Eternal Love: A Poem for my Grandmother

A little over a week ago, my beloved grandmother Kathleen Elsner passed away. I wrote this poem in memory of her. It is a hymn, but it is infused with her influence. It reflects my memories of watching the cardinals in her backyard and her love of tea and my assurance that in Christ, she is now in glory, and I remain connected to her.

Eternal Love

O Father God, You are Eternal Love.

Your love is manifest in all we see:

A flash of scarlet wings against white snow,

A flower bed, a smile, a cup of tea

Sweet daily blessings printed with Your name

But sweeter still the love that makes them shine,

Infusing every memory we share

With precious glimmers of Your love divine.

O Son of God to human parents born

You shared our joys and felt our pain and grief.

You bled and died for sins of those You love.

By death, from death You brought us our relief

And rising, You have conquered every wrong.

Relationships we broke You have restored,

Temporal image of Eternal Love,

We thank and praise you, Savior and our Lord.

O Holy Spirit, Comforter and Strength,

You breathe, and sin-crushed spirits come alive

You make our lives reflect the risen Christ,

You lift us to the goal toward which we strive.

You bind in unity all those You touch,

Through space and time and into heav’n above,

Where those who’ve gone before wait till we join

Their perfect union with Eternal Love.

The Son of God (poem)

“Behold the Lamb of God,” the Baptist cries

The Christ repents of evil not his own

He steps down to the chilling stream that once

Gave way before another Joshua,

That those he led might reach the promised land

Now he descends into the surging deep

The waters rush above his head, and then

He rises, breathing deeply once again

The cloudy curtain of the heavens tears

A Voice proclaims him God’s beloved Son

The Lamb up to the slaughterhouse is led

To bear the weight of evil not his own

Guilt pulls him down toward death as mockers shout

At him to save himself, but he will not

That those he leads might reach the promised land

Thus He descends into the damp, dark grave and waits

To rise. But now He yields His dying breath

The sacred curtain of the temple tears

A man declares, “This was the Son of God.”

Harmony: An Anniversary Poem

A few days ago, on August 3, 2015, my parents celebrated their 35^th anniversary. I wrote this poem to honor them for their commitment and love. The older I get, the more deeply I realize what a blessing it was to grow up in their family.

Harmony

That summer day, long years ago,

You stood with hands and hopes entwined.

You spoke and merged two lives in one.

As on that day the church bells chimed,

The silent songs of both your lives

Rang forth in joyful harmony.

Each voice distinct, you sing as one,

An echo of eternity.

And flowing from those living chords

New lives one day began to be.

I, child of your vows, now stand,

A witness to your unity,

For though I did not see the day

When life and life were joined in one,

I’ve seen the flower but not the seed;

I’ve danced to music then begun.

I’ve seen you laugh and talk and kiss

And look into each other’s eyes.

I’ve seen you give each other rest

Amid your sorrows, toils and sighs.

I know that discord must have come,

And sought your music to deface,

But dissonance was soon resolved

By your resolve to offer grace.

Commitment like a castle stood

To guard me in my early years.

Into your walls of love I’d flee

When I was overwhelmed by fears.

And though I now have left your home,

No matter what I see or do,

I know that lifelong love is real,

For I have seen true love in you.

Isla Formosa (To the tune of "Hotel California")

One of my hobbies is rewriting song lyrics. It makes me laugh and helps me feel less stressed. This one is inspired by my time on Taiwan, which the Portuguese called "Isla Formosa." It's a very appropriate name, because it means "beautiful island."

Note: You'll probably enjoy this more if you have the lyrics to "Hotel California" in mind as you read. Part of the "game" is keeping the lyrics as close to the original as possible while changing the meaning enough to relate to the new topic.

Isla Formosa

On a dark city side street, humidity in my hair,

Warm smell of choudoufu,* rising up through the air,

Up ahead in the distance, I saw a shimmering light

Was growing hungry, so I wandered in

To the night market that night

There she stood at a snack stand; I heard the music’s beat,

And I was thinking to myself, “How do all these people fit in this street?”

