Then Doubt
Doubt is
Smart
It has an edge
There is reason
There
And care for the shape
And flow
Of things on every
Side
Doubt considers
Aspects
What is good
And what needs changing
What
To say halt
To
While there are considerations
And respect
At least a dive into awareness
Of all players
Doubt
Needs affirmation
Maybe
Though first it should get it
Of itself
Which is to say the paradox might be
That
Doubt
Should be awarded its own
Certainty
To say the head
And all corners of the heart
Deserve
Consideration
And then
There are the questions
The committed should ask questions
Too
Practicality
At least
Though when
Doubt and commitment might
There might be fixing
What
Things need fixing
And leaving go
What might be brought
To bear
With virtue
Next
Occasion
Say
When the parent says
I believe
Help my unbelief
The doubt
Affirmed to heal
Embodying the risk
That faith must
Take
For the stronger
Lasting
Miracle
Of holding
On
Sometimes
Or when certain
In the morning of belief and
And in
Life
That also needs
It seems
The evening of doubt
(Mark 9:24 is cited, the entire passage recommended)
The Pain of Doubt
Doubt does
Hurt
It is disturbing
Even when
We try to keep it only
In the realm of thought
There’s
Likely
To be pain
Goodness is more fun
And we like think
More lasting
As
Promises
And prophecies
Foretell
Yet goodness unchained
Directionless
After
The pleasure might need
Something more
As well
And shall doubt
Provide that
The sureness of having
Worked
Through it all
And shall come out on
The other side
A conviction
Certainly
For enough
Of faith
And peace and
Joy
C L Couch
Photo by BenMoses M on Unsplash
A Christmas Season Message
(anytime)
So once it’s proclaimed
That
God loves you
And a presumption
God loves
Me
Then
We might consider
For ourselves and the world
God loves us
It’s not an easy love
Because the world
Isn’t easy
Rather
Selfish
And destructive
You know this
And the presence of God
Is not made so visible
Or at all
Though there are stories
And what does
This love
Mean
To ask catechistically
Well
It’s the strongest fragile going
Because the world and the devil
Seem
To have their ruinous say
And rule over
Temptations
Ready to wreck us
When we’re turned
Ignoring
Keep from us notions of
Redemption
With reconciliation
Back
Into the body of believers
And so much
Too much
Is hidden in the world
Like treasures found
In mines
As well as ancient
Tombs
That were new once in grief
And now perhaps
Remembrance
Truth hides too easily
Secrets used
To cover truths
Of course
And there’s a pushing under of
Open justice
That restores
By a greater interest
In control of
Rules
And closed-over until-
Declared
Tyranny
Meaning
Sinful attitudes and strategies
Allowed
Through good things bent
Too often by
Prosperity
And punishment
Which warps the understanding of
What’s fair and
Openly
Respectful
In favor of shaded interest
And is this real
Well
All of it must be
Making
Sad sense out of what
Explains
The way things are
And love is hard in this
And some would say impossible
As a human
Reaction
Understood
While love itself might go
Underground
Deeper than the superficial world
Knows
Love might have to hide
Rising when it’s risky
But
To seal the deal on planet Earth
And who knows where else
That better
Vows
Mean something
And we must take the chance to say
And sometimes write so
And say so
From a podium
Until repudiation of such public love with
Podium
And church or temple
Fired by hate
With worldly agendas behind
‘Til what is good
To hear
To bring us together
Is then ashes
Love is strong
Even when assailed
And it shall
Last beyond
But
Oh
It
Takes a beating now and then
Or all the time
Depending on who’s
Or what’s
In charge
But love regardless
God’s behind it and in front
And is invisible
Irascibly
It seems
Even to allow great danger to
Adherents
But love is
Called for
Anyway
And we should love
Each other even more visible than
God
‘Til God more obviously shows
Keeping the understanding
Learning
And the living that
As we might
Know
Singly and together
God loves us
C L Couch
(for its own lectern maybe, serving a sermon or another kind of message in a hall or other place or kind of gathering)
Photo by virkelighet on Unsplash
Seasons’ Reasonings
(or is it reason’s seasonings)
What do I really want
To say today
And shall I break
From
My agenda
Even of pressing needs
For aren’t they all
Seeming-
Exigent
I want
To say
Simple and plain
I guess
As folk
As others
Say
And it’s
God loves you
And
While God loves you
In
The strength and practicality
Of love
Without the pink and lace
So much
Until it’s time
For these
In my land
After the groundhog wakes
And the better President
Is born
And then
Another tussle for
Too many
With
In fact
Pink isolation
Like
Too-often
Christmas green
