GROVE PSALM (for Elder Kikuchi)
To keep a journal is to pray
In words that angels seal –
To make a record for each day
Establishes what’s real.
To thank the Father for His love
Enhances joy we feel –
To ask a question is to seek
The answer He’ll reveal.
(27 January 2011, Provo, Utah)
Friday, January 28, 2011
MARTYR PSALM
MARTYR PSALM
Abinadi and Tyndale burned –
The torch was lit by lies –
Their message could not be consumed –
No martyr really dies –
St. Joan of Arc and Lady Jane –
St. Ursula’s young maids –
Their testimony is secured
By selfless holy deeds.
(24 January 2011, Pleasant Grove, Utah)
Abinadi and Tyndale burned –
The torch was lit by lies –
Their message could not be consumed –
No martyr really dies –
St. Joan of Arc and Lady Jane –
St. Ursula’s young maids –
Their testimony is secured
By selfless holy deeds.
(24 January 2011, Pleasant Grove, Utah)
Sunday, January 23, 2011
TOMB PSALM
TOMB PSALM
When Jesus spoke to Magdalen
As resurrected Man –
She was the first to testify
That He fulfilled the plan.
She witnessed that He rose again
And ran to tell the rest:
“The First Fruit of the Garden is
Our Lord – the Blessed Best!”
(17 October 2010, Pleasant Grove, Utah)
When Jesus spoke to Magdalen
As resurrected Man –
She was the first to testify
That He fulfilled the plan.
She witnessed that He rose again
And ran to tell the rest:
“The First Fruit of the Garden is
Our Lord – the Blessed Best!”
(17 October 2010, Pleasant Grove, Utah)
SWALLOWED PSALM
SWALLOWED PSALM (Mosiah 16:8-10; 18:2)
He is the endless light of all
That never can be dim –
Our mortal puts Eternal on
With Life that comes from Him.
Through power, pain, and death of Christ
Redemption’s brought to pass –
Ascension – resurrection hour –
And earth a Sea of Glass.
(16 January 2011, Pleasant Grove, Utah)
He is the endless light of all
That never can be dim –
Our mortal puts Eternal on
With Life that comes from Him.
Through power, pain, and death of Christ
Redemption’s brought to pass –
Ascension – resurrection hour –
And earth a Sea of Glass.
(16 January 2011, Pleasant Grove, Utah)
REVELSTOKE PSALM
REVELSTOKE PSALM (for Elizabeth Hallen and Wade Siebenthal)
Maturity means reaching out
While gathering within –
To share the heart with others while
Forsaking futile sin.
Great Aunt wants us to see the site
In Canada’s expanse –
A pilgrimage to where she learned
True love if not romance.
A wintry weathered mining man
Came here to face the fact
That what he needed was a life
Of sacred wedding pact.
One hundred years ago this fall
Is double jubilee –
So we will celebrate their vow –
Their anniversary.
(23 January 2011, Pleasant Grove, Utah)
Maturity means reaching out
While gathering within –
To share the heart with others while
Forsaking futile sin.
Great Aunt wants us to see the site
In Canada’s expanse –
A pilgrimage to where she learned
True love if not romance.
A wintry weathered mining man
Came here to face the fact
That what he needed was a life
Of sacred wedding pact.
One hundred years ago this fall
Is double jubilee –
So we will celebrate their vow –
Their anniversary.
(23 January 2011, Pleasant Grove, Utah)
IDENTITY PSALM
IDENTITY PSALM (from Julie Beck)
Our name is Mother in the plan.
That is our endless role –
No other mantra can replace
The compass of our soul.
We must not run away from “Life”
That is our destiny –
The secret to fulfillment is
Response ability.
(18 January 2011, Pleasant Grove, Utah)
Our name is Mother in the plan.
That is our endless role –
No other mantra can replace
The compass of our soul.
We must not run away from “Life”
That is our destiny –
The secret to fulfillment is
Response ability.
