Confession on the Edge of Something
I want
To know you
Walk with you
I want
To hear you
Though I guess
I want
To hear you my way
In a gentle conversation
Though we could
Talk
Of anything
Not the stentorian
Some are sure you are
Your voice
Must be
Your posture in
The cosmos
Leaning over planets
You have made
Course-correcting
Comets
For the timing of foreboding
Forestalling barbarians
At the gate
Maybe for a time
And I
And mine
Only a step above
Because
Well
How many of us
Feared for Y2K
And should we listen
Should we read judiciously
Of nature
And the pages
Of our own
The stories that like pillows
We might stitch across
The centers
So to say
Here is something
Please hear it
We might understand
The tones of God
Of you
Early morning
By the heat of day
Or when it’s freezing
In the evening when
We celebrate
Or come to rest
And could hear
If we wanted
Still
Small voices
If like the peace
That has gone by understanding
Like the hare
We could catch up
With you
Not by racing
But by stopping
Now and then
An easy SVE
And have a thought or two
For where we are
To find out
We surpass the hare
Expenditure
Or tangled in something
It could not be free of
By the road
Distraction
I guess
Of many something shiny
So we win
The course
By persisting
Simply moving on
Then stopping
When we need to
To hear
To look
To touch
To smell
To taste
Trying the sense of time
As well
That the world waits
Not waiting
And how about
That spiritual sense
Of things
The thing inside
The presence
The thing outside
Another kind
Of presence
Bidding come inside
The invitation
Made
The knock is given
And shall we open
Shall I open
To have you come inside
To talk with me
In chairs
With drinks
And over time
To stay
So that I wonder whose is whose
And make mistakes through
Fear of that
While you wait
Wherever inside
I let you
Until you have free reign
(I wonder where that came from)
Over everything inside
Even through my senses
Even through my
Will
That seems to be the challenge
The big deal
Enough to have
Broke Eden
Enough to make me tussle with my own
The wrestling with desire
And the fear
Of desire
‘Til I might get that right with you
By you
As well
And all be well
(dear Julian
with cat)
Though there’s that peace
That goes ahead
Of all the understanding
All the limits by
Mortal conveyance
Lest we sit with you
And listen
Also speak
Of truth
And also love
So many things to get right
Even in
A final hour
Thank you for responding
To my invitation
Poor for time and talking space
Only my own
And rudely certainly
Against worldly or heavenly
Refinement
That you know
But we could
If we may
If rather shapelessly
In words
And plans
Get things started
For good faith
And living
Anyway
C L Couch
Photo by Christina @ wocintechchat.com on Unsplash
Ancient of Days
God
As God
Requires
That we love God
With our minds
With our hearts
With our souls
And that
We love our neighbors
As ourselves
Which does mean
Self-love
Must be in there
Too
It isn’t a request
It is a command
From God
First command
Second command
At least as Deuteronomy
And Jesus
Has arranged
What we are told
To do
I know we see all this
As optional
As if God required less
Than the military
Or our bosses
Or out contracts
Though these came first
And do not change
With rank
Or a new job
It is a
God who commands
For whom blood was required
And a nation follow
Or be brought down
Be outcast
By the power of
Worldly forces
That won the day
Because the people had
Abandoned
God
And faith
And certainly
Obedience
It all seems ancient
Irrelevant
And at best
Relative
Doesn’t it
We moderns do not live
This way
We don’t fret over altars
Or unblemished offerings
Not of animals
And certainly not
Ourselves
We take the dross of doctrine
Leave the rest
Inside the book
Inside the church or temple
That we enter and exit
Now and then
Even weekly
Without doubt for holidays
Yes
Without doubt
This year
God loves
God waits
God invites
God doesn’t require
Fancy dress
Or best behavior
God love us as we are
Wants no change
Might wait for deathbeds
For confessions
And an
Affirmation
Guaranteeing heaven
Or God’s our pal
And pals don’t leave other pals
Out in the dark
The rain
By the gate
That we’re sure will open for us
God’s our pal
The dross of doctrine
Looks
Behavior
What we give
Whom we serve
Tangential faith
Appreciation for the invitation
Please stand by
The modern spiritual life
Lukewarm at best
And it seems
God doesn’t cotton to
Lukewarm
Or bits of this or that
That might be good
If only by
Our arguments
Or statements
To the press
Or whoever might be listening
In the mirror
We’ll get around to God
Perhaps
The way God is
And what God wants
After work
And after home
And after neighborhood
Relations
Maybe during vacation
Or really
After
Maybe when we’re there
And hear a sermon
We could instead
Think about what God wants
Think in our own way
Decide
In our own way
Maybe after entertainment
And by the way
For a show I pay with some money
In the plate
This should all be more
Impressive
Than it is
On my own
I might do better
Find better
Maybe I don’t have to come back
So much
A touch of religion
Less of faith
Nothing like
The mind
The heart
The spirit
After all
Faith is not that smart
It’s not material
Enough
It doesn’t admire
What I do
And what I have
Enough
And I don’t see faith
Changing wars
Or floods
Or earthquakes
After all
And how did people
Used to believe
With dead animals on altars
No
Thank you
I’ll take life as it is
