here is a chapbooklet, as it were (and to have made up the word), a small series of poems it won’t take long to read or, please and naturally, read how much however, whenever


From Psalm 51



It’s past the sabbath time

And the spirit

Of the Lord

Stays with us

Create in me a clean heart

O God

And renew a right spirit

Within me

My favorite psalm

And it’s a good one

Anyway

Because there is a promise

It can happen

Like the washed sins

Becoming like the snow

Though I like

The sense of plea

In this one

We reach out

To God

Invoke God

And ask for God’s involvement



We may ask for this

Each time we read

And think on it

(words with thoughts, Claudius)

Though

The Lord might say

I’ve done it

Clean heart

Right spirit

All is well

Be at peace

And the Lord

Will listen to our plea

All our pleas

Time and again

As much as need

To send over to

The perfect listening

Of the Lord





God Hears Us



Should I shout to God

Or splutter words

Between sobs

Or ask

While sitting on a chair

Before a meeting

Or whisper



God hears me

Every time

God can do that

And hear the prayers

Of everyone

Who speaks

Or thinks

Into that extraordinary network

Where angels might be working

Fast

At fever pitch

We could think

Though they must be even-handed

Being willed to perfection



But beyond fancy

Really

Or what really happens

We don’t know

God hears us

And responds

With reason

And attentiveness

Yes

With a modicum

Of mystery



God’s timing is not ours

More so the wisdom

As we are heard

And loved

Each time





Re-Tool



I wish the news were better

Stabbings in New York

After guns

We’ll have to outlaw knives

Stabbings in many places

I guess they are

Cheap guns



The wars go on

And now

We missile Houthis

And I can’t say

We shouldn’t

Though we have a State Department

That’s pretty big

And pretty busy



I think on the tall trees

And want them to remain

Or to be moved

With the kind of skill

We have

In such things

Rather than topple

Cut down

And cut apart

For tables

Spoons

And toothpicks

And so go our forests

And our oxygen

For ages

Though we might find it hard to breathe

Today



There are wonders

In the woods

And in the animals

No matter where

But so many things that live

And maybe nearly all

Have pain centers

And something for a thought

If only impulse

In something

Like a mind



We could try to relate

Before the slaughter

I really think

We could

I know it would harm industry

Though industry’s

Industrious

And should find something else

As it has

At least when successful

As it can be



Re-think

Re-tool

Re-train

Get governments

Communities

To help



While we get

To keep a world

With more

Positive prosperity

That might engender

More

Good feeling

So we keep

Our knives in drawers





From Out of Town



I am a visitor

More spectator

Than participant

These folk

Know their world

And I am visiting

Without a ticket

Except for love

Saturated

In the invitation




C L Couch


Photo by Jigar Panchal on Unsplash