tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57720655672036804372024-03-13T16:22:12.677-07:00Just Poetryreflections by Jody Collins
Isaiah 61:10Jody Lee Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16017263035298663701noreply@blogger.comBlogger129125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5772065567203680437.post-82408162722603860862022-05-04T08:28:00.001-07:002022-05-04T08:29:19.711-07:00Gleaning--On Reading News on the Internet<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvDdPoNl44SOmVy-aL_HNhoJXly0vEHH6Vv6gCmxVuJVWwvGGvgiJ3YhOe-yGrPJDPlHl0pLd8oTIXAbnfhtc26pwwM-pFb4wqYWKZj79gBTz8XQUt3f53GUg6EJ27CuHv0vghQylUFaI7BAlh9ZwTXJTx-D4Si07pAXMKbakwaFfMETT5yYwQBzg0/s3264/melissa-askew-1fBUD5Dcmys-unsplash.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvDdPoNl44SOmVy-aL_HNhoJXly0vEHH6Vv6gCmxVuJVWwvGGvgiJ3YhOe-yGrPJDPlHl0pLd8oTIXAbnfhtc26pwwM-pFb4wqYWKZj79gBTz8XQUt3f53GUg6EJ27CuHv0vghQylUFaI7BAlh9ZwTXJTx-D4Si07pAXMKbakwaFfMETT5yYwQBzg0/w640-h480/melissa-askew-1fBUD5Dcmys-unsplash.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>Sift each word, parse out the kernels<p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">To keep in your hand. Let fall<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The ciphers weighted with noise <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">And save the manna at the center.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Set this aside to feed yourself then<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Cast the chaff to the wind, palms<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Up, for birds to swoop and rush<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In, nourish themselves from <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Your leavings.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Sate your hungry soul instead on<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Only what you need and rejoice-<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Your treasure remains, seed for<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Another day.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">.</p><p class="MsoNormal">Photo by Melissa Askew on Unsplash</p>Jody Lee Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16017263035298663701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5772065567203680437.post-26785628281583664012022-04-23T20:29:00.000-07:002022-04-23T20:29:10.314-07:00Spring<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNmXc0lksj9RxrNki0Sbcn8TFeHCTPF6fIj-3qeYROTn_AwmN1PYEETdxV5qW51m8w73pvHPpSvLQULugFOnrDr5kAEh_yyKkSWwU3Ru5z8Rtmso2mRsI4RB5owud9-ZdcoQDoJ_lpWH7Wwreli95kHUJ_lPk45ysj-cqUH8dVCx5zZTS8C-tOtm-L/s2828/IMG_20220414_151838.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2828" data-original-width="1872" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNmXc0lksj9RxrNki0Sbcn8TFeHCTPF6fIj-3qeYROTn_AwmN1PYEETdxV5qW51m8w73pvHPpSvLQULugFOnrDr5kAEh_yyKkSWwU3Ru5z8Rtmso2mRsI4RB5owud9-ZdcoQDoJ_lpWH7Wwreli95kHUJ_lPk45ysj-cqUH8dVCx5zZTS8C-tOtm-L/w265-h400/IMG_20220414_151838.jpg" width="265" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626;">Chloro phylls the horizon</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #262626;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626;">with a palette of lemon and</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #262626;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626;">lime. Calyxes drop feather</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #262626;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626;">dusters of honey and ochre,</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #262626;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626;">the firs ever present stand at</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #262626;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626;">attention, constant witnesses</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #262626;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626;">as am I, while God greens up</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #262626;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626;">the world.</span></span>Jody Lee Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16017263035298663701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5772065567203680437.post-21541861080725452532022-02-22T12:35:00.003-08:002022-02-22T12:35:22.142-08:00Gilt Gift<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg3dTJuAmvlhepdFHc1WXfeZ0HNhbERyMje6R3Z8y-NCfuqHfuPNY3Wt9Cpj9GeAtpLlSkjzFrQNNsSXivS5CLTBYPPT-H4ZU6Y1W508IvroP4uSZBDU_Ipg4FOx8rlZTTM7L9tPDt4IWeGubJWGJdZ3ieGwBzxLc3aQp7nx9BL3eMXvoms07SOKJbA=s2048" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="330" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg3dTJuAmvlhepdFHc1WXfeZ0HNhbERyMje6R3Z8y-NCfuqHfuPNY3Wt9Cpj9GeAtpLlSkjzFrQNNsSXivS5CLTBYPPT-H4ZU6Y1W508IvroP4uSZBDU_Ipg4FOx8rlZTTM7L9tPDt4IWeGubJWGJdZ3ieGwBzxLc3aQp7nx9BL3eMXvoms07SOKJbA=w440-h330" width="440" /></a></div><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "EB Garamond", serif; font-size: 26px;">Sometimes I guilt myself right out</span><p></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #222222; font-family: "EB Garamond", serif; font-size: 26px; margin-bottom: 30px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;">of joy. Like the surprise of an iridescent</p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #222222; font-family: "EB Garamond", serif; font-size: 26px; margin-bottom: 30px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;">butterfly from an unsightly cocoon,</p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #222222; font-family: "EB Garamond", serif; font-size: 26px; margin-bottom: 30px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;">who would expect this shimmering</p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #222222; font-family: "EB Garamond", serif; font-size: 26px; margin-bottom: 30px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;">show in morning sunlight?</p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #222222; font-family: "EB Garamond", serif; font-size: 26px; margin-bottom: 30px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;">Eyes are trained on Northwest firs</p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #222222; font-family: "EB Garamond", serif; font-size: 26px; margin-bottom: 30px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;">framed in blue, frosted feeders,</p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #222222; font-family: "EB Garamond", serif; font-size: 26px; margin-bottom: 30px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;">feathered presents hidden among</p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #222222; font-family: "EB Garamond", serif; font-size: 26px; margin-bottom: 30px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;">the trees.</p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #222222; font-family: "EB Garamond", serif; font-size: 26px; margin-bottom: 30px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;">I’ve held my breath, wondering.</p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #222222; font-family: "EB Garamond", serif; font-size: 26px; margin-bottom: 30px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;">Did my mother ever ponder stilling</p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #222222; font-family: "EB Garamond", serif; font-size: 26px; margin-bottom: 30px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;">herself, take a moment with the</p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #222222; font-family: "EB Garamond", serif; font-size: 26px; margin-bottom: 30px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;">birds in her California garden? Gaze</p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #222222; font-family: "EB Garamond", serif; font-size: 26px; margin-bottom: 30px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;">restful at morning fog carried</p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #222222; font-family: "EB Garamond", serif; font-size: 26px; margin-bottom: 30px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;">in on marine air? Was she ever at ease</p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #222222; font-family: "EB Garamond", serif; font-size: 26px; margin-bottom: 30px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;">in her troubled life, as she parented</p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #222222; font-family: "EB Garamond", serif; font-size: 26px; margin-bottom: 30px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;">us alone?</p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #222222; font-family: "EB Garamond", serif; font-size: 26px; margin-bottom: 30px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;">I will never know.</p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #222222; font-family: "EB Garamond", serif; font-size: 26px; margin-bottom: 30px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;">I cannot ring her up to ask, there</p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #222222; font-family: "EB Garamond", serif; font-size: 26px; margin-bottom: 30px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;">is no email to send, no letter to write.</p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #222222; font-family: "EB Garamond", serif; font-size: 26px; margin-bottom: 30px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;">She is gone, stolen far too soon.</p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #222222; font-family: "EB Garamond", serif; font-size: 26px; margin-bottom: 30px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;">I consider this feigned injustice.</p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #222222; font-family: "EB Garamond", serif; font-size: 26px; margin-bottom: 30px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><em style="box-sizing: inherit;">How wildly unfair I should gather</em></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #222222; font-family: "EB Garamond", serif; font-size: 26px; margin-bottom: 30px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><em style="box-sizing: inherit;">such beauty as surely she never did,</em></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #222222; font-family: "EB Garamond", serif; font-size: 26px; margin-bottom: 30px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;">then abandon my thoughts. No.