CLOSE TO GOD

            Could precognition be a keener sense of intuition?
            Linked to the Omniscient Source, some gifted people could see
            Ontoward events unfolding, like watching the television...
            Seemingly beyond belief, such is Florida's faculty:-
            Every tragic wreck, disastrous storm, or calamitous flight
            That happened years ago as well as those of more recent date
            Occurred first in her sleeping state as horrific dreams at night.
            Grant her, O Lord, a more tolerable, much happier fate;
            Order her dream-making angel to weave a celebration,
            Devoid of fearful clashes, crashes, or bloody commotion.

HYPERBOLE

        How did Uncle Sam get into this mess?
        You recall how he spent here and abroad,
        Passing out tax dollars like some largesse,
        Easily spending money just borrowed,
        Racking up a generational debt--
        By the fourteen trillions, as of last count!
        Oh, not to worry;  taxpayers, don't fret.
        Let interest rates continue to mount;
        Each time you inhale, a levy you'll get.
   

God is First

                 Go out to the world and pursue your dream;
                 One caveat:- Things are not what they seem.
                 Don't be blinded by lucre or power,
                 Ill-gotten gains lead to Hell or lower.
                 Self-aggrandizement is an addiction;
                 Forget pride and extreme ostentation.
                 Improve your God-given skills; be humble...
                 Rise up and re-focus, if you stumble;
                 Stand firm for Justice and Integrity,
                 The Grail you must seek is God Almighty!

Trust In God

       To be or not to be is not the question;
       Remember, even if earthly life is done,
       Unbelieving friend, believe you will live on!
       So choose well your path while in this dimension.
       Turn back to God, take the straight and narrow way.
       It is not easy--the path of a Christian,
       Nonetheless, nobler than a pact Faustian.
       Good counsel by your conscience you must obey;
       On a most important matter, here's a cue:-
       Do for others what you want God do for you.

I ENJOY IT

                 I spend hours doing an acrostic.
                 Each time I complete one, I'm ecstatic;
                 Nevertheless, I keep changing the words,
                 Just to make sure it won't end 'mongst the turds.
                 On the other hand, I don't really care;
                 You, dear reader, can scoff at or trash it...
                  I'll do better with more insights to share;
                 Tomorrow I might give you a smash hit.
               

RENEWAL

                     Replicating humans, and every ten days too;
                     Each cell in our whole body is replaced anew.
                     No one, strictly speaking, is more than two weeks old.
                     Ergo, Mr. 'Reborn', why not try a new mold?
                     We undergo 'rebirth' to re-invigorate,
                     Also to find direction and re-navigate.
                     Lose not your sight of our safe haven--Heaven's Gate.

SERENATA

         Some old songs from the past still haunt my reverie,
         Enchanting lullabies my mother sang to me.
         Rocking my cradle, she sang in our native tongue;
         Etched in my mem'ry, oh how sweetly she had sung:-
       "No Lilith can steal or touch you, my little one;"
       "An angel and I will guard you, so slumber on..."
       "Today and tomorrow 'dungwen ka un-unay!'"*
       "Always I will care for you till the day I die...."



                                            *(Ilocano translation: 'feeling extremely fond of you')

SANCTITY

          Sundays:- In Sunday clothes you go to church;
          At home, your sceptre is a rod of birch.
          Notice those old people at the cross-walk?
         "Certainly not!  If they approach, I'll balk;
         "Touch not those unwashed, there could be danger."
         "I never talk with a complete stranger..."

          Think not you are a Christian then, my friend.
          Your heart and hand to all, learn to extend...
    

HUBRIS

             How did Lucifer fall from Heaven and God's grace?
             Ungracefully;  Banished to that bottomless place...
             Blest with beauty, powers, and gifts in abundance,
             Ruined by his own overweening arrogance;
             I, despite all my frailties, am the favored one,
             So step aside, Mephistopheles, and begone!

HUMILITY

       Hide not the silver in your hair; I fear
       Undue concern with your mere exterior
       May later reveal a bare interior...
       In old age, we will find beauty there, dear.
       Let twilight come; you'll be my Evening Star...
       If springtime and once youthful looks must go,
       Then your soul within will much brighter glow.
       You are quite lovely, dear, just as you are!
      

PERSEVERANCE

       Pursue the gold,
       Endure the pain;
       Rest not, be bold,
       Scoff at the strain;
       Ev'ry step brings
       Vict'ry's embrace.
       E'en without wings
       Rise, run Life's race--
       A marathon....
       Now, see the Gate!
       Come Home, you've won,
       Expatriate!

