Gifted

Appropriate is easy.

Thoughtful - I can do, but

What I’m going for here is

Special:

It can’t be faked or hurried.

It can’t be bought on a whim.

There’s no substitute for

Self,

Parceled out and gifted.

& all

Let’s let this day unfold as it will,

(corners & wrinkles & creases & all),

casual, effortless, flexible, simple –

Plan of the unplanned,

(paper not saved).

Gotta Split

Soft, brown, repulsive ones,

And not the first, either,

Staring at me with expectant reproach

From their time-honored spot on the counter.

What?  No lessons learned here,

After years of household management practicum?

New plan (or, at least, experimental vow):

I’ll never buy more than four again, maybe even three.

I’ll look both ways and split up the Brady Banana Bunch

Right there in Ingles,

Giving not a moment for teary banana family goodbyes,

Throwing nobility to the wind and taking the best ones for me.

Hey – If, then, we run out of them,

I’d rather be

Hungry for bananas,

Starving for bananas,

Desperate for bananas,

CRAZY for bananas

Than to ever waste another.

Accessory

More honest than makeup,

Brighter than diamonds,

Fresher than fashion,

Braver than hairstyles,

More brilliant than small talk,

Better (far) than artifice,

Beautiful accessory –

Just a simple smile.

I'll Meet You in September

At Fall Creek Falls,

In Autumn, fine,

I’ll meet you

In September.

By the lake

At eventide,

I’ll meet you

In September.

On a trail,

By foot or bike,

I’ll meet you

In September.

Woodsmoke, folkart,

Music, lines,

I’ll meet you in September.

Everywhere I Ever Am (for Melody from Nana)

I love you over mountains,

under clouds and

up the rivers.

I love you past the roads,

with rolling wheels

and many miles.

I love you on the phone and

through the screen and

in your pictures.

I love you all the time

and everywhere I

ever am.

Leavings

I’m watching the leaves fall,

Freed by the breeze,

Waltzing and diving,

Flying the wind –

Then gracing the ground

With colorful litter,

Bold shapes and bright hues,

Leavings of Fall.

Just Barely

Sprinkles, drizzle, mist

And intermittent showers –

Just barely raining.

Lake

A wonderful Creation,

A peace and relaxation,

The home of boating nation,

A nature medication.

A liquid locomotion,

An edgy shore erosion,

A fishing life explosion,

Lake – our local ocean.

Fall

Season aptly named,

Time of the flying colors –

Tree to down they Fall.

Watts Bar

Mellow light,

Muted talk,

Tiny pleats in the mirror,

Inner sigh –

Peaceful sky –

Watts Bar Lake at sunset.

Tiny Big Shoes

To My Grandchild:

You have

Tiny big shoes to fill

With who you will become:

Precious, prayed-for, wanted,

Special, dreamed-of, loved.

The Sick

The senses unbalanced,

The stomach unsettled,

The walking unsteady,

The spinning unfettered,

The malaise unwanted,

The aching unwelcome,

The visage unlovely,

The viewpoint unwholesome,

The resting unrestful,

The roadways untraveled,

The cure time uncertain,

The day’s plans unraveled.

The crummy, the yucky,

The rough and the low –

The under-the-weather –

The sick we all know.

Maternity

Maternity days –

Mother in the making, her

Baby on the way

Deer

Innocent creature,

Excellent morning greeter –

Splendid, gentle deer.

Mountain

A profound silence was waiting for me

At the edge of the towering mountain.

It whispered, Be quiet and listen and see,

On the side of the towering mountain.

It called me to worship with heart, mind and soul

In awe on the towering mountain.

The Maker of Mountains, I met with Him there,

On top of His towering mountain.

The Glowing

In beautiful maternity,

You’re radiant - you’re glowing,

And with the long-awaited birth

Comes every mother’s knowing:

How much your heart can swell with love,

How much your arms can bear,

How flat-out strong you really are,

How faithfully God cares.

How many dangers lurk out there,

How brave a mother’s heart,

How long the longest night can be,

How napping is an art.

How much a baby human costs,

How much you’d freely give,

How foreign is your recent past,

How sweetly dreams can live.

How soft a baby’s skin can be,

How giggles warm the soul,

How fast the precious days can fly,

How quickly children grow.

Rising

Up the mountain, with a song,

Leaving lesser things below –

Glad of heart and full of hope,

Rising with the music.

Weekend Trip

I’d like a little more weekend, please,

Some time not claimed by travel.

Time onsite, not time in car –

Time to really be there.

Walking in the Midst

We would not choose the ocean floor

As path to Promised Land.