</p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #222222; font-family: "EB Garamond", serif; font-size: 26px; margin-bottom: 30px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;">I will not leave reason to balance the</p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #222222; font-family: "EB Garamond", serif; font-size: 26px; margin-bottom: 30px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;">ledger, steal this away, too. Feathered</p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #222222; font-family: "EB Garamond", serif; font-size: 26px; margin-bottom: 30px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;">hum of heat, filigreed pane, frosty view.</p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #222222; font-family: "EB Garamond", serif; font-size: 26px; margin-bottom: 30px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;">I drink in sleeping green, hear her</p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #222222; font-family: "EB Garamond", serif; font-size: 26px; margin-bottom: 30px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;">whisper over my shoulder,</p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #222222; font-family: "EB Garamond", serif; font-size: 26px; margin-bottom: 30px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><em style="box-sizing: inherit;">Breathe in the brilliant morning.</em></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #222222; font-family: "EB Garamond", serif; font-size: 26px; margin-bottom: 30px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><em style="box-sizing: inherit;">Surrender second guesses and leave</em></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #222222; font-family: "EB Garamond", serif; font-size: 26px; margin-bottom: 30px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><em style="box-sizing: inherit;">logic to the philosophers.</em></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #222222; font-family: "EB Garamond", serif; font-size: 26px; margin-bottom: 30px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;">I startle to the present, welcome with</p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #222222; font-family: "EB Garamond", serif; font-size: 26px; margin-bottom: 30px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;">wonder this gilt gift, nothing to ponder</p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #222222; font-family: "EB Garamond", serif; font-size: 26px; margin-bottom: 30px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;">but my thanks.</p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #222222; font-family: "EB Garamond", serif; font-size: 26px; margin-bottom: 30px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;">–From my new book <span style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #3366ff;"><em style="box-sizing: inherit;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56536199-hearts-on-pilgrimage-poems-prayers" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: inherit; color: #3366ff; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 350ms ease-in-out 0s, background-color 350ms ease-in-out 0s;">“Hearts on Pilgrimage-Poems&Prayers” </a></em></span></p>Jody Lee Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16017263035298663701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5772065567203680437.post-49151558664662429082018-02-25T09:06:00.002-08:002018-08-15T09:57:47.753-07:00Life/Writing (Any-a-gram)<div class="MsoNormal">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbAwRB6AVt9fOmm0p7iCShJA89ngMq1iw3BatDLbcb0YDAAS1f3pfVnRo8FFT9C_4uAC0kZ_ZmWr3NV1-jNW4vwH3PbHsgU3q5YXNTj59khyphenhyphenNkZGwqFSNw5dzeB4TndL9LiBm0gR8bQbQ/s1600/2014-10-04+15.46.53.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbAwRB6AVt9fOmm0p7iCShJA89ngMq1iw3BatDLbcb0YDAAS1f3pfVnRo8FFT9C_4uAC0kZ_ZmWr3NV1-jNW4vwH3PbHsgU3q5YXNTj59khyphenhyphenNkZGwqFSNw5dzeB4TndL9LiBm0gR8bQbQ/s400/2014-10-04+15.46.53.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: 14pt;">I hate it that I am so
sporadic</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">inconsistent, not persistent,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"> no straight-ahead-in-a-line-to-the-finish.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">I’m distracted, side-tracked<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">stops and starts, mis-matched
piles,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">can’t remember the whats and
whens.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">No perfect files, labeled
loudly<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">
I A M I N C
O N T R O L.<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">I feign at neatness,
completeness escaping me<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">ever in process, a mess in
the making.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Oh, why can’t I be like those
orderly others,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">those finishers perfectly
packing their lives in a box,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">the rank and file, who smile<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"> at me, “Oh poor thing, she’s so erratic.”</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Well—<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">I am resigned to the <b><i>whole</i></b>
of me,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">my hits and misses<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">marking a difference,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">scattering joy, seeds abound.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">I<b><i> cannot</i></b> (do not) go in a
straight line—<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Random A to B then on to Z.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">(Sequences only happen on a
test.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">And life is <b><i>an
actual emergency<o:p></o:p></i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">(not a test).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">I like this formula better:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">A cubed to D once plus E
squared <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">then back to A and jump to N,
then<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">who-knows-what?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">I’m the only one<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">who can spell my life.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">-------</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"><i>from my files, circa 2008. still true.</i></span></div>
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<br /></div>
Jody Lee Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16017263035298663701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5772065567203680437.post-73998766865118870922018-01-27T10:03:00.002-08:002022-02-18T08:15:52.658-08:00January Bird<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdFpTM8xEl-bCOPXeZc9Dsukm-ViX5B4DlTOcu6d6ghs3JIQ4Hpzql2o-lfcnbINig2wSN1kDauDxIKqX3zME-ypXfGQL6yJfw8NEcfKjjjZzIp1agb6n0k0isB634BNdd57seav3cIgo/s1600/SAM_0099.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="337" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdFpTM8xEl-bCOPXeZc9Dsukm-ViX5B4DlTOcu6d6ghs3JIQ4Hpzql2o-lfcnbINig2wSN1kDauDxIKqX3zME-ypXfGQL6yJfw8NEcfKjjjZzIp1agb6n0k0isB634BNdd57seav3cIgo/w449-h337/SAM_0099.JPG" width="449" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Where have you been?</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Out of town like those who flee</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">our chilled clime and metallic skies?</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Elsewhere, warming up your voice to</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">herald today's sunrise with your song?</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I welcome your morning melody</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">making its way to my ears,</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">stirring memories of other songs on</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">sullen, silver days when</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">your music was my only companion,</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">a balm for the emptiness at the edge</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">of my days.</span></div>
<br />Jody Lee Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16017263035298663701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5772065567203680437.post-54391945463047971222017-10-27T08:47:00.000-07:002018-08-15T09:57:47.806-07:00Autumn Seventeen<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">When did the hills </span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">gather this golden?</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">yesterday's horizons</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">turn amber in waves?</span><br />
<span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; display: inline; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><br />I slept with green outside</span><br />
<span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; display: inline; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><br />my window and woke </span><br />
<span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; display: inline; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><br />to topaz, russet, moving </span><br />
<span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; display: inline; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><br />yellow, mellow against the sky.</span><br />
<span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; display: inline; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><br />-Jody Collins c. 2017</span><br />
