Love of the Beloved

In Celebration of Easter

How can it be that I should see the love you have for me?
That you would take me in your arms away from all harm
With no need for alarm is a charm no money could buy,
And freely I sing gleefully of your passionate compassion
That you do not ration but give liberally that I might live
So peacefully within your bright light, my saving Knight!
And so my very heart takes flight with no fight or fright
As your love takes me higher and kindles fire in my soul
Where there was a gaping hole until you stole me away
On the day I was lying and dying, crying at my loss of life;
Yes, you found me bound to the nefarious angel of death,
Breathing my last breath, then you gave me your breath
That I might live again and forevermore with you, in you,
By you and for you, O Beloved and holy lovely Shepherd!
. . .
O how can it be that I would see the love you have for me?

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The Query Psalm

When you came to me in the wasted land I was at the door of death,
And you stooped low and, face to face, breathed on me your breath,
But I was so utterly weary I didn’t even know what you were doing,
So I heard the sound of your voice as you lifted me from the ground,
Telling me all would be alright as you walked on through the night;
And I could scarcely comprehend, but you did not reprimand me;
We only travelled on and then I only remember awakening one day,
Lying in green pastures with the serene stream gurgling nearby me,
And you were there, so near and dear, tenderly tending my wounds,
And later I was able to eat and drink and stand on my very own feet,
And you smiled wide, embraced me, and I could feel your heart beat;
Then I looked around in awe as I saw hundreds and thousands here,
Each of them dear to your heart, my Beloved, but what of me now?
You’ve not left me bereft of your love, but is there something more?
You know that I adore you more than any other, but is there more?
No, I am not abused or misused by your hand, but is there yet more?
Oh! I see the sand in the distance and ask, ‘Am I part of your band?’
Yes, I see the sand in the distance and ask, ‘Am I part of your band?’
Ah! There must be some reason that I will know in due season . . .
Because you came and found me, not I you, and you redeemed me;
Yes, when I was at death’s door, you breathed on me your breath . . .
Of Life

Swim the Cerulean Sky

You give me wings to fly high into the sky
And coax me to try but I deny that I can take flight
And in fright stay perched upon my rock;
I will not stray even on this bright, sunny day,
So no wonder you cry that I would lie
And deny myself such unbridled pleasure,
Swimming through treasures in azure heavens
Leavened with love and grace so far above earth,
And you tell me my worth is more than granite,
That I should not allow this planet
To hold me down tight like a magnet . . .

You tell me if I am ready and steady enough
To swim in the deep blue sea with such glee,
Then I should not fear to soar above earthen floor;
It’s like walking through a door, so you say,
And as easy as it is to play, if only I would lay down
My fear, lift up my arms and pray . . . I will not drown
In the clouds any more than in the saltwater sea,
And I know there is nothing to fear with you so near,
So why do I hesitate as if you would bait me
Into doing something I would certainly hate?

Still, you look at me with compassion
In loving fashion fueled by passion . . .

And my heart is not proud, nor my eyes lifted high,
And though my sigh must discourage you, I do try
To understand the wonders you graciously unfold
And rest in quiet calm as you apply a healing balm,
So soon all worry will disappear,
And yet there is no need to hurry
As you look at me with compassion
In loving fashion fueled by passion . . .

My eyes run over the wings you’ve given me to fly
And I tell myself that maybe I’ll try . . . maybe try

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Note: Originally published in October 2016

Take Me to the River Ahava

Take me down to the River Ahava where Love flows
From the Fount of Grace and the sacred wind blows
And let me wash all filth away so that my body glows
And my true spirit shows forth in refreshing purity
As all insecurity is bathed away in brightest of days
And new ways of thought meander through my mind
That the clear waters unbind to find fresh serenity
In plenty in the cleansing rushing of the River Ahava
And I will drink my fill of love as the Dove flies above
And I will never be the same as my shame slips away
. . .
Ah yes, take me to the River Ahava where Love flows
From the Fount of Grace and the sacred wind blows

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Note: In Hebrew the word (or name) ‘Ahava’ means ‘love,’ although it was also apparently the name of both a city and river in ancient Babylon to which the prophet Ezra gathered many people, including the Levites, for three days of prayer and fasting before venturing back to Jerusalem. (You can read about this in the eighth chapter of the Book of Ezra.)

