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obeisance

obeisance

and my back hurts
and
the pillow doesn’t work
as if
it should

no anodyne
then
except for faith
and to endure
not
back pain so much as the stressing
of the heart
to do
better in all pain
still
to love
and even to obey

and what do you want
Lord
if not for me to love
and
serve
you
best I may
and the people whom you made
as well

and I am one
and
so get some love as well
which is
enforced by law

you know
those great commandments

and my back still hurts
and
yours might
too
or something like

c l couch

Matthew 22:36-40
36 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”
37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

photo by Arjan Stalpers on Unsplash

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second Christmas

second Christmas

[The] master replied, “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!”

and I’m not sure how
all this fits
for what have we been in charge of
but
ourselves
so how by degree then for
eternity

for which we answer only for own

and yet by gift
by
talent given
as
well as our spirits

we might use to serve
and thus
there
is accountability
for
how much done by how much
invested

or lost what we have to someone else
which sounds
harsh
and unloving

and
despite how we might treat each other and
ourselves
we want an easy
judgment after
as
we think we are assured
with
the promise of an advocate

and yet
certain things are demanded
and
we will be forgiven though the call
is there
to keep using what we
have
that by the Lord
was gifted and so
assigned

and not
to do this for a show
but
in the quiet like
Saint Nicholas

as man or woman
one
or more
share
the gold of who we are and what
we have

not
to amaze but one
perhaps or
few and then to accept
the source of amazing that
is
someone else

who
gave us how much and to how many give
by truth and
love
employing

c l couch

Matthew 25:23, part of a parable (NIV, mostly)

photo by Liviu Florescu on Unsplash

0

as goodness knows

as goodness knows

and should you
say
because it’s
true
to think
out by the world
that I am trying to feed me
and trying to
feed
these and
don’t have time then
for philosophy

nothing but blindering need

well
a larger we than us
lets this happen and for the evil
even
sometimes someone takes
as an abysmal sign of triumph

but
each one should be whole
in spirit
with
encouragement and help
for the body

so there

first and finally
the desire to be good
if
there are challenges to action

be good

c l couch

said with no authority beyond the page I pay for in the blog and the privilege by one or however many to be read—with my thanks

and by the way we’re into Tolkien Week, yesterday being the birthday of both Bilbo and Frodo Baggins

and now it’s fall to the north, spring to the south

photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash [“GOOD”]

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from Earth to the moon

from Earth to the moon

I look at gray
a slice of
fall
rising through the tree
and appreciate diverse times
and tones of
voices
in
nature

variety out back and
how astounding
on
the Earth
and in your love
our God
you
give us
so much room with parts we may reclaim
from what you decide is challenge
and
also how we messed the planet
up ourselves

and now
what
to do

the model of your making everything
is to allow for differences
also
discovery through exploration
tolerant interaction
with ourselves
and with
all
nature here
and
as we dare to risk to go beyond and
find the cosmos more so varied if
as fallen
as we have it here

or
we could say with Lewis that
we are the silent planet
that the rest of everything
material
and spirit has been waiting for our carrying
a presence with
a
message and
so how
will be bear
what shall we say

well
the fiction is a calling to ourselves for
real
how we shall carry on the Earth
and to the moon
and bodily
to Mars
and so
with some hopefulness that we might respect
each other on our sphere
and
globally enough to consider
growth to own
with enough peace to
take us
up and on and it will have to be enough

until
we learn as Earthkind
to model
and to mirror
with
so many facets
and to like what we behold
and
care about needs and so
our voice

c l couch

the title references From the Earth to the Moon by Jules Verne; then cited is Out of the Silent Planet by C. S. Lewis; to get perspective on how to preserve planets, we might read The Word for World Is Forest by Ursula K. Le Guin

photo by Aashish Chandra on Unsplash

1

a hint’s enough

a hint’s enough

I think there’s fall out back
though
mainly green
and now I’m in
no
hurry
for the change

