Like a Prophet’s Repentant Cry
(a minor minor minor prophet)
I am a sinner
Yes
And if I could cry to the hills
Not because God is there
Because God
Like Banksy and Kilroy
And as
We know
God is everywhere
But hills are curved
Easy on the eyes
And beg
Distance
For reflection
Trying to establish vision
Of the Lord
And of my out there
With God
And also in the world
At least among
The open terrain
Like hills
And I ask for repentance
As in
Maybe there’s a spring
To go to
Near the crest
Or in a dell
And I might wash my face
My head that is
The major sinning place
Nearly all
The things that go awry
Beginning there
And if
Forgiven
I may turn
Go back to town
Or
Wherever
Work or play might
Take me next
And it’s a round
Rather
A cycle
Sin and pardon
With petition
Reconciliation in between
Which for now
I guess
Has to be all right
God has seen
Has sensed it all
Truly knows the
Within
All that’s in
My head and
Heart
What is it now
The Bible law
More than that
Sacred direction
And
Tradition
Loving the Lord with all
Our minds
Our strengths
Our souls
Like the speaker in the famous poem
I have so far to go
Deep miles
Snowbound by peccadilloes
And
Peccata mundi
Through spring is at hand
Like God’s hand
And should we take that
Even climb into it
(God’s hand
after all)
Our repentance might become more like
Lachrymose
Mundi
A world of tears
A world of
Forceful tears
As in tears
Starting with tears
That rain
After sins
Vital
Creative
(unique)
And creating tears
As Jesus filled
Jerusalem
But now beginning in irony
Perhaps
Of sins
Of one’s own
Of mine
C L Couch
Photo by Simon Ray on Unsplash
Sweet Sorrow
The leaves are golden
As if
Mindful of Lórien
Red
Green
Prevailing
Or
Still prevailing
Too
The season’s name
Not having
Claimed
Them
Yet
Though some
No doubt
Have
Fallen
The golden is not gold
Though
Precious
For Celeborn
If not
For Gollum
Who
Treasured a thing
That happened
To be
Made of gold
For its
Devotion
This gold outside shall fall
Naming
The season
Even as the leaves in storied Lórien
Did fall
And so
Nostalgic
Melancholic
Glory
In the mind
For leaves from
Fictive trees
And
The leaves
Eye-to-eye like
Like
Closeness of
Pages
I suppose
Though
On the other side of actual
And slow glass
C L Couch
Photo by Doriana Popa on Unsplash
“Slow Glass” is a short story by Bob Shaw.
Lórien (Lothlórien and other names) is the Golden Wood of Galádriel and Celeborn in The Lord of the Rings by Tolkien. (The name Celeborn with pronounced with the c like the c in “clock” or “cook”, hmm, or Couch.)
“Nostalgia” means “sweet pain,” as I was told by poet Julia Kasdorf, some years ago.