(18 January 2011, Pleasant Grove, Utah)
CHESS PSALM
CHESS PSALM (To Catherine, Ferdinand, and Isabella)
The Queen is more essential
Than any other role –
She guards the King from danger –
She has the most control –
Moves forward or reverses –
With one step, two, or three . . .
Diagonal or vertical
Or horizontally –
If lost, the game is over –
Unless redeemed by Pawn –
The power of the granger
To reinstate what’s gone –
The Woman shares the center –
Her Husband’s equal mate –
They have to work together
To circumnavigate.
(13 January 2011, Pleasant Grove, Utah)
The Queen is more essential
Than any other role –
She guards the King from danger –
She has the most control –
Moves forward or reverses –
With one step, two, or three . . .
Diagonal or vertical
Or horizontally –
If lost, the game is over –
Unless redeemed by Pawn –
The power of the granger
To reinstate what’s gone –
The Woman shares the center –
Her Husband’s equal mate –
They have to work together
To circumnavigate.
(13 January 2011, Pleasant Grove, Utah)
PLACE PSALM
PLACE PSALM
We sanctify the Sabbath when
We listen reverently –
We justify our presence when
We worship solemnly.
We purify our spirit when
We gather quietly.
We clarify our vision when
We ponder soberly.
(15 January 2011, Pleasant Grove, Utah)
We sanctify the Sabbath when
We listen reverently –
We justify our presence when
We worship solemnly.
We purify our spirit when
We gather quietly.
We clarify our vision when
We ponder soberly.
(15 January 2011, Pleasant Grove, Utah)
ALOE PSALM
ALOE PSALM
All neatly poised in readiness –
Compassion’s steady length –
Emergency preparedness
For giving aid, help, strength.
All packed in tidy implements
Of succor, service, care –
The increments of soothing salve –
Of healing and repair.
All stored for quick recovery –
Support, relief, and cure –
The convalescent instruments
Reliable and sure.
(6 January 2011, Pleasant Grove, Utah)
All neatly poised in readiness –
Compassion’s steady length –
Emergency preparedness
For giving aid, help, strength.
All packed in tidy implements
Of succor, service, care –
The increments of soothing salve –
Of healing and repair.
All stored for quick recovery –
Support, relief, and cure –
The convalescent instruments
Reliable and sure.
(6 January 2011, Pleasant Grove, Utah)
SYSTEM PSALM
SYSTEM PSALM (to Maria Elizabeth "Lisel" Hallen)
This book is made of paper leaves
That grew on poplar trees –
That stood upon a hill beside
A meadow made by bees –
Who danced a map from hive to bloom –
From blossom back to home –
Where honey gilt the palaces
Of wax and latticed comb –
Next to a cabin made of logs –
Wherein a daughter slept –
Who never walked when she awoke
But danced, entranced, and leapt –
Whose parents both were pioneers –
Survivors of The Fire –
Whose children were the siblings of
My grandfather – grandsire.
(6 January 2011, Pleasant Grove, Utah)
This book is made of paper leaves
That grew on poplar trees –
That stood upon a hill beside
A meadow made by bees –
Who danced a map from hive to bloom –
From blossom back to home –
Where honey gilt the palaces
Of wax and latticed comb –
Next to a cabin made of logs –
Wherein a daughter slept –
Who never walked when she awoke
But danced, entranced, and leapt –
Whose parents both were pioneers –
Survivors of The Fire –
Whose children were the siblings of
My grandfather – grandsire.
(6 January 2011, Pleasant Grove, Utah)
LESSON PSALM
LESSON PSALM
My body wants to sing –
My spirit wants to hear –
So I will listen as I praise
In case the Lord is near.
My being wants to shine –
My essence wants to grow –
So I will hearken as I learn
To grasp what I should know.
(20 January 2011, Pleasant Grove, Utah)
My body wants to sing –
My spirit wants to hear –
So I will listen as I praise
In case the Lord is near.
My being wants to shine –
My essence wants to grow –
So I will hearken as I learn
To grasp what I should know.