<span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; display: inline; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGmKThvK-I5cLKx-A3_NAfrRl8jirk_Hr5yXyLl6gvd-3PAzcc4h3wLhAIUSN-BkEGbYLChL7wdCs0oVoAEVTwjlJeMMJVdQ6v0r8GuezH3nJK32IEFByOx2qLiqT_YbJgymN6iPsKxwQ/s1600/1022171459_HDR-EFFECTS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGmKThvK-I5cLKx-A3_NAfrRl8jirk_Hr5yXyLl6gvd-3PAzcc4h3wLhAIUSN-BkEGbYLChL7wdCs0oVoAEVTwjlJeMMJVdQ6v0r8GuezH3nJK32IEFByOx2qLiqT_YbJgymN6iPsKxwQ/s640/1022171459_HDR-EFFECTS.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; display: inline; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span>Jody Lee Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16017263035298663701noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5772065567203680437.post-69560130459095235392017-08-19T09:27:00.003-07:002022-02-20T08:47:51.182-08:0065 is Just a Number<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjs4TyhMHZp4SojgIDdY-e4MVJx4x3qFzfy_c3L8bTUj2x_SNqeyFH2vyYu2nU_Q1-NzURPRkx1qy4PoPuub2ef-6PBQ66-knKeOYxC1jzaa2rAAMBq2ZWivvtiUpRI8RI50WrK5J7v0fTfxvPrpEpn-BWoLGdGswTez50Xz1NWbwCpUE9HUtZO1Vzr=s2777" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2728" data-original-width="2777" height="314" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjs4TyhMHZp4SojgIDdY-e4MVJx4x3qFzfy_c3L8bTUj2x_SNqeyFH2vyYu2nU_Q1-NzURPRkx1qy4PoPuub2ef-6PBQ66-knKeOYxC1jzaa2rAAMBq2ZWivvtiUpRI8RI50WrK5J7v0fTfxvPrpEpn-BWoLGdGswTez50Xz1NWbwCpUE9HUtZO1Vzr=s320" width="320" /></a></div>
There is no statute of limitations on vision.<br />
My old eyes register a darting messenger of<br />
God's blatant, creative joy. Watch the winged<br />
creation hover in a web of air.<br />
Spy a sleuthing intruder<br />
snap-tapping its way<br />
across the wood, tunneling<br />
away and down the outside stairs.<br />
No expiration (yet) for hearing,<br />
cataloguing birdvoice and the<br />
chipclacking of breakfast<br />
at the feeder, the squeaking<br />
insistence at the fountain.<br />
<br />
Teach me to number my days, Lord,<br />
to register the ways the wind<br />
ruffles the tablecloth in the morning's<br />
gentle breeze, how cool, shortened<br />
shadows signal this sea change<br />
of a season rippling towards<br />
quieter times.<br />
May I live this calendar daily<br />
not ticking the days toward the end<br />
but aware and alive and about your<br />
business, not counting the days, but<br />
living into your addition, subtraction<br />
multiplication, division, the only<br />
math that matters.<br />
c. Jody Lee Collins 2017<br />
<br />Jody Lee Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16017263035298663701noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5772065567203680437.post-45137629214926450372017-06-15T17:15:00.002-07:002018-08-15T09:57:47.645-07:00Inventory<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuIuSxqqyTUiyCg0pCYSOJVSN8gIG5t4cJBSerc-e_yJsbW7NxD0IaXtYIUYpUU9_jSHwcI31VSecn80neWQzMG5saIsnq0HBvB7q8F_BiRZmpHZTNipkOC-dFd2gSYi84oYx5sDmuz_I/s1600/2013-07-15+19.40.20.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuIuSxqqyTUiyCg0pCYSOJVSN8gIG5t4cJBSerc-e_yJsbW7NxD0IaXtYIUYpUU9_jSHwcI31VSecn80neWQzMG5saIsnq0HBvB7q8F_BiRZmpHZTNipkOC-dFd2gSYi84oYx5sDmuz_I/s400/2013-07-15+19.40.20.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Lavender linaria spikes upward,</div>
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miniature clouds stalk-perched</div>
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as they reach for the sky.</div>
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Hummingbirds crowd-feed</div>
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in the waning afternoon sun.</div>
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Carnations, red as a fresh-cut</div>
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thumb, wave divine perfume from</div>
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ruffled taffeta on gray-green stems.</div>
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Sweet peas' pungent surprise,</div>
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a salmon/marshmallow palette, celestial</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
bouquet a fragrance of that </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
far away gate in the Heavenlies.</div>
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Juncos chip-clacking in rhythm, </div>
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sure-footed clutching on feeders afloat,</div>
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trapezing in the breeze.</div>
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Leaves, light-transfigured day</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
lanterns lingering against</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
a cornflower sky.</div>
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Voices ferried on the wind,</div>
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gleeful hollers loud as a</div>
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clap of thunder, neighborhood </div>
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jazz accompaniment</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
to this quieting afternoon.</div>
///<br />
Let the record show, no pockets<br />
or wallets were emptied in<br />
exchange for these riches, no<br />
bank account tapped, no debt<br />
incurred to pay for this view.<br />
The ledger will detail only this:<br />
<i> "Full stop, eyes open,</i><br />
<i> breathing slowed."</i><br />
No currency recorded, just a<br />
bookkeeper's note in a lazy<br />
hand,<br />
<i>"Two slowing feet, arrested gaze</i><br />
<i> earful of sound."</i><br />
///<br />
The books are balanced and so<br />
is my soul.Jody Lee Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16017263035298663701noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5772065567203680437.post-44897240721817664402017-06-08T21:20:00.002-07:002022-02-20T09:00:47.246-08:00Silence Ascends, Sunday<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjb8Y8380SIOILNx_8kHYYGufBTIC6A9hjBuapmCbmyYbjNU_4djHSqmXQMbW_cPi9rEBfar7sGPrcaiw9-aZ8PDD-H8gLhaScIghkfuhBH6gxxFfz83YLP7wSqWM5QPeo6YoqMpy9m241Np1KFpieaBTDowtCR1bYS7TKnXiHi20ghKcFFptq-v43w=s4320" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3240" data-original-width="4320" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjb8Y8380SIOILNx_8kHYYGufBTIC6A9hjBuapmCbmyYbjNU_4djHSqmXQMbW_cPi9rEBfar7sGPrcaiw9-aZ8PDD-H8gLhaScIghkfuhBH6gxxFfz83YLP7wSqWM5QPeo6YoqMpy9m241Np1KFpieaBTDowtCR1bYS7TKnXiHi20ghKcFFptq-v43w=w361-h271" width="361" /></a></div>There's a lot one can say</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> about the power of being </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> quiet (yes, I see the irony).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">When listening forefronts the mind</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> other senses muscle their </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> way into place (the ears above</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> all) take in the not-words</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> simply song, hum and tone</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> in counterpoint.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">No addition necessary; I am</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> mute, yet the Word bursts</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> alive, verse and chorus rise</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> without me. The truth</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> needs no help to stand.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Even when I'm not singing</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> even if I'm not yes-ing it.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Sometimes you don't get an amen.</span>Jody Lee Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16017263035298663701noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5772065567203680437.post-76463676951475092232017-05-15T08:49:00.002-07:002022-02-20T09:01:24.515-08:00Up<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhLlosRzON582Axyy6PrCIqBl8fwMGpyE1CFfa2-5LJ-drOMdJ-Ymj7YKGw_YGZ444JWib9f0Tz43wqPiSVURWoiED5Xp8on7IagKo0DvCB9gg1wQ3do97q0eMgK2UP0mwLmoVm-WK7HXze3wg5-WIq9tV_tAQwiDF9iEIHgW5KpBxp-gRDuBDQLwtU=s3920" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2577" data-original-width="3920" height="252" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhLlosRzON582Axyy6PrCIqBl8fwMGpyE1CFfa2-5LJ-drOMdJ-Ymj7YKGw_YGZ444JWib9f0Tz43wqPiSVURWoiED5Xp8on7IagKo0DvCB9gg1wQ3do97q0eMgK2UP0mwLmoVm-WK7HXze3wg5-WIq9tV_tAQwiDF9iEIHgW5KpBxp-gRDuBDQLwtU=w384-h252" width="384" /></a></div><br />"In the beginning"</i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">begs the existence of a<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">dot, the endpoint of<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">a line referencing time and<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">movement, like an ant on<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">the Golden Gate Bridge.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">If there is time <i>(now)</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">and movement <i>(how?)</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">why do we shun this<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">guess the size of a <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">galaxy, turn from the<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">possibility of a God<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">placing us <i>just so?</i><br />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br />
