Grieving and Rejoicing

December 17, 2012December 17, 2012 ~ Elizabeth W. Marshall ~ 16 Comments

A co-mingling of
A grief so heavy handed
Sip by sip we drink of it
And the quenching does not come
The grief of man seems never ending
Life in grieving is prolonged
The heart so heavy finds no solace
From sharp pain the season long
The heart ripped open in the sadness
The depth of loss defined in terms brand new
The weary souls of hearts beat different in this sea of sad
And tremble, quake at news of death

But somewhere while the tears still wet
And as the human heart is weak with pain
The glimpse of Light and then bright rays
Will shine anew Hope, co-mingled with the pain
As healing comes, no matter at what rate
As healing comes in mercy wrapped in love’s still fragile lace
As healing comes and joy streams mingling,
Mixing with rivers of life’s salty tears
Our Hope in present darkness sings to hearts
And Love born in a manger, Love radiant will
Proclaim, that though the pain in life cuts deep
A manger holds life’s Comforter and Healer
And we will, we will rejoice again

And while the pen that writes the words
Is colored, shaded in charcoal greys or
Ebony black sorrow monochromes
A Hope restored brings Love anew
Creating slowly colors, brilliant Hope’s bright hues
And writes a love note to the hearts of men
And wipes the tears on cheeks and weary souls
Proclaiming Love and Hope and Christ’s Love
Still makes mercies new, all the mornings
Of all the days to come, everyone
Replacing broken fractured with healed and whole
Co-mingling tears of weary grieving
With those of a weary world’s rejoicing
A world still grieving
Will see a day, in days to come
Of Hallelujahs, broken
Still Rejoicing
Rejoicing still over
News of Comfort and Joy
Comfort and Joy
And though faint and weak,

Alleluia Anyway

Joining Laura for her Play Dates at the Wellspring

Adagio: A Christmas Poetry Project–Black Night Of Hope

December 14, 2012December 14, 2012 ~ Elizabeth W. Marshall ~ 8 Comments

Adagio: A Christmas Poetry Project

We are writing together. As we did a little while back( click the Adagio Poetry page tab at the top of the site’s home page). And we would love for you to join us. Holly and I and each one of you. There is a beautiful hymn, a song, sung by a friend of Holly’s. This is our inspiration for Adagio: A Poetry Project, here in this Advent Season. Here, with Christmas upon our hearts. Listen here to Born In The Night Mary’s Child.

Holly’s offering can be found here, at A Lifetime of Days.

It would be our hope, our desire, and it would bring us joy if you would allow us the privilege of reading your words, poetry or prose. Just add your link to your art in the comments here and at Holly’s. We are all travelers toward this Christmas Day in this Christmas Season with expectant hearts.

**************************************

Black Night Of Hope

Walk us, with us
Pray we now
Fabric frail our worn out covering
Wind howls through thin flesh

World’s cold wind blows cruel
But He, was born of you
To shield in love, save from cruel sin
Bone tired weary we and you

Cradled Him , sheltered Christ
Under covering black of night
Though radiant beams from
A Child’s face would tell of Holy

Graceful Mother out of town
Traveler on a road of dirt, dust
Let us grasp your servant heart
And sing of Holy Sacrifice

Sacred offering in the night
Reconciled hearts, gloria in excelsis deo
We proclaim the birth of King
From your very mother’s womb

And Hope was birthed in stall with muck
On cold, in winter, still of night
That when the sting of death and sin
Would weigh us down

A broken fragile mankind now is
Changed, we walk free with
Broken chains
You birthed our Hope

One still dark night
Black night of Hope
We, weary
World rejoicing

******************************************

The Spice of Love

December 13, 2012December 14, 2012 ~ Elizabeth W. Marshall ~ 3 Comments

He by the fire

And I all folded up

under Tartan holding mug of dark hot piping black

Designing gifts of love

And I can see the yellow,house

Through window pane

And wonder

How you multiply a batch of baked and make it fill up all the cracks

And holes of days throughout the three

six

five

when quietly we live across, beside

Angled on this street so quiet

How do we add enough to make up for lost words

A silence living in the quiet days and nights on quiet

Street, we chose, they chose

A peaceful avenue of still

Which spice can shake out love come down

And fill a heart up full to overflowing

And say I love my neighbor, golden

As myself

Its not the dozens from the oven’s

heat

Its simply love of Christ poured out

And empty handed we could go and take

A batch of baked up

served up

cooked up

Christmas Love

And when the days that roll around
and cause a heart to spill
resolve
and resolutely
make a list
of all that will be different
in the year
the one
found when the page
is
turned

and

twenty thirteen
has a way of making all things
new
a wish can roll right off the heart
as I stare at the house
yellow through my pane
that I would deliver
Christmas Love
On all the days
Not simply one
To all the doors

not simply mine

that

sit in wait
for Christmas Love
Come down
All year

Round

Delivered Daily

not just sprinkled in one batch

no, love come down all year round

I stare at yellow through my windowpane

*****************************************************

Joining Amber at The Run A Muck for her concrete word prompts. The Spice Of Love was written out of the word prompt cinnamon.

December 26th

December 11, 2012December 11, 2012 ~ Elizabeth W. Marshall ~ 12 Comments

I have got my eye on you
Like a hawk
Steel eyed, glassy,
Fixed gaze
Not blinking
You have come before
And dropped the black cape on a place
On a home
Covered in paper it feels like lead weight
You taunt and tease
And say what now
You know the drain of excess and of spent lives
Spent wallets
Spent souls
And you peel back the layers
Seeing weary and wondering
But not this year
You will have no place
No room in the inn of our home
No hearts left empty from want or greed
No taking down tinsel with a tear of despair
No now what’s and what’s nows
We will call you glorious too
And name you day of continued praise
And walk out with the love came down at Christmas
The day after
And call it a day of beauty too
When hearts filled by Him and with Him and of Him
Can go out into all the world
For He has set the captives free
And so we are
Of worry want and dread
And instead
Paint all the days of gray
With berry red rejoicing

I’ve got my eyes on you
Warm stare of welcoming
You’ve slammed the door on joy
And wagged a boney finger at a home
What now you tired and weary souls
What will you do this day
As you look back on all the days of Advent
And a life which lead you to the dirty
Manager
On the mantel
In the past
We’ve wrapped Him back with care and love
And felt a sadness
It is over
When in fact
Its just begun
The day one of continued celebration
Of that bright and silent Holy
Night
Of birth and making all things right
Here right now
We live the days of joyful man
Because we know the cross
In all its sacrifice
So day you will not live as day of infamy
And gloom and spent and sadness for an end
Of Celebration
No, the blood red rejoicing will continue
The weary world’s rejoicing
For He came and He reigns
Forever
Even and especially on
December 26th
When all the Christmas
Hope
And Christmas
Love
And new and glorious
Lives reconciled to Him
Should find us
Falling on our Knees
And singing
Still
The Hallelujah Chorus
To a tired and weary world