Tag: poetry

When Love Is Hard

~ Elizabeth W. Marshall ~ 28 Comments

When misunderstanding shakes rattles rolls off the tongue
And harsh meets abrasive in the middle of the ear canal
Where unintended unfurls rough and callous, words always words
When gruff and course mingle and moan and say the things, broken through the filter,
Broken through love
When she says and they say and we say and she doesn’t say
And it all falls down
With a bruise and a bump and a scar
And love is left on the sidelines
Love is a latchkey child
Left in a shadow waiting to love ,the verb
Left on the bench, injured but the action verb wants to get in the game
And be patient be kind
Just be
Where pride puffs up and the battle is fought and pride puffs up some more
While the battle plays on but the war has just begun
And love love love
Is all you need
And holds tight and he slips through and she holds tight and
He holds tight
And you never give up
They are children
We are all children
Children of the Most High
Then why is it hard
When the me and the we and the I
Fight for the leading role
And its my way or the highway, love
Bends in humility
Love keeps no record of wrongs and the love verb
Is quick to forgive.
To the moon and back
Till death do us part
On this side of eternity
Love hard
Love very hard
I do
I will
Love hard back
Forever
This is my solemn vow
By grace, by gosh, by golly
Love is all you need
Praying hard
Loving Hard
Praying and loving hard.

Linking with Jennifer and Duane and Ann and Emily and with Joy, with joy.


Also linking with Mary Beth and over at Women Living Well

May We Linger Long in Childhood

~ Elizabeth W. Marshall ~ 13 Comments

May we linger long in love in childhood.

Savoring the life-moments, with a child-like appetite.

Loving with acceptance, with a child-like heart.

Playing with winsome whimsy,  with a child-like wonder.

And believing with unwavering,  with a child-like faith.

May your weekend be filled with child-like wonder, linger long, linger slow, linger in love and marvel for forever at the mystery of it all.

“Give me hunger, pain and want
Shut me out with shame and failure
From your doors of gold and fame,
Give me your shabbiest, weariest hunger!

But leave me a little love.”

–Carl Sandburg

Linking with Sandra Heska King dot com

Summer Gives Her Window Seat to Fall

~ Elizabeth W. Marshall ~ 9 Comments


{Photograph courtesy of H.M. Miller, my friend, her art, a gift. I receive with humility and gratitude.}

Sitting at the edge of change. And a racing heart competes with a flood of salty wet.

Soaking in on the edge of change. And the Beautiful now wrestles with the pregnant possibilities of tomorrow’s new.

Teetering on the edge of change. And the Uncertain and the Unknowing play rock, paper, scissors with the potential outcome.

Dreaming on the edge of change. And Hope and Trust dance together… a beautiful pas de deux of love.

Anchoring the soul on the edge of change. And Faith rests knowing that the days are numbered and the battles are won.

Abiding on the edge of change. And relationship with Him secures the fretting heart and fixes the soul eyes squarely on the One who knows.

Embracing change on the edge. Surrendering to change on the edge. Loving change while tip-toeing around and on the edge.

Sleeping soundly on the edge with Change. While Summer gives her window seat to Autumn. And the window is rolled all the way down.

Linking today with Joy here and here.

The Morning Art Gallery of Life, A Grand Opening

~ Elizabeth W. Marshall ~ 8 Comments

The Web of Life

She opens her gallery in morning bright light early

Displays God Art.

 First fruits offered in obedient love.

Weaving with legs strong graceful

Navigating  strength,symmetry

Strong small presence, centered

Delicate lovely home made art.

Like a prayer labyrinth she walks alone, in her, on her,

Home made strong, receptacle of nourishment

Quiet delicate web net of protection.

Quiet masterpiece holds fast in love

Holds strong in love.

And in woven winsome beauty, she makes her way through,like a maze.

She waits,  heartbeat holding watch.

Glimmering gleaming hopefilled web

Offering order in chaos,

Perfectly alligned with His will for her.

Perfectly imperfect, seeking Grace

She hangs in the net web,

Soul centered place of still waiting waving in the gentle spirit breeze,

Peace-filled knowing

Anchored here, anchored there.

No fear takes space, finds a space in the perfect web of peace.

No angry broom will knock down, rip down, tear down.

Grace for her, grace for all.

She and her God art catching the morning light.

Masterfully weaving this artful way through the life web.

Tied in obedience to the One who teaches  art of making the way

through a beautiful web maze, the story

that is her sparkling sticky, glistening fragile, light-catching, light-relfecting,

Hidden to some,

 Yet visible to the lover of Beauty, God Art

A Hopeful, graceful web.

Catching nourishment for the soul.

Counting Gifts and Linking with Ann at A Holy Experience dot com and with Michelle on this Monday.

And with Laura Barkat and Laura Boggess for In On and Around Mondays and  Playdates at the Wellspring.

*A lost cross purchased in New York, found this morning, a treasure found on the floor.

*Beautiful time with volleyball family, winning, losing, fellowshipping

*Long day in the creek after church, salt, sea, friends, The Patient One, counting the gifts of close finish-your-sentence friends and a day on the water and in it too.

*Encouragement coming in so many different forms, delivered sweetly in love

*New connection with old friend

*The Patient One giving gifts, a lawn cleaner and tidier and the gift of time lovingly spent together

*During woship, watching The Patient One sway in the breeze of praise, singing sweet the songs of worship

*Planning a Monday night family dinner- Joyfilled family meal, with hopes and dreams to play our High/Low game again. (naming the highes and lows of our day).

*Making plans for a trip to Haiti, and feeling the call in Peace and in Love.

*Receiving my Compassion International Packet in the mail with the precious picture and information on the sweet sweet girl I am privileged to sponsor. So hopeful about her future and a budding relationship.