While all of it
We know
As blue
(though
yes
Elvis’s Christmases
are blue)
Until and in between
These times
That is
Most of the time
And
Yes
And even then
(the betweens of in-betweens)
God loves you
God before us
God behind
Us
And God beneath
With God above
And also
On
Our way is
God beside us
And is there more to say
With hope of heaven
Interesting
But unknown
‘Til it should be happening
And
It hasn’t happened
Though love has occurred
And on all sides
Of time
And will
Exists
And does go with us
Inside
Outside
Everywhere
There’s where
And love
You know
The reason for creation
For creating anything
We know
C L Couch
(Saint Patrick’s Breastplate is cited; sorry, the pun of the title and subtitle, I imagine, only works in English)
Photo by Andy Holmes on Unsplash
Books of Numbers
1
Twenty-six
For those who count
This way
And just into
New
Seasons
Eight days
For Hannukah
Twelve for Christmas
Until
Epiphany
The world shall have its
New year
For the parties
And
The cheers
There shall be the new
Asian year
Then
Too
And Muslims start
The specific year
As well
And other calendars
No calendars
Hold sway
By group
And ways to count for time
Or not
To count at all
2
When were you born
I was told
That I was born
When it had rained
Days
Straight
And the valley flooded
The people had to climb
And my mother gave
Birth
To me
From a high place
Which has affected
My name
C L Couch
Photo by Paul R Design on Unsplash
merry
there was a creche
and a lamb
was
part
of that with other sheep
and it seemed the
lamb
had looked
at me
that was Christmas Eve
enough
for Christmas day
and for the world
each
in the world
a merry day
a happy
season
of
whatever kind
for you
and should nature nod at you
find the joy
live in
the joy
c l couch
photo by Phil Hearing on Unsplash
starry and a starry night
there’s a star over Moscow
and over Tehran
over Gaza
too
and over war-torn Bethlehem
also put-
together
in some seasons
we overuse the star
for movie players
and on
uniforms
we place one star
on our trees
and that is fun
we also place a star
over the creche
and that’s attractive
especially
if we happen to pay attention
to it
what it was
maybe we’ll never know
outside
a text of faith
and we can shape it
any way we want
our understanding
of the star
but star there was
some sort of beacon
for the magi
some sort of signal
over the family
as well
as over Earth
we think
we’re stars
the other way
not understanding Sagan’s
claim
we are star-stuff
we share the compounds
of a star
and maybe share its nature
too
to glow
to signal
understanding
that it such a bit place
we live on
and under
and maybe we could
stop splitting things
and come together
not under agenda
on a platform
but in a cave
a manger scene
quite humbly
together
c l couch
photo by Clarence E. Hsu on Unsplash
“Starwork”
(I don’t know where this is)
Two Days
(and two words)
If you have it
Enjoy the snow
Enjoy
Especially if it’s safe
And then go
Safely
Sorry
That’s parental
But you may say that anytime
To anyone
I think
And if you mean it
Then there’s a campaign
Afoot
To make the world safer
To change things with two words
Not bad for jazz
But then
Whatever you might think of jazz
It’s cool
And back to cold
(sorry
again)
We’re a few days into winter here
And I am fine
With cold air
And ground
And the new beauty of the trees
Though which may course
The angled brilliance
Of the sun
And in two days
Will be the day
But this
Is a day
Too
Deserving of its time
As any other
And specialized
Should we take the hours
In that way
Go safely
C L Couch
Photo by Egor Myznik on Unsplash
The Remarkable
Advent ends
Because
Something has arrived
Something we can say is wonderful
As we understand the scope of
Things
The stakes
As it were
For what is coming
Is for everyone
Despite denominations
Or
Traditions
Or
Not holding with any
To belong
Because the great belonging comes
From this
An arrival meant
To rescue
Not in the worldly sense of any action
Previous
Any victory
Of ours
But in its own humility
Though
With modesty
Restraint
To teach
It’s the remarkable arriving
For our world that
Is
So loved that
This singular
Salvific process
If
Echoed throughout everything
With enough to talk
To share
Shall begin
C L Couch
Photo by Sergey Turkin on Unsplash
NASA researchers have discovered a perplexing case of a black hole that appears to be “tipped over,” rotating in an unexpected direction relative to the galaxy surrounding it.
Black Hole Wisdom
(Galaxy NGC 5084)
I wonder if
Out there
Somewhere there is
An exception to everything
We know
And all the things we don’t know
Too
Would make a universe
I guess
And maybe prove infinity
If not eternity
C L Couch
Photo by NASA Hubble Space Telescope on Unsplash
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