HUMANITY

     Here on shaky ground the whole world now stands:-
     Ugly idols rule men's hearts and passions;
     Many souls have joined Mammon's killing bands,
     Anti-Christian jihadists' obsessions
     Now infect youthful minds in many lands.
     Is peace achievable by spilling blood?
     Turn killing hands to healing, serving hands;
     You and I are living temples of God!

PREMONITIONS

       Preparing to leap across a crevasse?
       Relax;  First, take a sip of demitasse,
       Exhale all those doubts, stop stomach spasms.
       Mind over matter--over all chasms.
       Of course, there are pits for things of loathing;
       Not to worry, holes are mostly nothing...
       I'm an old bird, so I can fly across
       That deep divide, or even soar--Who knows?
      "I do know," whispers my Premonition;
      "Old fool, hearken to my admonition."
      "No man alive can escape gravity,"
      "So treat not my alarms with levity!"

INSIGHT

        I dreamt I was flying o'er a heavenly zone,
        No wings had I, no body, but below I saw
        Spectacular marble domes to the horizon;
        I thought then that it was the moment I would know
        God's purpose in creating and giving us life.
        However, I awoke - back to where woe is rife,
        To, perhaps, tell my insight to this world of strife...

SOLITUDE

     Sitting bemused in my old stalled car near the beach,
     Out where I could  hear the surf and the sea gulls screech...
     Looking up, I could see some swallows flying high,
     Intricately tracing their farewell in the sky;
     Thus I was left alone on the deserted strand,
     Utterly without a comrade to lend a hand...
     Dare I ask for "road assistance" for my old heart?
   " Excuse me, Lord, but I need another jump-start!"

Ah, Great Mystery of Life

          (Victor Herbert's "Ah, Sweet Mystery of Life" is slightly modified, but the melody of the song is retained.)

      Ah, Great Mystery of Life at last I've found You,
      Ah, at last I know the secret of it all;
      All the longings, seekings, striving. waiting, yearning,
     The burning hopes, the joys and idle tears that fall.
     
      For 'tis Love and Peace, so long I have been seeking;
      Now I know Who gives His Love for all to share.
      Weep no more for He's the end and all of living;
       Yes, only God can give us Peace fore'er.

      So, dear brothers, sisters, if you are still seeking,
      Find the Lord in everyone and everywhere;
      Know the secret-- He's the end and all of living,
      For only God can give us Life fore'er!
      .
     

 

A Wish, A Dream, A Choice

     I used to climb up the tallest tamarind tree
     When I was a school boy in elementary;
     I would clamber to its highest branch just to see
     Shimmering in the distance the South China Sea.
     How could I forget those big ships sailing away!
     I made a wish I could sail my own ship someday...
     Where have those wild dreams and high hopes of youth all gone?
     I still dream dreams, but now a small boat should be fun.
     Life at the top, I suspect, is a huge burden;
     Live with bad thorn pricks if you have a rose garden.
     What profits then an old man still collecting toys?
     I've retired from the chase, the next race is for boys.
     Now, I just write...( At my age, it's the only choice.)

STUPEFACTION

     Scholastics maintain skepticism is absurd,
     That mere agnosticism may be the right word,
     Unless what one really means is atheism...
     Pure layman's ignorance could be the right 'ism'.
     Existentialists, I suspect, don't give a hoot,
     For religion to them is a no-brainer - moot;
     And so I studied a bit of Eastern teachings...
     Confucius says naught about God in his preachings.
     There are other faiths or pathways one could follow,
     I must delve into all to be able to know...
     On the other hand, soon there is "Graduation"...
     Now, I am stupefied to total inaction.
     
  

To President Obama

     Be the President you promised to be;
     A sea change we all expected to see.
     Rely on your own global perspective,
     And avoid straying from God's objective:-
     Construct a world of peace and brotherhood,
     Knowing all mankind is Mother Earth's brood.

     Oust from power those who promote discord;
     Beware of leaders who rule by the sword.
     Arab, Jew, Kenyan, or American-
     Makes no diff'rence to God; we're all human.
     ACHIEVE WORLD PEACE; with your firm lead --WE CAN!

STULTIFICATION (A comment on the world economy)

       Some government leaders just can't foresee
       That Greed insatiable brings Misery.
       Unmindful of their starving cit'zenry,
       Like kings of old, they bask in luxury;
       They think they own their nation's treasury,
       In pelf, they seek lasting security...
       Forgotten, their long-suff'ring populi
       In desperation rise 'gainst tyranny;
       Chaos soon engulfs their entire country,
       And blood and tears flow like a tsunami,
       Thus, stultifying their economy,
       Infecting even global industry....
       Only our nation's self-sufficiency-(?)
       Negates that dire eventuality.