Lay It All Down

Malice, envy, chalice of poison, strife and callous thought;
Bile of vile hate, your seared heart the gate of needy greed;
Seed of lust that must be satiated at the cost of innocence

Lay it all down before you drown
Take up your crown
Take up your crown
And dress in new, unspotted gown

Apathy, lack of empathy, careless ways, and reckless days;
Pride and arrogant stride, haughty looks, and crooked books;
Dirty tricks and bricks and bombs of battle and idle prattle

Lay it all down before you drown
Take up your crown
Take up your crown
And dress in new, unspotted gown

There are better ways for brighter days for everyone
Under the sun in peace and harmony if we earnestly
And fervently seek and find and bind ourselves to it,
But we have to give up all that tears down around us!
Yes . . .

Lay it all down before you drown
Take up your crown
Take up your crown
And dress in new, unspotted gown

Lay it all down before you drown
Take up your crown
Take up your crown
And dress in new, unspotted gown

I Looked for You

I looked for you in bars and in the stars,
In plush beds and in might river heads,
As I knew you were bound to be found,
And I searched through the thick forests,
Perched on large limbs to see only you,
And I travelled gravel roads to find you,
And looked through hills and old mills,
But you were not anywhere to be found,
Though I could hear your whisper sound,
And I wondered as I blundered through
This world into which I had been hurled
How I could hear someone so very dear,
But never find . . . never see . . .
So I looked in one final place: my heart
And there you were with traces of grace,
Where you had been all along,
Where you always did belong,
And now I sing your song ‘n freely dance
And prance and now suddenly see you . . .
Everywhere!

Reason for Living in Your Giving

Reason for living is in your giving love
In anticipation of participation in grace
To face this day filled with a ray of hope
To more than cope but rise high above
Into numinous realms of peaceful glory
Where our real story is most truly told
In bold refrains without a stain of guilt
As our lives are built on a solid ground
More real than feel of earth under foot
And we see the never-ending beginning
Of an ethereal song sung by angels . . .
As our reason for living is in your giving
Love

Saved by the Predator

Eagle flies high up in the sky,
Sharp eye looking for its prey;
Will she spy me, though I try
To hide, in tall grass confide?
Majestically circling far above
Talons cold, there is no love;
And what do I hear in hiding
Now slithering to my abiding?
Large, long, sleek, not meek;
Suddenly the air is pierced
And gone is serpent so fierce,
Up into the clouds so high,
And I on ground bid goodbye;
I breathe a sigh of relief, cry:
Saved from danger by danger
As eagle flew high in the sky,
Sharp eye looking for its prey

Invitation of Love, the Lover

Place your head upon my chest,
Rest and feel and hear the best
Of life beating ‘n greeting you,
Entreating you to enter within,
Unseating you from complacency,
Recreating you ever so gracefully;
Immerse yourself within my eyes
And see the universe so diverse,
And without curse, swim deeply
Into my heart and take not part
But the whole as your very own;
Drink from my own rich soul
And fill the hole in your own;
And glean the love grown within
To rest you so serene
And bathe you clean;
Yes, rest your head on my chest
And feel life beat to greet you . . .
Into me . . . the wide expanse of me

And You Would Rather Run Away

Yes, you’d rather run away than face yourself today;
It’s easier that way, wouldn’t you say?
Fast fly from yourself but your own self keeps up
And forces you to drink from the cup of honesty
No matter how much you want to cheat reality . . .
See here the reflection of the infection of your life;
Stare at the glaring truth and be set free
From your crooked conceptions and self-deception!
You may finally find your tray of trinkets worthless
And be done with the rubbish, lies and flies of hell!
Stand, look and be made well
In the bright light of honesty:
You are more precious than gold but that cold truth
Makes you tremble inside and stumble in your stride
Through life . . . Ah! It is too much to bear, you say!
To be worth so much to Someone else – like blood –
When you flood yourself daily with muck and mud!
What? You expected condemnation?
But here is the exchange for exaltation
In the incarnation of Love for your glorification . . .
But it’s easier to run away from your true self, eh?
Every day to turn another way, wouldn’t you say?
Why?
Why?
Why?