We’d miss the special blessings found

By walking in the midst.

Walking in the midst of pain,

We’re trusting God alone,

Seeing clearly who He is:

Our Awesome, Present God!

He’s faithful, ever by our side –

Before, around, behind, –

Walking in the midst with us,

Our Mighty, Loving God!

Leading surely, holding back

The overwhelming sea,

Drying land on which we step

While walking in the midst.

Bringing us to Victory,

A shore of Perfect Peace,

Where always, There, our Christ, our Lord,

Is Walking in the Midst.

(The following message, by our former Eastanallee pastor, Mickey Basham, is moving and powerful.  Bro. Mickey was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer on Sunday August 18th. He has chosen not to pursue treatment and live out the short time he has left with his children and grandchildren around him.)

Who Are You?

Click here to view this photo book larger

I wrote this in fun for my beloved brother and gifted entomologist,
Dr. Steve Murphree,
(professor at Belmont University)
in honor of his birthday.

DISCLAIMER:  This is a work of art and love only.  Some names and identifying details have been changed to protect the privacy of insects.  This book is not intended as a substitute for the scientific advice of professors. The reader should regularly consult a professor in matters relating to his/her academic success and particularly with respect to any questions that may require explanation or technical expertise.

Isaiah 28 (a Haiku)

excellent Wisdom

tested, precious Cornerstone

wonderful Counsel

Walnut Art (a Haiku)

Beautiful branches,

Journey unpredictable–

Living walnut art

Remnants (a Haiku)

Remnants of raccoon

Wildly strewn across the road –

Sadly out of place

A Breeze

Please – a breeze – to dry the sweaty air!

Tennessee humidity on doggish days of August . . .

O, to feel the wind again,

To catch the scent of fall,

To slice a crisp, inviting day

In satisfying portions.

Email (a Haiku)

Electronic mail -

Business conversation,

So formal and not

Only and Exactly

I want Your Words on my tongue,

Only and exactly –

Measured, thoughtful, winsome Words –

Love disclosed through me.

Perspective

Peace (total miracle)

Is from the Hand of God –

A matter of perspective,

Of knowing who God is.

Summer Sky at Sundown

Prettier every minute,

The summer sky at sundown,

Painting all its beauty

On the heavy, humid air.

Pink and purple wonders,

Daytime’s party favors,

Parting consolation for

The ling’ring guests of day.

Still Dark

It’s a chilly air, the

First breath of morning –

Cool and inviting,

Still dark and still.

Soft on the bare skin,

Soothing and restful –

Breath of the morning,

Still dark and still.

A Night to Remember

The mountains wore a veil of mist –

The bride and groom wore smiles.

The heavens wept their happy tears,

Applauding all the while.

It was the

Rainiest night of the

Rainiest week of the

Rainiest month of the

Rainiest summer

We all could

Ever remember.

The guests all dressed in wedding best

To bring their humble blessings.

Love poured down, and all around,

A flood of celebration!

Yes - it was the

Rainiest night of the

Rainiest week of the

Rainiest month of the

Rainiest summer

We all could

Ever remember.

The groomsmen watched at end of aisle

As beauties floated toward them.

Flower girl, her doll in hand,

Observed her parents’ union.

Vows and kisses,

Hugs and prayers –

Music, flowers, dancing –

Made it the

Happiest night of the

Happiest week of the

Happiest month of the

Happiest summer

They all could

Ever remember.

 

(Inspired by the wedding of Jordyn Toomey & Derek Slack on Signal Mountain, July 6)

Treasured

The trees are dressed in diamonds

On a silent summer morn,

Their glamour gifted by the rain,

Their sparkle born of storm.

They wear their pretty necklaces

With quiet, mannered grace,

A reverent love of elegance

And treasured, peaceful days.

For Always*

God, my God, Eternal, lives

In present, past and future,

Was and is and will be God

For always and forever.

My sins, et al, forgiven,

(Also present, past and future):

Washed away – erased - by Grace

Of God, Eternal God!

*See Revelation 1:4-8.

Travel

Travel = Questions

(Excitement, punctuated)

How far?

Which way?

How much?

Where is it?

What’s that?

Should we stop?

What’s the best?

Can we go?

Are we there yet?

There.

(That refreshing place where we don’t know all the answers)

Luxury

O, the luxury of cleanliness,

The fragrant steam of bath,

The popping bubbles, slip’ry skin,

The clean and thorough rinsing.

Spectacular Morning

You’re a Spectacular Morning,

And, to think, I almost missed you:

Soft air of day things,

Grass full of diamonds,

Unbroken promises,

Tender new light.