by Carl Johnson

If you are ill, I will cure you.
I will make you well again.
I will nurse you and ensure you
Have health that will not end.

A house for you I’ll build,
That your mother makes a home.
I will keep it cheerily filled
With a family to call your own.

I will put food on your table,
Wholesome, fresh and hot.
As far as I am able
You will have what I did not.

Should danger try to find you,
I will stand firm in its way.
You can put all fears behind you.
I am with you night and day.

I’ll forever be your Dad.
You can always count on me.
I will never make you sad.
I will keep you safe and free.

And when from this life to the next I go,
I will still guard you every day.
I will ever be you father, you know.
Your Dad will never go away.

Our Destiny

Our destiny is not free of hurt and pain,
nor is the goal only in earthly gain.
Our destiny is to find the purpose of God's will,
to expose the lie and live out the real.

Our destiny is in what we were created for,
for the good works of God and so much more.
Our destiny is our choice to walk God's way,
saying yes to His will day by day.

Our destiny was set from the foundation of the earth,
it began to be revealed at the moment of our birth.
Our destiny knows which God we choose,
whether we'll walk in LIFE, or our life lose.

Our destiny is only known fully by God,
its eternal potential revealed as we walk this sod.
Our destiny will carry us through this life's course,
but all that it holds depends on the source.

The destiny of the wicked is destruction,
refusing God, they are the product of their function.
The destiny of the believer, the fullness of God's delight.
He brings them through the darkness to manifest His light.

By Kent Stuck

Source: Facebook, 11 December 2012

I LOVED YOU ENOUGH

Someday when my children are old enough to understand the logic that motivates a parent, I will tell them:

I loved you enough to ask where you were going, with whom, and what time you would be home.

I loved you enough to insist that you save your money and buy a bike for yourself even though we could afford to buy one for you.

I loved you enough to be silent and let you discover that your new best friend was a creep.

I loved you enough to make you go pay for the bubble gum you had taken and tell the clerk, "I stole this yesterday and want to pay for it".

I loved you enough to stand over you for two hours while you cleaned your room, a job that should have taken 15 minutes.

I loved you enough to let you see anger, disappointment and tears in my eyes. Children must learn that their parents are not perfect.

I loved you enough to let you assume the responsibility for your actions even when the penalties were so harsh they almost broke my heart.

But most of all, I loved you enough to say NO when I knew you would hate me for it.

Those were the most difficult battles of all. I am glad I won them, because in the end you won, too.

by Erma Bombeck