(20 January 2011, Pleasant Grove, Utah)
VENERATION PSALM
VENERATION PSALM (Mosiah 27:22-31)
The Lord is good and glorious –
His power opens eyes
And shakes the earth’s encumbrances
Into a paradise
Where every humble knee will bend
And every mouth profess
The glance of His all-searching gaze
Restores our righteousness.
All men and women – nations, tongues,
And people must be new –
Redeemed by tidings in sweet song:
The gospel must be true.
(22 January 2011, Pleasant Grove, Utah)
The Lord is good and glorious –
His power opens eyes
And shakes the earth’s encumbrances
Into a paradise
Where every humble knee will bend
And every mouth profess
The glance of His all-searching gaze
Restores our righteousness.
All men and women – nations, tongues,
And people must be new –
Redeemed by tidings in sweet song:
The gospel must be true.
(22 January 2011, Pleasant Grove, Utah)
INVERSE PSALM
INVERSE PSALM
Cold air sinks, but altitude chills –
A paradox of clime –
Warm air lifts, but mountain cools
The higher that we climb.
Liberty thrives, but license kills –
A consequence of law –
Freedom rings, but anarchy steals
The Frankincense of awe.
Our earth is star for other worlds –
A constellation dot –
Our solar system zodiac
For panoptical spot.
(7-8 January 2011, Pleasant Grove, Utah)
Cold air sinks, but altitude chills –
A paradox of clime –
Warm air lifts, but mountain cools
The higher that we climb.
Liberty thrives, but license kills –
A consequence of law –
Freedom rings, but anarchy steals
The Frankincense of awe.
Our earth is star for other worlds –
A constellation dot –
Our solar system zodiac
For panoptical spot.
(7-8 January 2011, Pleasant Grove, Utah)
VIOLA PSALM
VIOLA PSALM (for Viola Jarvis, daughter of Kindness Stock)
A place of white and rays of light –
Her new address is Star –
And each good work moves forward to
Accompany her Car.
Her chariot of fire leaves
A comet in the wake –
And each good word she spoke to us
A comma for her sake.
(21 December 2010, Pleasant Grove, Utah)
A place of white and rays of light –
Her new address is Star –
And each good work moves forward to
Accompany her Car.
Her chariot of fire leaves
A comet in the wake –
And each good word she spoke to us
A comma for her sake.
(21 December 2010, Pleasant Grove, Utah)
MT. PLEASANT PSALM
MT. PLEASANT PSALM (to my mother Florence)
The heart is the last thing to go –
The body lingers here –
The pulse runs fast – subsides too slow –
Relinquishing what’s dear.
The feet are the first part to change
To alabaster hues –
How beautiful though pale and strange
The life without the shoes.
(20 December 2010, Pleasant Grove, Utah)
The heart is the last thing to go –
The body lingers here –
The pulse runs fast – subsides too slow –
Relinquishing what’s dear.
The feet are the first part to change
To alabaster hues –
How beautiful though pale and strange
The life without the shoes.
(20 December 2010, Pleasant Grove, Utah)
HEAVEN PSALM
HEAVEN PSALM
But for the rest of the earth
This holy time might pass
Without a thought of being
By Lady, Lord, or Lass.
But for the birth of Jesus
This earth would fade away
Without a trace of meaning –
Of Doing, Depth, or Day.
(25 December 2010, Pleasant Grove, Utah)
But for the rest of the earth
This holy time might pass
Without a thought of being
By Lady, Lord, or Lass.
But for the birth of Jesus
This earth would fade away
Without a trace of meaning –
Of Doing, Depth, or Day.
(25 December 2010, Pleasant Grove, Utah)
HERD PSALM
HERD PSALM
The deer descend in agile stealth –
Their eyes the only spark of self –
They browse the stiff mahogany –
They tiptoe through the reverie.
Their eyes are taut with vigilance –
Their legs are lean with confidence –
They scatter if they see me breathe –
They gather when they hear me sleep.
(1 January 2011, Pleasant Grove, Utah)
The deer descend in agile stealth –
Their eyes the only spark of self –
They browse the stiff mahogany –
They tiptoe through the reverie.