<!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">I may travel by antenna,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">feel my way blind on small <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">steel and close pavement,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">stopping for crumbs.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">But just because I cannot<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">see it does not mean<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">there is no sky.</span><span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Jody Lee Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16017263035298663701noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5772065567203680437.post-7134797378223369352017-04-07T11:31:00.003-07:002018-08-15T09:57:48.100-07:00Spring's Verb Says<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiaUWHYWZIEebPwCOPaRZjzmh4ukO3IayOuNas8OG7zKNx12j11RphK2e1kFkpFDbIMfKbm5YynDrG0ZFQz0RuUfLBWNHPxyQRL-6oNr63bNjGwl0kLp19mjh3uybvPOL6EPzVEMMtUEM/s1600/tree+from+NOLa+WOM+RETR.+dec.+09.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiaUWHYWZIEebPwCOPaRZjzmh4ukO3IayOuNas8OG7zKNx12j11RphK2e1kFkpFDbIMfKbm5YynDrG0ZFQz0RuUfLBWNHPxyQRL-6oNr63bNjGwl0kLp19mjh3uybvPOL6EPzVEMMtUEM/s640/tree+from+NOLa+WOM+RETR.+dec.+09.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">photo by Karen Boudreaux, NOLA, used by permission</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; font-family: "Gentium Book Basic", serif; font-size: 18px; margin-bottom: 27px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Fireworks have nothing on me,</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><span style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">no man-made show can match</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><span style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">this explosive display.</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><span style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Shocking green here,</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><span style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">shouting magenta there,</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><span style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">showy white front and center.</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><span style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /></span><span style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">No gunpowder could blow</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><span style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">breezes like this </span><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><span style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">to bristle trees,</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><span style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">to “whoosh” the wind</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><span style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">across the skies,</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><span style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">no factory fierce enough</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><span style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">to produce this bright beauty.</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><span style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /></span><span style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Spring’s verb says </span><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><span style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">the growing will never stop,</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><span style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">but will flow from a fire </span><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><span style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">deep in the dark,</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><span style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">earth-wise,</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><span style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">shoved to the surface,</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><span style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">erupting when you’re not looking.</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><span style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /></span><span style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Spring’s verb comes from nowhere</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><span style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">but Godwhere.</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><span style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /></span><b style="box-sizing: border-box;"><i style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Spring’s verb says ‘get ready.’</span></i></b><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />~~~~~~~~~~</div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; font-family: "Gentium Book Basic", serif; font-size: 18px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline;">
This poem was prompted by the first line in a poetry book,<span style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0b5394; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <a href="http://www.tweetspeakpoetry.com/mischief-cafe/" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1c7c7c; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.2s ease-in-out; vertical-align: baseline;"><b style="box-sizing: border-box;"><i style="box-sizing: border-box;">‘Mischief Cafe’</i></b></a>,</span> </div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; font-family: "Gentium Book Basic", serif; font-size: 18px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline;">
and the sound of this Easter <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_SI90gDiUQ&list=RDk_SI90gDiUQ#t=61" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1c7c7c; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.2s ease-in-out; vertical-align: baseline;"><i style="box-sizing: border-box;"><b style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0b5394; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">song</span></b></i></a> in my head.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; font-family: "Gentium Book Basic", serif; font-size: 18px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline;">
previously published on my blog <a href="https://jodyleecollins.com/poetry/" target="_blank"><i><b>Three Way Light</b></i></a></div>
Jody Lee Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16017263035298663701noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5772065567203680437.post-23992974723750319242017-02-01T10:17:00.002-08:002022-02-18T09:43:45.777-08:00Samara<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAoD6StpGPfg6iCdAsxmc9UPXo6xPdcfA6M8hJr-MHXraKqD2NOdNuFC5IQ5sKL3wvr9bdYfW0U17JyhmJCV4bH74s2fuh5JJwualsRBqCsge0v6aysLQnOaC_Hn7EbZHpX10bG-KnwEo/s1600/2014-01-27+16.54.56.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAoD6StpGPfg6iCdAsxmc9UPXo6xPdcfA6M8hJr-MHXraKqD2NOdNuFC5IQ5sKL3wvr9bdYfW0U17JyhmJCV4bH74s2fuh5JJwualsRBqCsge0v6aysLQnOaC_Hn7EbZHpX10bG-KnwEo/s400/2014-01-27+16.54.56.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
"Samara," she said and the words<br />
took flight in my hearing,<br />
invisible windborne flora<br />
soaring across my thoughts.<br />
She spoke of wings, a divine<br />
creation spinning towards<br />
earth to plant itself like a<br />
stubborn weed-fierce and stuck.<br />
Imagination took root,<br />
sending me flying home<br />
towards Webster's--<br />
'some-are-uh' - and there<br />
a black and white drawing of<br />
a seed with wings<br />
<i>"an indehiscent, usually </i><br />
<i>one-seeded fruit, of the ash </i><br />
<i>or maple."</i><br />
<br />
Like that spinning tree-gift<br />
may I fly holy words,<br />
carrying the seed of my<br />
Saviour to land, stuck<br />
and stubborn, finally<br />
splitting into silent roots<br />
then skyward, bearing<br />
fruit with wings.<br />
~~~~~~~<br />
sometimes a poem inspires a poem.<br />
Thank you, Laurie KleinJody Lee Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16017263035298663701noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5772065567203680437.post-15844656098004989332017-01-26T09:11:00.002-08:002022-02-20T09:04:04.111-08:00Week One-A Prayer<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhF049ZJ76_IM2VJffLOviR_6XdtJZrjxOaPioZG9NzZA6OxZ5fHZ55SFWTqbaQjHYKOdZElm_SJivCY3d2fxajns4mP8JAgPZMpxmb7XKoqwjRuGO7-f6JdEiu9sgygGtBDy0aIGX37fwacmJ34hM3C1IUvpWBzJgC0JNBoj_cieKnfiTtxP2ZnQZu=s4032" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhF049ZJ76_IM2VJffLOviR_6XdtJZrjxOaPioZG9NzZA6OxZ5fHZ55SFWTqbaQjHYKOdZElm_SJivCY3d2fxajns4mP8JAgPZMpxmb7XKoqwjRuGO7-f6JdEiu9sgygGtBDy0aIGX37fwacmJ34hM3C1IUvpWBzJgC0JNBoj_cieKnfiTtxP2ZnQZu=w416-h312" width="416" /></a></div>I wish I could collect<br />
the light, landing its shadows<br />
on this page as it creeps<br />
ever brighter through the gray.<br />
<br />
Pour it out to wash my heart,<br />
salve the wound of this<br />
present heaviness, the sighs<br />
that never end.<br />
<br />
Hold it lightly aloft, praying<br />
no sharp wind or<br />
quiet, steady breeze<br />
snuff it out, for we<br />
need it so<br />
<br />
Father, carry us,<br />
ferry us through storms,<br />
silent and proud as we<br />
shine hope in the right<br />
direction--people-ward<br />
up ward.<br />
<br />
Send us, spread us<br />
like the daily sure rising<br />
of your sun, that moves ever<br />
on into the distant dark.Jody Lee Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16017263035298663701noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5772065567203680437.post-37845121989115322017-01-12T08:00:00.000-08:002018-08-15T09:57:47.483-07:00I've Been Asking <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZHOAJkmrtlBwwEEKkLvM_p3bbISgoYv7U1llR__3ZTdYUEuFnnTdCQtnhicTqyWznqBU3alzDMi3ODd9u3Gqn6RM4CMXGrJzVvihnqnx_iXG-aa1AffFMO6R9EOysrqWS1iipLr6a-50/s1600/P1200354.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZHOAJkmrtlBwwEEKkLvM_p3bbISgoYv7U1llR__3ZTdYUEuFnnTdCQtnhicTqyWznqBU3alzDMi3ODd9u3Gqn6RM4CMXGrJzVvihnqnx_iXG-aa1AffFMO6R9EOysrqWS1iipLr6a-50/s400/P1200354.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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Jesus, </div>
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because He said I could</div>
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(ask)</div>
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about a Five Year Plan--</div>
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lke a plannable annuity</div>
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with a guaranteed return on</div>
