Category Archives: conflict

PRAISE GOD MOST HIGH FOR ANSWERED PRAYER

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Praise to you, God Most High,

For hearing prayer on the fly…

And your delight

Being quiet in your Sight,

Bringing us into your Light.

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You would talk with us,

Yet we put up the fuss…

Ne’er slowing down

Nor coming around,

In ways that are not just!

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Walking with your children in gardens,

Seeing our eyes at Thee widen…

drying our tears

and calming our fears,

Joy at mutual abiding!

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We don’t model for kids,

the closeness and joy you give…

But stay away–

Asking others pray–

Misunderstanding God’s writ.

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Pray for me, said like Simon,*

The sorcerer on his own ladder climbing…

Unwilling to claim

Given to him in God’s name,

What Christ, without his help, did buy for him!

–

–Jonathan Caswell

  •  Simon the Sorcerer…see  The Book of the Acts of the Apostles (or  simply…”ACTS”)  8:9-24.

CHURCH ATTENDANCE–A HYPOTHETICAL POEM

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He rarely attends now,

It’s gone and got diff’rent somehow…

He feels pushed aside

Not welcomed inside,

No one’s been direct with him, anyhow!

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They used to go faithfully,

Found the spirit there strong and free…

The Pastor moved on

And a preacher took on

Things with his own personality.

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With his circle of friends,

For our subject, being close to a pastor ends…

You know his pride

Didn’t like “outside”

But he wanted to attend.

–

Then he and his wife

Both saw ill health in life….

Comparison

With others is sin,

And churned up internal strife!

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The preacher/teacher and he,

(Too much alike?) weren’t happy…

It shifted into

“An authority over you”

Which wasn’t as healthy!

–

Various dissatisfactions

Led to complaints and  feigned actions….

Poor communication

Led to frustration,

In mutual distraction.

–

So now he stays at home

Sundays, with his wife alone…

No need to go

Taken for granted so,

But he’s stuck–this was his church home.

–

Socially depended on her,

His wife, for communication stirred…

When she took ill

He didn’t have the will,

To see that his opening up occurred.

–

He’s given his life for her,

Literally as it were…

Goes it alone

Reaching out he’s done,

Elsewhere–little left at “home”.

–

Options to go elsewhere?

Feels bound by his wife–so there!

Decision paralyzed–

Easier to survive

By himself, ‘though few benefits to share!

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A “hypothetical poem”–which means it is just a poem….!

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–Jonathan Caswell

 

 

 

 

FINAL (?) COMMENTS ON A “GRIFFIN”

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A mythical griffin is true

To its nature blue…

Made of rock–

Sturdy stock=–

It never  no never boo-hoos!

–

Unlike the “comedienne,

Who’s turned herself into “victim”…

Self responsibility

Is unconscionably,

Denied by her or him!

–

Now a lawyer she seeks,

Someone else must pay her lost “ekes”

She did the act–

No one “made her”, in fact–

Most of us see through her pitiful squeaks!

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It’s time for this child to grow up,

As one wag said–MAN UP!…

You’ve gone too far

With behavior bizarre,

With morals you’ve proven corrupt.

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(An opinion post! )

–

-Jonathan Caswell

HANGING TROPHIES

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Back when they owned a home,

Their woods the homeowner roamed…

Found a large bra

Waiting for a thaw,

Hanging from a branch away from home.

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Found a bag-full  ladies’ shoes,

And a PLAYGIRL Mag. well-used….

What evil lurks

In all human works,

What horrible things Man exumes!

–

–Jonathan Caswell

MID-FEBRUARY HAIKU ASSORTMENT

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(Each individual three-line haiku is considered a poem on its own,

despite perhaps being related to a common theme.–J.E.C.)

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(Additionally, haiku may or may not include punctuation—traditional haiku generally do not  have it –J.E.C.)

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Presidents’ Day off

Waving away package trucks

Skeleton crew on

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American loss,

Long weekends not historic…

Blurred history lost!

–

High snow banks turn brown

Road salt stains on pavement grey

Waiting for snow days

–

Plow trucks stand idle

Except for salting road ice

No more overtime?

–

Winter buds wonder

Is it time to grow and sprout?

Freeze burnt other years…!

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Swans in ponds feeding

Youngsters finally on their own

Mommas drove them off

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Easter candy sales

Set up before the fourteenth

Valentines half off

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–Jonathan Caswell

MAY I INTERJECT

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May I interject

An opinion that some suspect…

Judgmental at heart

But I would impart

Wisdom  that trend setters reject?