I guess that evidence was enough
and
now I want the in-between time
that is
transition
plus the autumn itself that is too brief

well
they may
take their time now

c l couch

photo by Caroline Lehoux on Unsplash

1

two poems about angels

two poems about angels

I’ve been writing a series of psalms; two of these turn out being about angels—description, speculation—hoping your approval

psalm 19

your angel watches
with
all the miracle of senses
while
I sleep
when that should happen
in
the turmoil
like trying to rest aboard a ship
at night
when the sea rages
and turns
in all
directions but the way
toward home

the angel keeps
by
mission
not
to render magic but
to let the world have its way
much
of the time until correction
then
and final revelation

and
thank you for such helpers
messengers
to each
announcers to all

and
shall we know you through this
kind who
by order and by wonder
care

and so magnificent
part of
the host and we might serve there
too
after apocalyptic times

but I was thanking
you
for helping while I should sleep
and your helper
with

connecting
me
to you then
as this may happen all
of us

help in all hours by
the God who by God is and has
a servant
to
us all

for our
return

psalm 20

your angels are so powerful
and
having names

we know a few

while power has no value
until assigned by you
and
by your arrangement we
decide
to keep
to use

then the beings close to you
until
we arrive
have chosen how to
serve and how
to shine
for
good or for ill
for some decide

to break away vainly
and
aggressively unsatisfied and so
take followers
to
make a separate heaven
so that there is
a war
to undermine one realm or the other

and over time and
for all we
know is raging yet
since
who can tell an age that is
celestial by
mortal

and so a mystery among
the mysteries
and
if so tied then chained
to worldly ways

so that
the war come down through us
in all temptations and
dimensions
‘til
an ending
whose moment’s also vague
regarding
when

the keening tragedy
as
such creative missives fight
with all the majesty
and
muscle that each has and
then to set
one against another and so many

some try to describe until all of us are
after
when with all the conflicts done
deciders and
survivors
here
say this is the count of heaven
and
mourn and then we must count joy

c l couch

photo by Cosmin Gurau on Unsplash

(spaces between parts go on, sigh, provided by WordPress)

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sun and Earth agree

sun and Earth agree
by these we live gold and green
the blue of water

c l couch

photo by David Clode on Unsplash

1

half in

half in

funny
we can’t feel the day
that’s even
into
night

when on the solstice we might
notice the extremes at
least
and even say

though
we’re not likely to comment
on the day by halves
though it’s a time
when
the entire planet
moves the other way

leans the other part against the sun
with more
light and
hit

and so some seasons’ gifting
and what shall we wish
against ourselves

I mean
I like the between times and frankly
it could be autumn
all the time
for
me
and maybe such a world is an
exoplanet out there not
that it’s exo- to
itself
but the cool season’s normal

and I could
deal in that a while as
all
there was

and I might miss variety
maybe
not

c l couch

autumnal equinox 22 or 23 September

and because checking sometimes means mischief—
One of the most persistent myths about the equinox is that day and night are exactly 12 hours each. In reality, the day with exactly equal day and night — sometimes called the “equilux” — occurs a few days after the autumn equinox in the Northern Hemisphere.
https://www.universaltimedate.com/articles/autumn-equinox-2026

twelve hours and extra minutes (twelve hours minus minutes for the night) might be close enough to give the day the name it has

where I live at present, at this time of year (meaning for a while) the sun will set along Main Street right through our windshields (or back windows) at rush hour

and because I go for mischief of my own sometimes, let me say that I wish we stop using “myth” to mean a naïve untruth, when myth is a culture’s way to know the truth in bigger and mysterious things

photo by Danka & Peter on Unsplash

maybe half-spring, half-fall on my own planet

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good show

good show

there is an episode
in
which
she was in pain
and everyone did all they could to have her
feel better
until
the parent got it and talked with her
so she could say that sometimes

pain
simply and mainly
hurts

adult wisdom from the child
on either side of
which
we may own

the grieved or those who try to help the grieved
not
to leave alone but to find
easy ways
with actions and with
words
to bear
while the pain must have its way

c l couch

photo by Navy Medicine on Unsplash

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