Their eyes are taut with vigilance –
Their legs are lean with confidence –
They scatter if they see me breathe –
They gather when they hear me sleep.
(1 January 2011, Pleasant Grove, Utah)
HUE PSALM
HUE PSALM
The verse is washed in color –
A water-based pastel –
The edges blend or sharpen –
The pigments fade or swell.
A word can paint an image –
A sketch emerge from brush –
A syllable bring tincture –
Compose a line by touch.
(21 December 2010, Pleasant Grove, Utah)
The verse is washed in color –
A water-based pastel –
The edges blend or sharpen –
The pigments fade or swell.
A word can paint an image –
A sketch emerge from brush –
A syllable bring tincture –
Compose a line by touch.
(21 December 2010, Pleasant Grove, Utah)
PRUNING PSALM
PRUNING PSALM (Jacob 5; 3 Nephi 24:16)
The Lord of the Vineyard weeps for His Trees:
“What more for my people could I have done!”
His Servant replies: “Give us one more hour.
They may yet bring forth good works, help the one.”
A Book of Remembrance is kept for these
Who think on the name of the Only Son –
Who in vocal prayer seek the Savior’s Power –
Who grow towards the light of the Holy One.
Most precious to Him is the joyful Fruit –
The labor of nourishing not in vain –
Preserved for the joy of the Branch and Root –
The Lord’s sacrifice an eternal gain.
(17 December 2010, Pleasant Grove, Utah)
The Lord of the Vineyard weeps for His Trees:
“What more for my people could I have done!”
His Servant replies: “Give us one more hour.
They may yet bring forth good works, help the one.”
A Book of Remembrance is kept for these
Who think on the name of the Only Son –
Who in vocal prayer seek the Savior’s Power –
Who grow towards the light of the Holy One.
Most precious to Him is the joyful Fruit –
The labor of nourishing not in vain –
Preserved for the joy of the Branch and Root –
The Lord’s sacrifice an eternal gain.
(17 December 2010, Pleasant Grove, Utah)
FRONT PSALM
FRONT PSALM
The arctic tramp begins to vamp –
He throws his weight around –
He crashes as he thrashes brush –
He lashes branches down –
Then softens blow with gentle snow –
He whispers wind in wisps –
A crew of few comes cruising through
To show that sails exist.
(23 December 2010, Pleasant Grove, Utah)
The arctic tramp begins to vamp –
He throws his weight around –
He crashes as he thrashes brush –
He lashes branches down –
Then softens blow with gentle snow –
He whispers wind in wisps –
A crew of few comes cruising through
To show that sails exist.
(23 December 2010, Pleasant Grove, Utah)
ASHES PSALM
ASHES PSALM (for Susan Ream)
As if she were no saint, they burned
The casque of her remains –
As if she never wore a veil
They cremated her skeins –
As if her body could not rise –
As if death were the end –
As if she had no consequence –
As if she had no friend –
They underestimated Truth –
They cast a pearl to dust –
But she will walk again in white
Endowment as her Trust.
(14 December 2010, Pleasant Grove, Utah)
As if she were no saint, they burned
The casque of her remains –
As if she never wore a veil
They cremated her skeins –
As if her body could not rise –
As if death were the end –
As if she had no consequence –
As if she had no friend –
They underestimated Truth –
They cast a pearl to dust –
But she will walk again in white
Endowment as her Trust.
(14 December 2010, Pleasant Grove, Utah)
TACHYON PSALM
TACHYON PSALM (for James Hallen)
Telestial makes day seem night –
Looks dark, in spite of starlit farm –
And notwithstanding spikes of light
Feels chill and far in stead of warm.
Mortality makes life seem short –
Infinity looks minuscule –
Falls off inversely to the square –
Significance feels minimal.
Yet super strings project – protect –
Neutrinos purify the air
And penetrate our crust of earth –
Providing bread for every fare.
