Category: Other Poetry

Both thorns and thistles come from Adam’s ground,
Were cursed when he committed our first sin,
Then woven in a crown of thorns around
The head of Him for us our nature mends.

And through Him all the earth is now redeemed,
Becomes an open gate to Paradise,
For from it bread and wine not what they seem–
Are Body, Blood of Him who paid our price. 

We gather at His feast within the gate,
Look forward to the feast that later comes
With Him who came to earth to share our fate–
Will rise with us as we like Him become.

Those thorns and thistles wound around His head
Adorn the One who rises from the dead. 

Your mercy is like morning dew
To earth that’s parched for lack of rain,
A wet that makes us ever new
Within our human bout with pain.

For all will suffer here on earth
As image You renew in us,
And wet from font brings second birth–
Gives us the gift in You to trust.

The dew is changed to Bloody Wine
To nourish us on journey here
As to us You say “you are mine,
No longer need you suffer fear,

For mercy’s dew restores your life
And fully you become yourself
As in the world you shine My light
While I return My earth to health.” 

From open tomb You rise to bring new dawn
With wisdom of Your Cross You give to us—
A death of sin for which our hearts have longed—
As Spirit breathes new life in earthly dust.

Your wisdom we learn never in us fades
But grows, is watered by the Spirit’s wind
That blows away the dark of Eden’s shade
And let’s our life You planned anew begin.

When we with You arise from Church’s fount,
You feed us with Your Body and Your Blood
As You with each climb up Your holy mount
On ladder of Your Cross where Life’s Tree stood.

With You, from mount we can our Eden view;
By You redeemed, our hearts make Eden new. 

How can I climb a ladder reaches high—
Is step above to heaven’s open door—
Unless His Cross comes down to bring me nigh?

I gaze above and heave a longing sigh
And feel in me at last a spirit poor;
How can I climb a ladder reaches high?

My eyes are filled with tears I cannot dry;
How can my heart climb up to Him adore
Unless His Cross comes down to bring me nigh?

My tongue shapes words for me—a mournful cry
As I long with my Lord to be restored;
How can I climb a ladder reaches high?

My eyes washed clean, see to me Satan lied;
Now I can’t rise to truth His Spirit pours
Unless His Cross comes down to bring me nigh.

But now I feel a Vine around me tied
And Spirit walks me up His Cross–we soar!
How can I climb a ladder reaches high
Unless His Cross comes down to bring me nigh?

I see the path before me stretched
     And know not where it leads,
But I see You are in it etched
     By Blood from Cross You bleed.

From Father’s heart to us You come
     Through Mary’s open arms,
So one of us You can become
     And share with us life’s harms.

As with us on our path You walk,
     Through deserts sometimes pass,
And with us of our lives You talk
     To tell us what will last.

With You we’re always meant to be
     And with our families too;
So on this walk Your truth we see:
     With You we heaven view. 

Lord, pitch Your tent in me with joy,
Make me Your dwelling place,
And in Your mission then employ
     Your gifts for all our race.

Come, sing Your song in words from Word
     And use my mind and tongue
That others may Your truth adore
     And hear the song you’ve sung.

For song sung once on Calvary
     Was sung as alpha note
And will omega Your song be:
     Your truth for us You wrote.

In Your song we are swept away
     As earth and heaven joined
And all made new beyond the fray–  
     Recovered that purloined.

Your joy in our redemption’s wrought
     By Son who dwells in us;
He paid the price, and we’ve been bought:
     His life’s song breathed in dust.

Now, once again, Your song is heard
     As men and angels sing
Our minds’ and tongues’ omega Word:
     Praise Christ as Lord and King!

Remove, O Lord, from mouth and mind
My sins of which I now repent,
For they are Baal gods of my time
And must forever leave my tent.

May I know then who I’ve become
With thoughts and words that are from You
By Spirit who within me comes–
Brings new day fresh with morning dew.

New person now I see I am,
One born again in human flesh–
Comes forth with Blood of You, the Lamb,
Who with my heart Your heart will mesh.

My new life born in Eden’s East
Will step with You through heaven’s gate
Where I will see that heaven’s feast,
On earth I knew when You I ate.

For Body, Blood You feed us here
That’s Your new life beyond the grave,
And our new life will join You there
As You with us all Eden save.

Your sunset’s beams shine through Your dusk-time sky,
A promise that Your dawn will rise again:
Through dark to dawn You call us all to fly.

Yet fear comes with the night when we’re to die
And rest beneath Your earth, our debt for sin–
Your sunset’s beams shine through Your dusk-time sky.

Repentance for our sin brings hope that lies
With us each night that with You we’ll descend:
Through dusk to dawn You call us all to fly.

In our deep sleep You will to us draw nigh—
The curtain drawn between us You now rend—
Your sunset’s beams shine through Your dusk-time sky,

And when You come You lift ourselves on high
With love and faith from You that will not end:
Through dark to dawn You call us all to fly,

And through it all we hear a joyful sigh
From all at rest who to You Three ascend!
Your sunset’s beams shine through Your dusk-time sky;
Through dark to dawn You call us all to fly. 

THE CROSS OUR ARK

The Cross becomes our Ark like Noah built
As on it we sail through all earthly storms–
Delivers us from Adam’s sin and guilt
As we once-born below are now re-born.

We’re washed with love as on this boat we toil–
Sing joyful songs with others of His crew
And sail through death as Satan’s will is foiled:
Beneath the waves all earth by Blood made new.

For water ‘neath the prow becomes His wine
Transformed into His Blood by words He speaks
And irrigates on earth His Living Vine:
Abates His water and new earth we greet.

His Ark has brought us safe to heaven’s shore,
For we and earth are washed by Blood He poured. 

A bogus mercy Devil gives
     To let us have our way:
A counterfeit to “I forgive”
     When sin in us holds sway.

We’re fooled by him that wrong is right
     And world cooperates,
As through our flesh spreads Devil’s blight
     With death as our sin’s fate.

But pride in our sin will be killed
     By Jesus on His Cross;
Humility from Him will fill
     Our hearts when our sin’s lost.

And Devil writhes in his defeat
     When Jesus rises up—
Says, “I forgive” from mercy seat;
     “On Me come now and sup.”

“At altar come to eat and drink
     Through font of my new life,
And on my truth you now can think
     When I end Devil’s strife.”