Then she gave me a smile, and she showed me the way

There were voices everywhere I turned,

I thought I heard them say,

“Welcome to the Isla Formosa

Such a lovely place (such a lovely place) such a lovely place

We can make room on the Isla Formosa

Any time of year (Any time of year) You can find it here.”

Her mind is not very twisted. She’s got a scooter so small

She’s got a lot of Hello Kitty shirts and wears them all

Then we hike up the mountain, sweet summer sweat

Sometimes it is sunny; always I get wet

So I said at the tea stand, “Please bring me my tea,”

And he said, “I have run this tea stand here since 1993.”

And still those voices are calling from far away,

Wake you up in the middle of the night, just to hear them say,

“Welcome to the Isla Formosa

Such a lovely place (such a lovely place) such a lovely place

Living it up on the Isla Formosa

Such a nice surprise (Such a nice surprise) Eat some mango ice.”

Flowers on the treetops, bubble tea on ice,

And she said, “You should try the food they sell here; it is very nice.”

And in my friends’ apartment we gathered for the feast

Grabbed it with our wooden sticks but we can’t eat all the meat

Last thing I remember I was headed for the plane

Back to the place I was before, where I had to be again

“Relax” said the people. “We are eager to receive

“You can fly back any time you like, but you won’t want to leave!”

* Chinese for stinky tofu. It is very appropriately named. Much like Formosa.

Rest

This poem was inspired by a walk on a warm summer day. I was feeling anxious and uncertain about my future, but the beauty of the world around me reminded me of the truth: I don’t need to change the world to be valuable. I am already covered and enfolded by God’s grace.

Rest

Wind breathes on the trees, and they whisper of grace

In the warmth of the sunlight I feel Your embrace

Gracious Lord of all peace, You are here in this place

And I rest in Your merciful hand

I come here with wounds from the world and its lies

That taught me your love and Your gifts to despise

And yet You have heard my ungrateful heart’s cries

And You healed me and taught me to stand

I stumbled before Your throne, weary and sore

Despite all my striving, still utterly poor

Yet you heard my request, and You gave me far more

Though I never could meet Your demand

You’ve saved me from sin, but how slowly I learn!

I grab at hot coals, though I know that they burn

Yet always You call me; I hear and return

And I cling to my God’s nail-pierced hand

Spirit, breathe on my soul, and infuse me with grace

May I cease from all striving and trust Your embrace

May I walk in Your presence till I see Your face

And I rest in the true promised land

See Him Rise Above the Heavens: an ascension hymn

 See Him rise above the heavens, He who once from heaven came

Taking back His rightful glory, served by angels’ hands of flame

Perfect image of the Father, radiant glory once sent down

Now the angels bow before Him; now He wears the victor’s crown.

See the Lamb who made atonement, for His sinful creatures died

Raised to life, and now to glory, seated at the Father’s side.

No more sacrifice is needed; your redemption is complete.

Cleansed by Him you now can boldly stand before your Father’s seat.

See Him when, in times of sorrow, hope is hidden from your eyes,

When the world erupts in bloodshed; when you drown in fears and lies.

Know that He who loved and saved you holds the cosmos in His hand.

He will overcome this darkness. He will give you grace to stand.

See Him now; await His coming once for all, all things to claim.

He will speak, and sin will shatter. All will bow before His name.

Heaven and earth made new in beauty with His holy ones will sing:

“Jesus, Lord of earth and heaven, we adore You, Savior, King.”

Inspired largely by Hebrews 1

Matthew

He sits beside the dusty road.

His face, his soul are caked with dust.

He slumps beneath guilt’s heavy load.

The glaring eyes, the jaws outthrust,

the scornful stares no longer burn;

accustomed to his people’s hate,

he dares not hope enough to yearn,

too dead to mourn his dying state.

Across his view some children run,

Leaping, laughing with delight.

Heads turn, and down the road there comes

a man with eyes alive with light

who smiles as the children play.

His footsteps trace a joyful dance.

The tax-collector looks away

and wishes for another chance.

He hears the dancing steps draw near.

He does not dare to raise his eyes.