(14 December 2010, Pleasant Grove, Utah)
Telestial makes day seem night –
Looks dark, in spite of starlit farm –
And notwithstanding spikes of light
Feels chill and far in stead of warm.
Mortality makes life seem short –
Infinity looks minuscule –
Falls off inversely to the square –
Significance feels minimal.
Yet super strings project – protect –
Neutrinos purify the air
And penetrate our crust of earth –
Providing bread for every fare.
(14 December 2010, Pleasant Grove, Utah)
CASTLE PSALM
CASTLE PSALM (for Elizabeth Goudge)
Living, elusive memory
Of England’s destiny –
Giving inclusive charity
To Britain’s progeny –
Bells of Wells and Ely’s Dome-Clock –
Elizabethan history –
Oxford’s renaissance of figures
Donned in presbytery.
(3 December 2010, Pleasant Grove, Utah)
Living, elusive memory
Of England’s destiny –
Giving inclusive charity
To Britain’s progeny –
Bells of Wells and Ely’s Dome-Clock –
Elizabethan history –
Oxford’s renaissance of figures
Donned in presbytery.
(3 December 2010, Pleasant Grove, Utah)
WALKING PSALM
WALKING PSALM
Bury not thy beauty in
The earth or worldly things –
Walk in loveliness and smiles
Until your spirit sings –
Walk along the ridges of
Your probabilities –
Walk until you reach the bench
Of restful certainties.
(13 December 2010, Pleasant Grove, Utah)
Bury not thy beauty in
The earth or worldly things –
Walk in loveliness and smiles
Until your spirit sings –
Walk along the ridges of
Your probabilities –
Walk until you reach the bench
Of restful certainties.
(13 December 2010, Pleasant Grove, Utah)
Thursday, January 20, 2011
SIGN PSALM
SIGN PSALM
What is the meaning of the Earth?
What is it trying to say?
Significance of landscape on
An irridescent day?
What is the pupose of the world?
What is it longing to tell?
Glad tidings of great comfort to
The souls that herein dwell.
(28 November 2010)
What is the meaning of the Earth?
What is it trying to say?
Significance of landscape on
An irridescent day?
What is the pupose of the world?
What is it longing to tell?
Glad tidings of great comfort to
The souls that herein dwell.
(28 November 2010)
THIRD PERSON PSALM
THIRD PERSON PSALM
A dove-like form descended on
The Son of God as sign –
As approbations’s presence in
The Ordinance combine.
How is the Spirit like a bird?
Surveys the earth and sings –
Accompanies each Act of Truth
With covenantal wings.
(24 November 2010)
A dove-like form descended on
The Son of God as sign –
As approbations’s presence in
The Ordinance combine.
How is the Spirit like a bird?
Surveys the earth and sings –
Accompanies each Act of Truth
With covenantal wings.
(24 November 2010)
BOND PSALM
BOND PSALM
Our dreams come from the Ancestors –
They stem from DNA –
The mind produces Residues
Of what our Dead might say.
Impressions layer Memory
With Meanings evident –
As if a Veil has parted so
A Message could be sent.
(24 November 2010)
Our dreams come from the Ancestors –
They stem from DNA –
The mind produces Residues
Of what our Dead might say.
Impressions layer Memory
With Meanings evident –
As if a Veil has parted so
A Message could be sent.
(24 November 2010)
SEER PSALM
He is a God of miracles –
I see His hand through time –
I hear connections in His work
Like canticles of rhyme.
He is a Lord of oracles –
I sense His holy ode –
I feel prophetic impulses
Transposing each abode.
(19 November 2010)
[2 Nephi 27:23]
VERSPECTIVES PSALM
VERSPECTIVES PSALM
The Lord is my light and my guide
On paths through life’s vast countryside.
I follow Him to hidden springs
That nourish all creatures and things.
(14 October 2010, Pleasant Grove, Utah)
The Lord is my light and my guide
On paths through life’s vast countryside.
I follow Him to hidden springs
That nourish all creatures and things.
(14 October 2010, Pleasant Grove, Utah)
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