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my investment.</div>
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as if...</div>
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as if a sure answer for my tomorrows would bring</div>
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me peace today.</div>
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He whispers instead what's doable--</div>
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the Five Hour Plan-a chunk </div>
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of time allotted to say, oh, baking</div>
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a pie--</div>
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manageable, like a tried and true recipe</div>
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gather ingredients</div>
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check oven</div>
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double check recipe</div>
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mix, roll, bake</div>
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voila! a pie, sure as</div>
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shootin'.</div>
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Yes, I asked Jesus about</div>
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what's ahead...on down </div>
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the road...</div>
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over the hill</div>
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and of course (you guessed it)</div>
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He handed me a peach.</div>
<br />Jody Lee Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16017263035298663701noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5772065567203680437.post-41969184471198459052017-01-08T19:36:00.001-08:002018-08-15T09:57:47.564-07:00The Practice of Prayer While Making Soup<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh30G1hSj8EKGoml6SQL_yRR_sHv-I1PwVDZYdxuFItjgDKYKout2cOGX39-knuU8JFnPy0gy66J291sXDLQbQx3jWWkerD-l_-ubvddMS_nbMO2_igpjtgqZMNaTX0nUsiF0_H3IpnpA/s1600/alys_beach__from_leah%2527s_website.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="287" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh30G1hSj8EKGoml6SQL_yRR_sHv-I1PwVDZYdxuFItjgDKYKout2cOGX39-knuU8JFnPy0gy66J291sXDLQbQx3jWWkerD-l_-ubvddMS_nbMO2_igpjtgqZMNaTX0nUsiF0_H3IpnpA/s400/alys_beach__from_leah%2527s_website.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">{on not watching the Golden Globes}</span><br />
<div class="_1dwg _1w_m _2ph_" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; padding: 12px 12px 0px;">
<div class="_5pbx userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="js_h4s" style="line-height: 1.38;">
<div class="text_exposed_root text_exposed" id="id_587303c6c04518310722424" style="display: inline;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><div style="margin-bottom: 6px;">
Facing the stove, I busy my hands</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
with this thrice-cooked fowl, weaving water<span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline;"><br />herbs and onions to conjure up a warming </span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
<span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline;">repast for our souls.<br />Skin holds meat, meat holds<br />bone (<i>or is it the other way around?</i>) and<br />as the chunks slip and slide into the bubbling<br />pot before me, I wonder, wordless,<br />at the speed with which we revere<br />and revile our fellow human beings.</span></div>
<div class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline;">
<div style="margin-bottom: 6px;">
In the other room a happy tumult erupts.<br />A television voice announces it's a beautiful<br />day in LaLaLand. The steady sun shines<br />on folks arriving via car and carpet as<br />crowds cheer.<br />Some of them will be handed the world.<br /><b><i>Perhaps they deserve it.</i></b><br />The cynical may scoff at these bright gifts<br />offered to those who chase and make<br />'silly dreams.'<br />Why all the to do over such a shallow<br />show, this vanity diminished by the weight<br />of the headlines, today's news, my own life?</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
Perhaps it is precisely dreams we need.<br />Oh, indeed, we need our dreams.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
<br />c. Jody Lee Collins 2016</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
~~~~~~~~~</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
photo credit--from L. Richardson website "Interior Wisdom"</div>
</div>
</span></div>
</div>
</div>
Jody Lee Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16017263035298663701noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5772065567203680437.post-9334846142718317742016-12-31T10:45:00.003-08:002018-08-15T09:57:48.376-07:00Sabbath on the Page, Winter<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEKsOeDSEogUhilePD2h0y8M1Wrj_5jJQOV1HmrQZ5i3extk4eNDrdWp1L2JaWNXxRBpbAIlhMSQjdHyScd-iAkbEi3bR78QchuDLh6y36LShhX3WBUq22s6Dh0D5ZQw6Ng4qhuyBoNoc/s1600/tall+trees.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEKsOeDSEogUhilePD2h0y8M1Wrj_5jJQOV1HmrQZ5i3extk4eNDrdWp1L2JaWNXxRBpbAIlhMSQjdHyScd-iAkbEi3bR78QchuDLh6y36LShhX3WBUq22s6Dh0D5ZQw6Ng4qhuyBoNoc/s400/tall+trees.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">What can you hear in a </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> winter sky? Trees</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> sleeping, sap coursing</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> slowly stopped by </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> these northern climes and</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> their accompanying chill.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The sound of sunlight, settled</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> like a theater's best ending,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> shadowplay kept for</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> juncos and chickadees.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Gray like warm flannel on a </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> winter's night by the</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> fire, celestial feathers</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> cover like a goose's wing</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> over her chicks.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I tune my pencil, painting</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> this poem of treesound, cloudstill</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> and year's end, listening</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> for tomorrow's song.</span>Jody Lee Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16017263035298663701noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5772065567203680437.post-20383187970584896242016-11-26T17:58:00.000-08:002018-08-15T09:57:47.184-07:00Advent--Waiting<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBQoUrge6L_PD733-fnRDi8aJItQDwc0MrlqH-ip7XatA0VuDSGlx4ejk2cW91GY-zhFTJMV8uFm3MHLPcFjs8sPsyKCmgpYHZHwZMUUR-UEcUzzIF72fIH-gPyawN3cQ7fjraguZ76ATX/s1600/Writing-blank-page.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBQoUrge6L_PD733-fnRDi8aJItQDwc0MrlqH-ip7XatA0VuDSGlx4ejk2cW91GY-zhFTJMV8uFm3MHLPcFjs8sPsyKCmgpYHZHwZMUUR-UEcUzzIF72fIH-gPyawN3cQ7fjraguZ76ATX/s400/Writing-blank-page.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">shadows smudge on the wall</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> beside me, gray on red</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> as I look up, pensive,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> pen in hand to write.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">how to right this over indulgence,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> too full of my own</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> bloated worry?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I've buried my prayers, fed one</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> saturated heart with cares</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> not meant to be carried.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Fasting from the thoughts that also</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> fill my brain seems a lifeline</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> in this season where we're </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> drowning in too much.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I shut the door, shutter the blinds</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> and feast on silence, making</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> space in my waiting for the</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> gift to arrive, though it tarry.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">It occurs to me, that like</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> the Christ child's birth,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> answers may look far</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> different than I expect.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">So I make room in the welcome</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> dark, waiting for the light,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> which will surely dawn.</span><br />
<br />
c. Jody Lee Collins, 2016Jody Lee Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16017263035298663701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5772065567203680437.post-74363727780723662312016-11-20T18:11:00.003-08:002022-02-18T09:44:47.035-08:00Unwind<div class="_1dwg _1w_m" style="padding: 12px 12px 0px;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSA-y6K-uGKKSB5R2fLyhzf_daexQvM5dBz8I38l9AN60lEakOEPuF_-KPfqwRnjlU1HFBLnJOHd5uwwg6YGNOXLeWFp9St_8raqEqqxSFaHPAjQPSP7aEZbKgFe-3KkuYD8upG4UYrr4/s1600/SAM_0480.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSA-y6K-uGKKSB5R2fLyhzf_daexQvM5dBz8I38l9AN60lEakOEPuF_-KPfqwRnjlU1HFBLnJOHd5uwwg6YGNOXLeWFp9St_8raqEqqxSFaHPAjQPSP7aEZbKgFe-3KkuYD8upG4UYrr4/s400/SAM_0480.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<div class="text_exposed_root text_exposed" id="id_583256c9575af7142395227" style="display: inline;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">I flatten myself carpetside,</span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="_5pbx userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="js_4mz" style="line-height: 1.38; overflow: hidden;">
