Death I see, that ugly spectre,
Coarsely overshadows youth.
Lame, they look for interaction
With the bondman.  Shame, forsooth!

Drowning in the dams of liars
When they could be shining lights!
They believe what e’er is told them,
****** in by the TV sights.

Culture told them there’s no future,
There’s no healing for despair.
Bet they never read the Bible –
Words of LIFE spelt loud and clear.

There’s no need for this attrition
Of our children.  Give them truth.
Let them listen to the old ones –
Hard they learned the facts of life.

By the power of scripture they have
Overcome the skull and bones.
Into joy and peace they’re marching.
Youth could follow in those zones.

Up to them to stop and listen.
Perhaps the media got it wrong.
Find a person in their nineties,
Who survived the wars and so on.

They are old because their attitude
Enabled them to plunge right in,
Boots and all in right perspective,
Shake and move, the truth to win.

They’ve believed in right and beauty,
Principles and sacrifice.
Not for them the great self pity
Serving death – man-trap device.

Rather they’ve bent over backwards
To embrace another’s need,
And serving, felt the great dynamic  
LIFE FORCE.  Yes.  They were a breed!

This is your day in the sun,
Your day of triumph,
Of commitment,
Of promise and intention,
Of New Beginnings,
The end of loneliness.
This is the new foundation,
The plying together of bricks and mortar
The bricks to give colour and shape,
The mortar to give structure and soundness,
So that together you are an impregnable fortress
With doors of heartfelt love,
Windows of vision,
Rooms of peace and generousity,
Furnishings of service and beauty,
And a garden of sweet memories to grow.
I wish you success at every turn,
Joy on every path,
Delight in all the little things of life,
Deeply rooted and vigorously sprouting shoots of loyalty and love
Nurtured on the fertiliser of experience and wisdom,
And
LONG LIFE TOGETHER!
with
very much love

Brrrrrm Brrrrrrrm halt, now geared in park
With the brake on,  waiting, just for a lark.
Here in immediacy, come out to play
Exquisite blue wrens, at the end of the day.
Leaving their nest in the bushes close by
To examine the scene, for here is a wry
Little creature,  we clearly can see
The great disappearer.  Invisible he
Will only come out when the car arrives home.
Wherever he goes other times is unknown.
Flutter, flutter, question mark.  How can this be?
And what is this hard thing that we cannot see?
Now where is his nest, his wife and their egg?
They must be somewhere in this space that we peg.
Committed to finding what this bird’s about,
And then we will boot him from our garden out -
But such an enigma.  There is evidence, sure,
Right there in the mirror, we’ve seen it before.
****!

There’s a horse in my backyard,
Most magnificent to regard,
Black his colour, long his mane
Upon his shoulder tangling down.
Jet coat shines and muscles ripple
As he rears and prances danger.
He’s a stallion, powerfully built.
His name is Anger.

There’s another little pony,
Very lovable is this one.
Bright and sunny is her nature,
White and gold her bristling colour.
As everybody’s favourite choice,
She works the long, extended hours,
But overworked, she has a voice!
She is Compassion.

Next, the pinto comes for breakfast,
Trotting sweetly to the repast,
Tough and wiry, head tossed gaily,
Snorting, stamping, propping daily,
He’s the one with his own mind,
Hard mouth, slow to understand
What is needed tags behind.
He’s called Willpower.

Can’t leave out the lovely racer,
Chestnut, and the red lights lace her!
Most eye-catching, charged, and ready,
Whipping round upon a penny,
Found where other horses run,
She’ll toss you off if she thinks she can,
Ever dancing in the sun.
Dependency.

There are many steeds at stable
In my backyard.  I am able
To learn to manage every one
Under tuition of the Son.
Jealousy, Envy, Hope and Fear
Are some of the others that I hold dear.
Each has its place and each its task
And each its sting.




For the rider who is highly skilled,
And has his mounts all daily drilled,
Will play life’s game of polo well.
His coach will keep him on the ball.
And every horse will become his friend,
Learn good manners, when to stretch,
When to pull and twist and send
The ball to goal!

There’s a bear in there!
“ A bear? Where? Where?”
“In church. See there?”
“Can you see the bear?”

“It’s a fashion trend
With a flirty look.
It’s a magazine
With a gossip hook.

