Mary and Saint Joseph

The month of May, in the Catholic Church, is dedicated to Mary, and on May 1st it was the feast of “Saint Joseph the Worker.” This celebration was instituted in order to combat communism’s emphasis on workers’ worth for the state and to remind people of everyone’s worth before God, no matter what their profession is. Joseph was a humble carpenter and not prestigious in his lifetime, yet he is greatly respected by the Church. I thought it was interesting that his feast opens the month of Mary.

“Mary” is one of the options for this week’s haikai challenge from Frank J. Tassone.

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Inaugurating
The month of May: Saint Joseph,
Mary’s faithful spouse.

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Five Milestones

Today at Real Toads we are writing list poems consisting of 5 items. This is a little bit of an autobiography.

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The fourth of July,

Date of my independence

From the NICU

After two

Weeks.

 

March seventeenth,

The day I decided

To let God drive

The snakes out of my life:

I was becoming

Too weak.

 

April twentieth,

Easter Sunday,

Coming home,

Beginning

A new life.

 

July twenty-seventh,

In the summer heat

Dying and rising again

In the waters

Of baptism.

 

The fourth of June,

The happiest afternoon

When I began anew,

With even more courage

Filled, rebuilt.

Miniature: A Time

This is my best attempt at a miniature poem, which I learned about from Linda Luna. Click here to see the parameters for the rhyme scheme and syllables.

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After suffering a bit,

Sing a song of joy:

There is hope beyond the pain,

Pain cannot destroy.

Time will mitigate the hurt,

Though it’s not forgotten:

Time will help to heal the wounds,

And nothing in heaven

Or on Earth can conquer this

Promise of eternal bliss.

Judas

This is a cinquain written in response to the NaPoWriMo day 15 prompt about writing from a villain’s point of view. We are challenged to make the villain seem human but still evil.

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Regret.

Silver pieces

Mock me, glinting cruelly.

Is this enough to say sorry,

Old friend?

Eloquence

For NaPoWriMo day 12

Silence
Has its own eloquence —
Listen
To what it says in the
Pauses;
Sometimes
It suffices
To listen to the wind
Or the trees,
To listen to the Spirit
As it moves,
As it frees.

City

For DVerse Poetics, the prompt was to write about a city that inspires you.

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We are building the city of God
With every kind word
And every act of aid
To those in need.
We are each a different stone
In the pearly gates,
In the gilded streets,
Fulfilling unique needs.
We are building the city of God
Whenever we decide
To live with love and mercy.
We are all in need.

In the Chapel

This is a response to yesterday’s challenge on Imaginary Gardens With Real Toads. That site introduced me to a form called A L’Arora. It uses 8-line stanzas where only the 6th and 8th lines rhyme. There are supposed to be at least 4 stanzas in a true A L’Arora poem, but mine is only one stanza. I was inspired to write it while at my church today. Hopefully soon I can add at least a few more stanzas.

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“Peace to all who gather in this place,”
He would say, as He looks over those
Who come to the chapel to pray.
At least an hour a week to spend
With Him, sometimes I have no words
But simply sit and lovingly gaze.

How beautiful when faith sees!
How lovely when hearts open to God’s ways!