Friday, March 16, 2012

Poetry Sampler


Birch 10.12.2010


Sere, curling
A shiver and three
leaves fall
Gold leafing the lawn
Flick and flash
chickadee flight
to feed and cache
one more seed
Earth, tree and wing
bear morning light.


Cats 10.17.2010


A flip of the tongue
Roll and breathe
Out utterance
Has devolved
Into purrs
And raspy meows
On my part
Intertwined with morning news
And inquiries
"More food?"


Blank Page 4.6.11
An entry in St. Paul's sidewalk poetry contest--wasn't chosen


Let this page blow
into the chain link fence
lose shape
in sun and rain
darkly curl, disassemble
into dust


Oriole Wish  4.12.11


O tangerine
and arc of coal
sweet dusk
of grape
jelled
on outstretched
perch
calling and waiting
for you


Light for the Nations
8-2-2009
© Donna J. Martinson

A light for the nations
Light, irrepressible light
One flash, one blink, a moment of light
Just one second
and the light in particle energy
packets
wavelengths of light
has flown away
Three hundred hundred-meter dashes
laid end to end
run in one second – illumined
transected by a beam of light

How far can we see in this light?

Light, refracted and reflected
Light, broken for you
into colors so you may see
how various, how splendid, how interesting is this world
an indigo bunting wing has no color but the light
bent through feather into iridescent blue
and how blue . . . or green,
grey or brown,
are the eyes of the peoples
of the nations

Light for the nations
see the shimmering of youth
see the translucence of age
see the hues of skin and sky
metropolis and village

Salvation to the ends of the earth
And now we know the ends
from National Geographic and Nova
sometimes, it is not salvation we bring
oh, Lord, hear our prayer
Salvation
Wholeness
Shalom
Healing
Forgiveness
Good news
Freedom from oppression, from want, from fear, from death
Light in which to see everyone as sister, brother, aunt, uncle, grandfather, grandmother, cousin, neighbor
for now we know the ends of the earth…
Oh, Lord, hear our prayer for salvation

We are to be a light for the nations

Hear the word of the Lord.

God said, “Let there be light and there was light. And God saw that the light was good” (Genesis 1).

The Lord led them with a pillar of fire by night, to give them light (Exodus).

The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness---on them light has shined (Isaiah 9:2).

Arise, shine, for your light has come (Isaiah 60:1).

You are the light of the world.
A city built on a hill cannot hide. Don’t hide your light under a basket. Let your light shine so others may see your good works and give glory to God (Matthew 5:14-16).

The light shines in the darkness and the darkness did not overcome it (John 1:5).

God is light and in God there is no darkness at all (1 John 1:5).

Light, irrepressible light
Invisible yet visible fuel
for the growth of plant life on land and in the sea
photosynthesis!
Enough light if solar panels could power us and warm us
with energy to spare
Speed of light
measures greatness of the universe
Light overflowing from sun and stars

Light for us - light in us
light through us
Praise the word of the Lord

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