It’s a leading man
With an undead past.
It’s a promise made
That doesn’t last.

It’s a lazy trend
That wastes the time,
And doesn’t relate
To the heart sublime.”

“I always said that
We musn’t judge.”
“But we must discern,
Maybe give a nudge.”

“But the Scripture says
Take the beam out first.”
“That’s exactly right,
And so we must -

But then we durst
Turn a sinner back,
Save a soul from death
For His great love’s sake.

Our lampstand must
Remain in place.
Sexuality
May not ******.

Toleration and
Compromise
Bring death. Not there the
White stone lies.

Comfort Gospel
(Jezebel’s whim
And society’s ease )
Is a preacher’s sin.

Earthly treasure will
Close the eye so
The Light is dim
Where many go.”

“But Jesus promised
His healing hand,
Great plans for our future
We understand.”

“You’re right, He did
But the problem is
It’s not in the carnal
His purpose lies.

It’s in character building
Through struggle ,pain
And sacrifice
Again and again,

Until His children
Can submit
To his greater plan
In a perfect fit.

Until they can get
A handle on
His vision for Life
And eternity strong.

Will you go there?
With determined tread
And a single mind
His purpose read?

Will you open your page
In His blueprint plan
And download a copy
To your hard drive, (wo) Man?

A heavy landscape clouds my weary eyes.
The fog lies low and hides those pretty flowers.
The London cab is almost red and vanished
The traffic slows, while sleet has walkers punished.
Wealth eludes.  So driven, I’ve found new sights.
I dream. I struggle. Distance calls. I fight

Within myself a battle.  Shall I go
And leave my loved one lost and grieving so?
Will she wait for me, that bubbly lass
Whom my heart longs to hold in soft embrace?
Will she upon our romance shut the door?
Or when my fortune’s made in the lands afar,
Will she then come to share my rising star?

Will sweetest heart remain my faithful friend?
I fear the question curdles like a fiend.
The ocean barque awaits and I must board
In just three weeks.  I heartily adored
Her flouncing curls of bronze, her laughing eyes,
And heart-shaped, pouting lips and turned-up nose.

Yet go I must, for fortune calls my name.
“Dear Barbara, will you faithfully remain
In England’s arms until I send for you
From lands downunder. I must say adieu.
I bought some land and go to build a house,
And graze some cattle, new life to espouse.

When all is done I’ll pay your passage out
And wait for you to come in style. I’ll shout
And tell the world that you are mine alone,
You’ll have such finery.  I’ll see it done.”
“I will not wait,” it broke my heart to hear.
She paused and, teasing, cast her eyes down drear,

Then lifted up her head and tossed her curls,
And planting both her lips upon my own,
“I’ll come WITH you when your ship’s flag unfurls”
She cried. With that the deed was quickly done.
The captain married us upon the seas,
Our life began amidst the high sea’s breeze.

You made me laugh – when I was crying.
You made me strong – when I was weak.
You gave me wisdom – for my foolishness.
You gave me vision – when I was bleak.

You asked me one thing – that I would trust You.
You showed me something I’d never known –
Yet it was something my heart was aching for –
Your overpowering love and gentleness were shown.

I knew that I would always trust You.
I knew that You would walk with me.
Whatever life might throw down my way
Your Truth would always keep me free.

Life’s bitter highway has thrown me boulders,
Resuscitation comes alone from You –
And with it light, the shadows all surpassing.
This life is known by far too few.

So many lies twine round the heartstrings.
So many demons tranquilise the soul.
So many shutters cancel out the vision
Of the One and only Christ who makes men whole.

A man must choose his fate. His future
Depends entirely on his choices now.
Believe the lies and blindly follow fortune’s way,
Or find the truth and wear a winner’s gown.

Could you be brave enough to look for truth?
Could you be one who’s willing to believe?
Could you then trust the Man who went before us all
Through death to Life, our vision to retrieve.

Could you dance when the chips are down?
Could you be one unstoppable at last,
Whose back cannot be broken by vicissitudes of life.
Could you be one with Him?  It’s no great ask.

Could you tell Him “I’m not quite all I thought I was,”
Could you face facts with vision’s morning dew,
And find the blood of Jesus quite up to the task
Of full resuscitation.  You could be brand new!