He feels the weight of shame and fear,

but deep beneath the surface lies

a thirst for life, for love, for good,

for someone to call him to be

more. If only someone would.

The Teacher says, “Come, follow me.”

Instrument: A Haiku

This morning, I played my flute in chapel. Although Taiwan's temperature mostly stays above 10 degrees C/50 degrees F, we don't have indoor heating. That meant the instruments needed quite a bit of tuning. As I breathed warm air down my flute to warm it up, this poem came to me.

Cold, lifeless metal

Feels the warmth of living breath,

Wakes and sings for joy

The Shadow of Your Wings

My hatchling soul is thirsty for the rush

Of liberty beneath my tiny wings.

The bright blue beckons. As the breezes brush

Against my ear I hear a siren sing.

It bids me dive into the heights of blue

And rise to where my soul was born to be.

I will not wait. I know what I will do.

I leap and shout my triumph – I am free!

I beat my wings, but something has gone wrong.

My soul was born to sail upon the heights,

But I am young; my wings are not yet strong.

I flap; I flutter, flail with all my might,

But nothing I can do can make me fly.

I plunge beneath the ocean of the air,

And, seeing that I trusted in a lie,

I shatter on the rocks of rough despair.

Your shadow on my broken body falls.

I wish to hide my weakness from Your gaze,

But in Your voice, unbound compassion calls

To me. A fragile plea for help I raise.

Your mighty talons lift my shattered frame

And shelter me within Your mercy’s nest.

Though I am weak, you love me all the same.

In Your bright shadow I will wait and rest.

Advent Haiku 25: Christmas Day

This will be the final haiku in the series. Thank you to everyone who has taken this journey with me. I wish you all a happy Christmas filled with blessings of all kinds.

Sing out Maker's praise
He has come to save us all.
Christ is born today!

Advent Haiku 24: Christmas Eve

Darkness fills with light
Silent waiting turns to song
On this holy night

Advent Haiku 23: The Prince of Peace

Here is the last of my four haikus on Isaiah 9:6.

Born amid squalor

In a world still rent by war

Comes the Prince of Peace

I'm Dreaming of a Wet Christmas

I grew up in Connecticut and went to Michigan for Christmas most years. For those of you who aren't from America, those are both in the northern part of the country, and they get very cold, which means I'm used to white Christmases. In contrast, it pretty much never snows in Taiwan, except on some very tall mountains. It rains a lot, though, especially in the winter. As such, I think a certain classic Christmas song needs new words for people on this subtropical island to sing:

Wet Christmas

I'm dreaming of a wet Christmas

Just like the ones I used to know

Where the raindrops glisten

And children listen

To hear scooters on the road

I'm dreaming of a wet Christmas

With every Christmas card I get

So be merry, but don't forget

Your umbrella or you will be wet

Advent Haiku 22: The Fourth Candle

The fourth candle on an advent wreath is lit today, forming a complete circle on a standard wreath.

May this ring of light
Soon enfold our troubled world
Bringing it true peace

Advent Haiku 21: Preparation

Today's haiku takes a break from the story to focus on our lives. Advent is a busy time for many of us, and I think it's important to take time to stop and remember Christ's presence with us.

In the rush of life
Bells are ringing through the din
Listen for your Lord

Advent Haiku 20: The Shepherds (II)

Based on Luke 2:8-20.

Shepherds rose and went
To the newborn Lamb of God,
Their true Good Shepherd

Advent Haiku 19: The Angels

My interpretation of the angels' song in Luke 2:14.

Glory be to God,
Who comes, bringing peace to you
Who receive His grace.

Advent Haiku 18: The Shepherds (I)

Dozing by our sheep
(Counting them makes me sleepy)
All Heaven broke loose

Advent Haiku 17: To Bethlehem

We return to Joseph's perspective. Reference: Luke 2:1-5

Take my pregnant wife
All the way to Bethlehem?
Man, I hate taxes!

Advent Haiku 16: Everlasting Father

A third haiku on Isaiah 9:6.

Source of all that is
The everlasting father
Born of a young girl