I CAN STAND QUITE TALL HERE

 I CAN STAND QUITE TALL HERE

A steward in my church

I read sacred Scripture

standing at the ambo,

the Holy Book opened

to Testaments Old and New.

I can stand quite tall here.

Moses asks God, “Me, Lord?”

At my side a cane helps

keep me upright, balanced,

glad to be alive and

blessed to read the Bible.

Jesus speaks out, “Follow Me”

and I nod my head.

Sometimes the words cause me

to choke back tears. The thought

of speaking His words,

the words of patriarchs,

of saints, of unbelievers—

I intensify my prayers

that more hearts will open

to the God Who died for us.

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YOUR ALCHEMIST LOVER

blind-sided by the chase,

you took bitter wormwood

on the tongue, swallowed down

bits of iron your lover

vowed he transformed into gold.

now when heart songs should burgeon

like fields of baby’s sweet breath,

no adagios lullaby you to sleep.

tinker man says he’ll mend it all.

an expert of spells,

he’ll nuzzle at your ear,

charm love back into

a ready epilogue.

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