<div class="text_exposed_root text_exposed" style="display: inline;">
<span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">legs parallel as the lines of a crosswalk,<br />arms a perpendicular “T”<br />to my torso, aching as they<br />stretch (or do they stretch<br />and therefore ache?) Open-bodied<br />stance releases all weight of this weary week.<br />White-flagging my way to the floor<br />a wide space spans my once-tight<br />palms, now held by an invisible<br />silken thread index to index.<br />Sprung free from the web of close-in<br />clamoring that’s cluttered my days,<br />revelation arrives via the limbs.<br />My body remembers a vast freedom,<br />the lull and lilt of quiet, room to roam.<br />Bones at rest, eyes shuttered, the inky view<br />messaging my brain. Sometimes I don’t<br />know what I don’t know, how tightly<br />I’m wound until I’m undone. </span></div></div><div class="_5pbx userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="js_4mz" style="line-height: 1.38; overflow: hidden;"><div class="text_exposed_root text_exposed" style="display: inline;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">I want to live undone.</span></div>
</div>
</div>
Jody Lee Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16017263035298663701noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5772065567203680437.post-67984586928577907872016-11-02T11:10:00.000-07:002018-08-15T09:57:48.047-07:00When Trees Speak<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXsFz6HgMv8o1XOP9hdyPBFHN3V9qJGWCJE2JJQnU0-sneb3tl4P2Gfc9FDyTWnTbwm5NURPYCtsPqcGEp3_YVGuh9p7FlCCG0Zc3Pvk4tm2b-RYtPNxzUPqAdkvMWnfPrb3AtbdCNIOg/s1600/IMG_20150909_083016596_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXsFz6HgMv8o1XOP9hdyPBFHN3V9qJGWCJE2JJQnU0-sneb3tl4P2Gfc9FDyTWnTbwm5NURPYCtsPqcGEp3_YVGuh9p7FlCCG0Zc3Pvk4tm2b-RYtPNxzUPqAdkvMWnfPrb3AtbdCNIOg/s400/IMG_20150909_083016596_HDR.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Autumn morning, eyes trained</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">through windows to the</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">shadow show on tree trunks,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">crayon box colors of Fall</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">falling through space from now</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">visible branches.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Creator comes to mind, how He</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">carries us, colors us, covers us</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">with His power, the Tree the</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">strength, raising us Heavenward.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Sap is invisible, pulsing like a</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">sticky river, nourishment in its wake.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">All I see is cottonwood, maple, and rarely</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">wonder at their strength, never</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">stop to remark, "would you</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">look at the energy feeding those trees!?"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Likewise we fuss and worry</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">that God may not be at work</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">while we grow our leaf-filled days,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">falling we think, and wonder</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">'where is He? why isn't He</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">doing something?'</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">And all the time His constant</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">reliable reach pushes up and</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">out, earthborne sap that cannot</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">be stopped, no matter how our</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">lives fall out.</span>Jody Lee Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16017263035298663701noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5772065567203680437.post-5742989171977605002016-05-27T08:56:00.001-07:002018-08-15T09:57:47.873-07:00Gossamer Faith<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRgicZLbn1nNWNULxxjkD4EFvuU_ls0tmuh2Iobperyjsd6ezrVI9oTfC3z-WDjTMJ9vk5OAx9osJa0jh2fu9Q7YEGjJILsltph8_Szr4GqsgHNc6h4PoECQp4_aMgt_JR9_E4fWDBUWU/s1600/2012-10-13+18.01.40.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRgicZLbn1nNWNULxxjkD4EFvuU_ls0tmuh2Iobperyjsd6ezrVI9oTfC3z-WDjTMJ9vk5OAx9osJa0jh2fu9Q7YEGjJILsltph8_Szr4GqsgHNc6h4PoECQp4_aMgt_JR9_E4fWDBUWU/s400/2012-10-13+18.01.40.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Sir spider suspended,</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"> still</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">but for the invisible</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">jarring of his aerial </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"> abode,</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">does it frighten him</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">to be held by</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">strength he cannot see,</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">to scuttle across the</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">sky, limb to leaf </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">knowing </span><span style="font-size: large;">the opposite </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"> anchored </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">end </span><span style="font-size: large;">could detach in a blink?</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Still he spins in space</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">hovers in my way</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">'til I swat him down</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">and lament, "My God </span><span style="font-size: large;">to have </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"> the faith of a spider."</span></div>
Jody Lee Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16017263035298663701noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5772065567203680437.post-39979376116690356602016-04-20T11:52:00.000-07:002018-08-15T09:57:47.537-07:00Water Carriers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz4RKusM7ToYQu9ytXDFzgv_Ke2FsuVvJMaGmAJ6jZ3CEPVRzoXxsLye6hPDA6Mq251o0lqFArAiZ8yAG-LusPFCEa69fIilhakPrqEqdAUCXrvXGbXIxoZwBMGfZvV2TWF5KxidMg3CE/s1600/2012-07-20+08.41.10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz4RKusM7ToYQu9ytXDFzgv_Ke2FsuVvJMaGmAJ6jZ3CEPVRzoXxsLye6hPDA6Mq251o0lqFArAiZ8yAG-LusPFCEa69fIilhakPrqEqdAUCXrvXGbXIxoZwBMGfZvV2TWF5KxidMg3CE/s400/2012-07-20+08.41.10.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
Thirsty, thankful hearts<br />
raised, open cups held<br />
aloft, receive the joy of song<br />
and words,<br />
healed in the hearing.<br />
<br />
We ferry the precious<br />
bounty via voice and<br />
tone, conduits of the balm<br />
that is the bounty of praise,<br />
pouring into vessels,<br />
empty to be filled.<br />
<br />
Parched lips receive<br />
the draught and splash in<br />
the glory drops, wash in<br />
the words, bask in<br />
the golden sound as it channels<br />
life through the veins.<br />
<br />
We slake the thirst and<br />
all are watered in turn,<br />
rivulets of your Presence<br />
soaking like canals in the<br />
desert, skirting the dry land.<br />
~~~~~~~~ <br />
This poem came out of a Writer's Retreat my friend Kimberlee Ireton and I led last year called <i><b><span style="color: #073763;"><a href="http://threewaylight.blogspot.com/2015/10/writers-retreat-recap-yes-he-abides.html">"Abide."</a> </span></b></i> We're<a href="http://threewaylight.blogspot.com/2016/01/dwell-retreat-announcement-join-us.html"> <b><i><span style="color: #0b5394;">meeting again</span></i></b></a> this September in the Cascade Mountains of Washington--maybe you'd like to come?Jody Lee Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16017263035298663701noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5772065567203680437.post-63398690999307152312016-04-01T11:39:00.002-07:002018-08-15T09:57:47.953-07:00Expecting<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqJ0Iw59z4LGpIBN0KKTYBpfwWxcuFBRQhgH364GljUE7XUsHr_U3Oc1aJxvB2Z9VEQjJvTkaTJ9y5umYYzRrjIBnehwDjiyUIBX8yTVdvdLKCc2xoHg2UVIKSAfki0iLnssLQWTf-xQE/s1600/susan+magnolias+4+1+16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqJ0Iw59z4LGpIBN0KKTYBpfwWxcuFBRQhgH364GljUE7XUsHr_U3Oc1aJxvB2Z9VEQjJvTkaTJ9y5umYYzRrjIBnehwDjiyUIBX8yTVdvdLKCc2xoHg2UVIKSAfki0iLnssLQWTf-xQE/s400/susan+magnolias+4+1+16.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.32px; margin-bottom: 6px;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Like the bound bud in the almost bloomed magnolia<br />there is beauty ready to burst,<br />tight secrets on the God side<span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline;"><br />buried within this cool, bright day.</span></span></div>
<div class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #141823; display: inline; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.32px;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><div style="margin-bottom: 6px;">
I'm waiting, watching,<br />counting the sleeps<br />until this quiet wonder world wakes up<br />and I stand amazed<br />at the life that comes<br />from what was surely death<br />or dormancy<br />through all those chill & darkening days.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
