a west texas boy

Welling up from the dry West Texas dirt
Adventure was calling his name
From long before and ever since
That West Texas boy was born.

Arrowheads and rabbits
T-birds and the law
Soup cans and saltines
Living from meal to meal

Stories no one would ever believe
Except witnesses were there
Out in the West Texas desert
Out in the middle of nowhere

The sun has long since risen and set
On a lifetime of adventure
But the West Texas dirt won't ever forget
That West Texas boy and what he endured.

sublime light

Somewhere along these lines
I'll find my way
Illumination of a path I need to take
Is what I'm counting on

Bright is the light that shines on me
Keeping me warm on these cold days
Cutting the darkness in half
Opening my world to more

Infiltrated by sunshine
Permeated with hope
A delightful foundation to build on
My vehicle toward the sublime

melancholy spring

Spring contained on a shelf
I cannot bring it home
The landscape is for someone new
The earth below my feet, a stranger now

Signing away the past well treasured
To plant the future anew
Hoping for a place to land
A spring for us somewhere else

what easter means to me

Baskets with plastic grass and matching dresses

Fancy hats, white gloves, and lacy bobby socks

Boiled eggs and treats galore, family togetherness

Is this what Easter means to me? 

Worship with words and praise through songs

Scriptures by the apostles of old

Thoughts of the Garden and the Cross

Is this what Easter means to me?

Remembering each wound I caused

Considering the heartaches He healed

Partaking of His infinite Atonement

Is this what Easter means to me?

His birth

His life

His death

Is this what Easter means to me? 

Agony and pain

Three days of mourning the Son

Mists of darkness to be overcome

Is this what Easter means to me? 

An angel and an empty tomb

Mary, the first to witness and attest

Disciples one by one

Is this what Easter means to me? 

My Savior, your Savior

Rising triumphant from that grave

Proving to the world that God's love will overcome

The sun will shine on all with care

We too will rise in the light of God's grace

His joy is our joy when all is done

All of it is what Easter means to me. 

how will I make it through

I talk about this on or near the last day of Slice of Life almost every single year, so why break tradition.

The thought of writing thirty poems in thirty days causes great stress to my mind. I actually envisioned myself writing about how I would not be participating in National Poetry Month this year. It was frightening. I love poetry. I love writing poetry. People refer to me as poet. So how could possibly not participate?

Life is insane right now. That's how. I have too much on my plate.

However, writing poetry helps me, so I'm going to give it a go. Hopefully, I will have encouragement along the way. Encouragement and inspiration will be essential to pulling it off.

With a glimmer of hope and quite a bit of trepidation, I say farewell to March and Slice of Life and welcome to April and (we can all pray) thirty poems that aren't complete trash.