Tremble

Silver follicles thinly combed,
Over speckled brow kindly wrinkled ,
His eyes ever inward honed,
Looking for memories long addled,
I remember.

And Pop loved all within his sphere,
Beloved and loving with every breath,
His eyes paled, but showed no fear,
That he was losing the race with death,
I remember.

A gentleman managing his broken world,
Always glad to see someone he ought to know,
Speak a prayer and his brow would unfurl,
And his countenance betrays a warm glow,
I remember.

Lost were places, people, dreams, words,
Barely a shadow of the man beloved of kin,
Mostly he had made the journey heavenwards,
With but a breath hanging on to his skin,
I remember.

The Lord is my Shepherd;
I Shall Not Want,
Pop's eyes clear in connection...
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures:
He leadeth me beside the still waters.
A vague look of recognition...
He restoreth my soul:
He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
He quiets his search for lost speech...
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil: for thou art with me;
Thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
His inward gaze in upward reach...
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies:
Thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
And contentment imbues his gaze...
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life:
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.
And Pop sees beyond his mindless maze...

And Pop shortly breathes his last,
Now his tears, memories restored anew,
His sweet Savior now holds him fast.
In that place, he believed was true.

Breathe,
Pray,
Tremble.

Embers

Once crackling and consuming,
Sweetness, light, mirth of mind,
Curtains of carbon enveloping,
Beloved and loved intertwined,
Their bodies and spirits burning
Euphoria so willingly made blind,
And open.

Soon crackles quiet in warm whispers,
And warm safety soothes the bones,
The blazing calms to soft dangers,
All aglow in warmth and earth-tones,
Deepening bonds unite the dancers,
Swaying in warm breezes unknown,
Now deepen.

The crackles diminish into a hiss,
A coldness impinges past the flame,
Limbs fold away from tender kiss,
Each in t'ward solitary frames,
Warmth — a tide — recedes the bliss,
That was once sweetly proclaimed,
Now cheapened,

As embers bleed their heat and light,
L'amour recedes to places far,
Death dying death — day and night,
Once aflame, now cooled to char,
Crimson coals crumble ashen white,
And drift on morning breeze afar,
Unshapen.

Thirsty

When the desert claims the garden
And rivers cannibalize their flow
Thistles consume without pardon
None can either reap or sow,

When skin and mucous membranes
Parch to taut leathery hide
Crusted joints and walking canes
Make for jaunty, broken stride,

When the horizon's broiling haze,
Scorch all stirring in daylight's wake,
Lithesome air sets beasts ablaze,
A lifelessness that will not slake,

'Tis then flash floods raid the sands,
Cooling muddy silt wraps the crust,
And seeds dying within the lands,
Cramped casings give to floral burst,

And crawlers, slithers, walkers, play,
In new grass dew by fragile ponds,
Jubilee that ends the curse of day,
An oasis covenant renews the bonds,

Of living to water, breath, and Spirit,
Of Spirit to dead zones made alive,
Seasonal baptism be the Holy Writ,
Story of each creature born to thrive,

Yet waiting.