I ask for an eager heart as well,<br />listening, looking at the gate<br />longing for an answer,<br />ready for a new birth in me,<br />the delivery of good news<br />the message--just for the day--<br />which God speaks amidst the quiet unfurling<br />leafworks of Spring.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
c. Jody Lee Collins 2016</div>
</span></div>
Jody Lee Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16017263035298663701noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5772065567203680437.post-27140864167374424982016-02-28T14:49:00.004-08:002018-08-15T09:57:47.317-07:00Prayer Plant<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9dJzY1wd7lfAoo_B_khjdJgyNZ5gS3KDuVMI-1KBVQjEgiFRhlluTk-vRDNBbwWOaOTNZE3BjRh4m_2gUqXZfFZsv2DNBV0YOHkDIUzvOw7hmQsY8w7mGDI1djKeZgNY6Yo_0eM3O-bI/s1600/SAM_0220.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9dJzY1wd7lfAoo_B_khjdJgyNZ5gS3KDuVMI-1KBVQjEgiFRhlluTk-vRDNBbwWOaOTNZE3BjRh4m_2gUqXZfFZsv2DNBV0YOHkDIUzvOw7hmQsY8w7mGDI1djKeZgNY6Yo_0eM3O-bI/s400/SAM_0220.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-size: 18pt;">I sit myself down in
this place </span><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-size: 18pt;">close to the light,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-size: 18pt;">darkness at the edges,</span><span style="color: #333333;"><br />
</span><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-size: 18pt;">the tick, tick, ticking<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>of night-time clocks</span><span style="color: #333333;"><br />
</span><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-size: 18pt;">echoing in the quiet.</span><span style="color: #333333;"><br />
</span><i><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-size: 18pt;">(Too loud.)</span></i><span style="color: #333333;"><br />
</span><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-size: 18pt;">The plant's leaves
behind me</span><span style="color: #333333;"><br />
</span><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-size: 18pt;">unfurl towards the lamp's illumination,</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-size: 18pt;">artificial albeit bright.</span></i><i><span style="color: #333333;"><br />
</span></i><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-size: 18pt;">I've noticed they're
growing<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style="color: #333333;"><br />
</span><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-size: 18pt;">up and out, green
with life</span><span style="color: #333333;"><br /></span><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-size: 18pt;">stretching for the
light.</span><span style="color: #333333;"><br />
</span><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-size: 18pt;">It may be time for a
new home.</span><span style="color: #333333;"><br />
</span><i><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-size: 18pt;">(Too small.)</span></i><span style="color: #333333;"><br />
</span><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-size: 18pt;">I plant myself here
couch-side</span><span style="color: #333333;"><br />
</span><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-size: 18pt;">to pray, awakened by
my<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>Father.</span><span style="color: #333333;"><br />
</span><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-size: 18pt;">“Tick, tick, tick”,
I hear Him say, </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-size: 18pt;">"make the most of the time."<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style="color: #333333;"><br />
</span><span style="background: white; font-size: 18pt;"><span style="color: #333333;">so I do,</span><span class="apple-converted-space" style="color: #333333;"> </span><span style="color: #333333;">reading the</span><span class="apple-converted-space" style="color: #333333;"> </span><span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-size: 18pt;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hallel"><em><span style="text-decoration: none;">Hallel Psalms</span></em></a></span><em><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-size: 18pt;">,</span></em></span></span><span style="color: #333333;"><br />
</span><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-size: 18pt;">remembering my
Saviour,</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-size: 24px;"><i>(too kind)</i></span>
</span><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-size: 18pt;">who on the night He
was betrayed</span><span style="color: #333333;"><br />
</span><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-size: 18pt;">left the twelve and
moved to the garden</span><span style="color: #333333;"><br />
</span><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-size: 18pt;">where He planted</span><span style="color: #333333;"> </span><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-size: 18pt;">himself and prayed,</span><span style="color: #333333;"><br />
</span><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-size: 18pt;">ushering in my move</span><span style="color: #333333;"><br />
</span><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-size: 18pt;">from sin and death<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-size: 18pt;">to life and freedom,</span><span style="color: #333333;"><br />
</span><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-size: 18pt;">securing for both </span><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-size: 18pt;">He and I (<i>for we
are kin),</i></span><span style="color: #333333;"><br />
</span><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-size: 18pt;">our place in God's
new home.</span></span><o:p></o:p></div>
Jody Lee Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16017263035298663701noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5772065567203680437.post-30020381518876207772016-02-13T11:25:00.001-08:002018-08-15T09:57:47.345-07:00What my Grandkids will say about me on Oprah<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOljecMA03771Mx50JLjYFAhl6_lTPoU4RMp6G6UtSq71O7-KWLFdTpNHPLkicozFNHDD6JPRO4ShJIxq9b-pYfzzffcja_un52ZuGqCZ1Csm9Fqoqz4-Td55fZaysCz4c4XR8EjTbNAg/s1600/IMG_20151126_083817514.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="356" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOljecMA03771Mx50JLjYFAhl6_lTPoU4RMp6G6UtSq71O7-KWLFdTpNHPLkicozFNHDD6JPRO4ShJIxq9b-pYfzzffcja_un52ZuGqCZ1Csm9Fqoqz4-Td55fZaysCz4c4XR8EjTbNAg/s640/IMG_20151126_083817514.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">When my grandkids talk to Oprah</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> about their Nana, <i>the famous writer</i>,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">they will say words were my oxygen--</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> to read, to write, to share,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">and that I spent way too much money</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> at Thrift Stores on books by dead authors--</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Emily Dickinson, George Herbert, LM Montgomery</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> and Keats.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">They will also tell her I loved to sing--</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> another form of breathing--</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">and how I embarrassed them in public</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> by belting out the "Tomorrow" song from Annie</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">or grabbing their elbows in the mall</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> while shouting "We're off to see the Wizard!"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">They will announce to the world,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> in front of God and everybody,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">that my profession as a teacher was their </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> greatest undoing;</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">constantly coaching them about penmanship,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">the correct formation of the letter "a"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> or while reading, pointing out misread syllables in</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> a favorite text.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">They will oblige Ms. O's prodding by adding the death </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> knell~</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">that I couldn't help myself when it came to learning,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> revealing in hushed tones I often resorted</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> to using an encyclopedia as torture </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> (the 1956 World Book edition).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">My grandchildren will remind her, however,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> (before the commercial break)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">my best qualities were the way I delighted in the world,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> showing them wonders in the garden,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">surprises in the grass, the avian miracles of</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> chickadees and juncos in the branches </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> or robins in the birdbath.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Most of all, when my grandkids talk to Oprah,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> they will tell her my lungs longed for the breath of</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> Heaven, the Word, and how its oxygen proved</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> my greatest life support throughout my livelong days.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">~~~~~~</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">c. Jody Lee Collins 2016</span>Jody Lee Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16017263035298663701noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5772065567203680437.post-84522821502873025442016-01-24T07:32:00.006-08:002018-08-15T09:57:48.243-07:00Poets at Play--An Interview with Laurie Klein<div class="MsoNormal">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgNO7SBsR98FMY-9a268mxlquto8xhLUCpA-SNIn3gQoKnoV3jom7tAKOlklX6G-EG4EbfVBOtXt84Lx9Yq_gVeEiP84Qmi1mlQVKdCjpASHOGYDg8ndbuIPP3P7gkKRYYnsb4dSMpPlE/s1600/laurie+k%2527s+book+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgNO7SBsR98FMY-9a268mxlquto8xhLUCpA-SNIn3gQoKnoV3jom7tAKOlklX6G-EG4EbfVBOtXt84Lx9Yq_gVeEiP84Qmi1mlQVKdCjpASHOGYDg8ndbuIPP3P7gkKRYYnsb4dSMpPlE/s320/laurie+k%2527s+book+cover.jpg" width="213" /></span></a></div>