a mystery solved
(there are more puzzles so don’t worry)
no
not real enough
to say
try
new
old
there’s value in each
tradition
innovation
making
new
respecting old
and we should know
this is
the way that
things
that we
should go
mix
spill
fight
make up
difference
the same
respecting each
enlivening
the life
the upward gradients
also
frankly
the fun
who are we
anyway
we are cherished
and should cherish
as
obligation
work
and play
rest
and rise
to keep us
and to keep this world
until Earth B
and then
keep A and B
together
on their own
the way of children
and of
home
c l couch
photo by Rejaul Karim on Unsplash
a man buys food from street hawker
[photographer's caption]
Gradient Light
It’s late
In that
The mid-autumn sun
Sets
Much earlier
Than summer’s
I rose late
Because there was
Strange peace
In the house
Perhaps
Perhaps
And inside
Me
While it is green and blue
Still
Lit by yellow
Yet I know
The coming darkness
That hints already
Shall
Arrive
It will be night
And with some stars
Perhaps
Or that bright
Waning moon
We’ve had
These past nights
A gift
Of supernal light
From
Evening
Crafters
And a surprise
For being
Large
In the sky
The
Brightness of the Lord
Even
In waning
C L Couch
Photo by Charles Postiaux on Unsplash
Help My Unbelief
(Mark 9)
Doubt
Has to be a part of it
It seems
Lack of faith
Or having faith broken
Apart
Or part of it
Sometimes
Then
There’s the always part
The soul that isn’t certain
Even though
A soul
Should mean something
Certain
And eternal
A spiritual
Life
And though
Several codes say
Simply
To believe
Or even might be burdened
A number of
Requirements
And though
Belief
Should be enough
To indicate
A life beyond
With confidence
There
Must be
It seems
Unbelief
A bother
And a burden
Rather
Though
Than getting in the way
Doubt might sharpen things
Like holy understanding
Like stage fright
Doubt might keep us fresh
Checking
And learning more
To keep
Our faith
Deep
And certainly alive
C L Couch
Photo by Steve Lieman on Unsplash
Like the Hammer at the Carnival
You know
In a pulmonary test
You are directed
To exhale then
Exhale some
More
Empty the lungs
As strongly
And as thoroughly
As you
Can
With then another round
And another of
The same
Not an exercise
In breathing
We should not breathe that way
But
It seems
To find out how strong we might be
And then again
Some guessing about strength
And then
Some
More
C L Couch
(with the thing at the carnival, you hit with all the strength you think you have and then must hit again with more)
Photo by Nhia Moua on Unsplash
Candled also Candied Hallowe’en
Not a gore-fest
Please
Which means that
Franchised
Fields of blood won’t be
For
Me
A busy
Corn-maze would be
Pleasant
If the allergies
Go
All right
And there’s my heart
That has handled
Much
Though now is broken
Medically
Still can appreciate
Orange and black
Purple
Highlights
Civil costumes
Not civil servants
So much as
Witches white
With
Courtesy
Casper ghosts
And such
And of course
Sugar
For diabetes
Notwithstanding
But let’s have some chocolate
Please
Some chocolate
If I can do
(w for m)
Samhain at all
In appreciation of tradition
Tilting with the axis
Respectfully
If
Quixotically at the
Time
Of year
Then maybe those
Better-knit
Or not
With whom I may celebrate
Or who
May celebrate with me
Going
If vicariously for
The chocolate
C L Couch
Photo by Heather Green on Unsplash
Monoprint Texture
an abstract pumpkin patch? (not really)
Ecumenically Yours
I believe
God
Jesus
And the Holy Spirit
If you don’t believe
Believing in
Another way
Or not
At all
Then that should be all right
With me
Evangelism
Notwithstanding
For
What good
Readiness to speak
When
There is no Earth to stand on or
Breathe through
Our lack of respect
Having led
To the destruction
Of
It all
C L Couch
Photo by Mario Häfliger on Unsplash
First time ever to see the monks temple Otagi Nenbutsuji in Kyoto. 1200 different monk statues are straggled over the area and sometimes you see once who are upside down or in remembrance of a cat. Hidden gem in my opinion.
[photographer’s caption]
Actual
(to youth)
What kind of world
Should we leave you
Not the world we’re leaving you
Some say to move back in time
To former greatness
Such greatness not existing
Not in hindsight’s
Either
And
Anyway
Who has a time
Machine
Because the river has moved on
And we can’t wade
In the water
That was
I think the world as is
Is what you’ll get
And everyone in charge now
And everyone who’s silent over it
Should
Apologize
Even
Try to get as many things right
Before it’s fully yours
Though in part
Already
Naturally
It’s yours
If we can do this
Make a few things better
Not by war
Not by pollution
Desecration
Death of character
If we can change things
In a peaceful
And productive
Way
Even a loving way
The real way of love
The strong way
Well
That would be something
Not nearly enough
For letting things get this bad
Already
But something
Something of a better place
To leave you
C L Couch
Photo by Lil Mayer on Unsplash
"What are we going to do with all this future?" [for translation programs]
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