–

What is the desire to share

The latest in underwear…

Out in plain

Sight–what’s the game?

Are you trying to lose it that night?

–

As a guy, satin lace,

Is groovy but out of place?

Why advertise

The pleasant surprise–

I know, with the trends to keep pace!

–

Femininity in the open,

Are designers secretly hoping…

Planned Parenthood

Makes out good,

As result of a young man’s groping?

–

Ah yes, but it’s the style,

Sit down and listen a while?

Men will be men–

Do you realize you’ve been

An open invitation for his guile?

–

Yes, guys do think like that,

Canoodling after…a twat…

Give guys a mile

And they’ll make you smile,

Excuses won’t rectify that.

–

–Jonathan Caswell

A TOAST TO FRIENDS PRESENT AND MISSING…AT CHRISTMAS TIME!

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People we miss and love,

Missing or taken above…

Oh how we miss

Their joy or hiss,

Their gentle comments or rough!

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Among them is Esther Ling,

She was in the lesbian thing…

Opposite were we

But she was a Mommy,

Ran to her when figuratively I needed mothering!

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Numerous friends I had in school,

Have slipped or drove away (I’m the fool)…

Some I drove away

Or ignored to this day,

Elementary through college kept only two

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Bloggers–many follow some not–

Never sure of how many give you thought…

Over a thousand mine

To whom I give little time,

Just a handful  of their blogs I’ve sought!

–

Surrounded by my family we are,

Been slow to contact any (my par)…

Younger ones I don’t know

As familiar ones go,

What can I do, having delayed thus far?

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Does any of this make sense,

Is loss of your friends as immense…

I’m sure it is–

Friends we miss,

We remember  our friends in the past tense!

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–Jonathan Caswell

ESTHER LING

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His friends know that he does,

For things that “was”…

Esther Ling

Was the real thing,

Committed to her cause.

–

Opposite from me,

But blogged in sincerity…

Her rainbow flag

A part of her bag,

We were able to be friendly.

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Visits back and forth,

Of a poetic sort…

Her chosen art great

Poetry mates,

In two languages by choice!

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I’ll miss her Shabbat posts,

For her father’s attending ghost…

Few others can

Replace the man

Who loved her and was close.

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Esther, come back to us,

If it’s not too much fuss….

“Hortus closus”

One supposes,

Will be honored for its  human thrust!

–

–Jonathan Caswell

Featured image is one from her blog, https://hortusclosus.wordpress.com/

NEARLY TIME FOR TAPS…

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(One Poet’s Opinion)

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American stars and stripes,

Wave in fading light…

Spotlights glow

So we know,

Out flag is doing alright.

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As for the country we cringe,

What is the next freedom impinged…

Ignored laws unliked,

Disapproval spiked,

The Administration acts unhinged.

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And our leader of the free world,

Hates the country where he’s raising his girls…

They’ve openly proved

Suffering leaves them unmoved,

Unless there’s a news crew to twirl.

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The “Change” is here,

Reaching for freedoms held dear…

Does what he likes–

Avoids open mikes–

Eventually his plan was made clear.

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The ultimate patriotic sin

Is to tear us down from within…

Conquer-divide

While goodies are eyed,

The rest of us thrown in a bin.

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The problem is, both sides

Seem to have similar prides…

Quietly taking

From upside-down shaking,

While laws are broken–each abides.

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Who will call this to task,

Doesn’t seem to be any to ask…

Will any act

Or all are in fact

Willing to put we voters dead last?

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(An opinion piece)

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–Jonathan Caswell

JESUS WEEPS.

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JESUS WEEPS…!

(An opinion piece)

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For all the children eaten,

For all His people beaten…

At least they’ll see

Eternity

Away from life so fleeting.

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Those who sit by,

Should hear the tortured cry…

Of a god and his raiders,

Hateful invaders,

Who make victims want to die!

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“Progressives” who don’t care a whit,

Yawn saying “get on with it”…

So we can win

Not looking at sin,

“That doesn’t bother us one bit.”

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They call themselves upright,

But that won’t wash tonight…

Jesus weeps

While a ruler keeps

His vacation schedule tight.

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–Jonathan Caswell

(An opinion piece—of the Poet and those who truly care for others—photo ops. not withstanding!)