<i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Laurie Klein</b> and I first met online after I'd been following her work in print for a number of years. We share a common decade and a love of poetry and song. I then discovered she was blogging and we've been corresponding ever since.</span></i></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Laurie is the author of the prize-winning chapbook 'Bodies of Water, Bodies of Flesh' and the classic praise chorus ''I Love You, Lord.'' Her poems and prose have appeared in many publications, including Ascent, The Southern Review, Atlanta Review, Terrain, and the Holman Personal Worship Bible. She is a recipient of the Thomas Merton Prize for Poetry of the Sacred.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Her most recent release in the Poemia Poetry Series from Cascade Books is <b><i> "Where the Sky Opens".</i></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="background-color: white;">Here are a few questions and answers so you can get to know Laurie, a <i><b>Poet at Play.</b></i> (for the other poets interviewed on this blog, click </span></span><a href="http://www.wordfacets.blogspot.com/search/label/Poets%20at%20Play">here.</a>)</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">1)<b> Tell me about your writing path--how did it lead you to
where you are today?</b></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Twenty years ago, sadness launched my
writing path; death and depression arrived, pushing me on my journey. </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Losing my dad in 1996 propelled me
into journaling, then poetry. There was lots of baggage to sort through. Literally
everyone in my family died, except for my sister, who beat breast cancer, twice.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">But here’s the godsend: Two friends
with MFAs mentored me, in poetry and prose during that time. Eventually, we
co-founded a print litmag called <i><b>Rock
& Sling: A Journal of Literature, Art and Faith</b> </i>and ran it against all
odds for five years. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>2) Have you had any other 'careers' other than writer? or
perhaps some that dovetailed with that vocation?</b></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I feel outrageously lucky in the work
opportunities I’ve enjoyed. Former jobs fed my word banks, my ‘image archives.’
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b><i>Teacher:</i></b> I taught in preschools, then as a Theatre Arts adjunct at
Whitworth University in Spokane, WA, never suspecting commonalities between these age groups. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Freelance Professional Storyteller:</b> I performed in schools, churches, community centers,
writer’s conferences, and retreats, in the States as well as Thailand, England,
and Germany. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Program Director at Calvary Chapel:</b> Remember Deborah of old, who had “a heart for the willing
volunteers”? I loved directing and wrote drama sketches our creative team
synced with thematic music and stage sets. Several full-length musicals
followed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Audiobook Narrator:</b> I’ve
narrated fifty or so books. When I undertook Theatre Arts study, I wanted the
skills to play 100 characters. I never meant all at one time! Some novels call for
that many voices. (TIP: novelists, reign in your cast if you want publication
in this arena.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Singer/songwriter and itinerant Worship Leader:</b> My husband, Bill, and I shared this work for three
decades. Four recording projects emerged from that wonderful season of life. </span><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>3) Why poetry? Why not prose? (or do you speak both?)</b><o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Both poetry and prose say </span><i style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Psssst!—</i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">from different rooms in my
brain. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Prose:</b> I enjoy
personal narrative, blogging, and essay (even won the <i>New Letters </i>Dorothy Churchill Cappon Prize, for Creative Nonfiction).
These days I find long literary essays overly strenuous and time-intensive, so
a meditative piece flows more easily. I value the weekly rigor of blogging.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>One finished novel keeps mum,</b> in its
lidded box. Hindsight revealed a stronger villain than heroine. But the box
remains on the shelf behind me. Who knows . . .<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Poetry</b>: <b>an ongoing
experiment in song, magic, and muscle</b>—this alchemical genre holds my heart. To
regularly acquiesce poetry’s featherly touch amid its ruthless demands to drill
down to the core, then enflesh the essence with just enough detail—<i><b>this is
living!</b></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Composing a poem that evokes emotion,
pondering, or memory in my reader means I’ve discovered something new, personally,
then rendered it accessible to others. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>4) How has your relationship with Jesus affected
your writing? or vice-versa?</b></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Home base, North Star, compass
rose—the more I orbit Jesus, be it alighting or immersing, the more I glimpse
God and my readers. Not to mention my hourly need for grace.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">A wonder junkie, I’m endlessly curious
about God’s natural world, and how it speaks to us of its Maker. My husband and
I have a bucket list which includes seeing all the National Parks. Many of the
poems in my new book spring from flora, fauna, and landscapes relished en route.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>My mate’s a pioneer; I’m a settler.</b> Being
journey mates ramps up my prayer life! Jesus reliably inspires this mind, heart,
and imagination at my desk, and in the wilderness. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>5) Although you've been published in many places
over the years, this is your first book of just your work. This accomplishment has come a little later in your life.<o:p></o:p></b></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>What is that like for you? and how would you encourage new
writers in their writing journey?</b><o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>I won a chapbook contest in 2004</b>, but
yes, <i><b>Where the Sky Opens</b> </i>is my first
full-length book. A long wait. Some years after the chapbook, <i>I hit a publishing
plateau that left me bewildered. <b>Disheartened, I quit writing. Then found I
couldn’t not write.</b></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Fine. I’d only submit to journals, anthologies.
No Author’s Life for me. </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">But new poems kept grouping
themselves. Seaming them together excited me and further mended my sadness.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Honestly? The Holy Spirit compelled
me to hit “Send.” I shot high because joining <b>The Poeima Poetry Series</b> poets of
faith felt like the double-dog dare-ya, big-deal chance of a lifetime.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i><b>A first book at my age</b></i> embodies God’s
sense of humor, this healing, patient, far-seeing Author of <i>our </i>faith stories. I needed the twenty-year
apprenticeship with Him as well as with writing.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b><i>New writers, you already know the
sound advice. Use what works for you, in this season of life. </i></b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Something I wish I'd known sooner?</span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">·<span style="font-stretch: normal;"> <b><i> </i></b></span><!--[endif]--><b><i>Play (and rest) more than you think you should</i></b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><u>BONUS--name your top 5 favorite poets.</u></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">This is like “name your favorite
color.” I always have to add “today.” </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">My 5 favorite poets and their poems this week are:</span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Kelly Agodon: <i>Geography</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Rainer Maria Rilke: <i>Rilke’s Book of Hours</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Ted Kooser: <i>Delights & Shadows</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Ilya Kaminsky: <i>Dancing in Odessa</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Mary Oliver: <i>Felicity</i></span></li>
</ul>
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<i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">~~~~~~~~~~~~</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">You can access a FREE download of a portion of Laurie's book <b><a href="http://books.noisetrade.com/laurieklein">here</a>.</b> </span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">social media hashtag #wheretheskyopens</span></i><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>To purchase "Where the Sky Opens" from Cascade Books, click <b><a href="http://wipfandstock.com/author/view/detail/id/66656/">here.</a></b></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">You can find more wonder and words on Laurie's blog <b><i><a href="http://lauriekleinscribe.com/">here. </a></i></b></span></div>
Jody Lee Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16017263035298663701noreply@blogger.com4