As it’s progressed
As it’s civilized
With all the medicines
And the technology
With the better weapons on our side
How relevant
Is a faith in God
How necessary
Children know what to do
They have Mister Rogers
Sesame Street
And everything else
Approved
For their good growth
They are healthy
I’m sure
And if not all of them
Well
They were slipped through
The loop
Somehow
And that’s too bad
But most of them are fine
As most of us are fine
What more
Can we want
And God
Well
God
An invitation
Well
That’s nice
Maybe when I’m older
Have less to do
Fewer things
To worry over
Figure out
Make plans for
Yes
Then I’ll have time
Really to think about
Religion
And what a God
Might really want
That I could give
I’ll have less money then
But I’ll time
Yes
I’ll have time
To give you
That’s all right
Isn’t it
I mean
You’re a loving God
Which means your patient
Right
You’ll give me all the time
I need
C L Couch
Photo by WILLIAN REIS on Unsplash
(x = space)
x
x
Invitationing
x
It is a gray day
Perfect for
The Spirit to come in
x
A visit by a fire
With the Fire
An easy day
Made glorious
Through interaction
With the presence
Of the Lord
x
Hosted by
The human heart
Watched over
By the human mind
x
The visit lasts forever
Or it may
It depends upon the labor
Of the Spirit
And our own
To relent
To the exchange
Timeless
Over time
x
C L Couch
x
x
x
(x = space)
x
x
Jesus at Westminster
x
Officially,
Jesus is there—their
Liturgy and
Scripture
Say so
x
I think Jesus would show
Anyway
Without invocation
Or any
Of our invocations
x
Such as help
I need you
I love you
x
He is there
Affirmed by doctrine and
Technical language
x
And the greater fact that
A loving God is
Everywhere
x
How simple
Without flash
With oath-taking
Except
Now and then
In each life
To say
I believe;
Help my unbelief
x
There is an alleluia
Sung by eight
Fluid
Black
Wondrous
How match their music with
Movements
Of their bodies
And jubilation
In their brevity
Of ending
Introducing
Homily
x
Justin Welby
Just
x
And there is a theme
Throughout
(sav it
with me)
Not to serve
But to be served
Well,
We’ll see
It could happen
x
Meanwhile
Jesus is here
He’s everywhere
He’s here
Ms Silverman
Like magic
x
He’s there
Maybe
You have invited him
I hear he’s good at checkers
And at Go
x
C L Couch
x
x
I cite Ms Silverman in admiration
x
Photo by James Baldwin on Unsplash
x
(x = space)
x
x
Forever Invitation, RSVP
x
There is a table
You know this
The right shape
With many chairs
All are welcome
We have technology
For turns
For clarity
And intention
For a planet
x
All are guests
The host might seem
Off somewhere
Though is returning
With angels
And tidings
x
We might have to work
Mainly with us
And pray in evenings
Those who pray
While also working on
Best thoughts
And hopefulness
As gifts like creation
Even resources
To discuss
Arrange
And practice
For a future
A humanity
x
n. b.
x
Yes
And at the final conclave,
There will be
A sky command
For snacks
And meals
For needs
For celebration
Everywhere
x
C L Couch
x
x
Photo by Trude Jonsson Stangel on Unsplash
x
(x = space)
x
x
Indiana Bible Study
(a neophyte in pandemic time)
x
I was an interloper
Not really
I had been invited
But I knew no one else
x
It was a discussion
Of Saint Paul’s mission
To a group
In a letter to
Another group
See, I was late
x
This was on Zoom
And I cannot work it out
Sometimes I was
A black square
Sometimes an image
That was true
(I brushed my hair,
beforehand)
Sometimes I got to write
I was never heard,
Which probably
Was just as well
x
I was welcomed
(thank you)
And got to hear
(thank you)
The stories of others
Shared as insight
And later prayer requests
x
My friend and I
Talked afterward
(over the phone, which
I can manage)
With a promise to
Rehearse the technology
x
But here was a group
To join
That has a life beyond
This meeting
‘Til the next one
And I was invited,
Which is evangelism
In itself
x
C L Couch
x
x
Photo by Fré Sonneveld on Unsplash
Power Line Grids
x
(x = space)
x
x
Signing Late Winter
x
The sky is blue
As an observer,
A romantic,
Or a child might say
At last
And with a sigh:
It’s been white
Or gray for a while
x
A lithe tree branch
Dances against the window
I can’t hear it for
The distance,
Though I’m sure there’s
Scraping
x
Asking to come in
Or better yet
Inviting me
For company
To go out
x
C L Couch
x
x
Photo by dorota dylka on Unsplash
Blossom
x
(x = space)
x
x
Invitation from Earth and Sky
x
Briefly then,
There are good things
On the earth
And inside sky
And inside far below
We can ask for
Closeness to good things,
And we should:
x
For good warmth
From the sky,
Good feeling in our bodies,
Good reason for
Decision-making
x
The substance of the
Asking might be
Prayer of a kind of
Cosmic negotiating
For agnostics
x
Either way
Or with simpler hope,
We can let goodness
Have its way
With core and crust
And breathy atmosphere
x
Inhale, exhale—
Walk to stretch things out
x
Extend our fingers,
Reach out with our palms,
And turn our wrists
x
The cosmos will
Appreciate our reaching out
So and more so
Would the mortals
And the ineffable
x
Let all mortal flesh keep silent
And in fear and trembling stand
x
Each year there is an advent
And most days,
Our response invited
x
Our planet awaits
As does everything beyond
The sky that our shiny satellites
Detect, now draw from
For extraterrestrial
(extra-lunar)
Samples
x
The maker awaits
Here and there as well,
Inviting us inside
Community, one by one
And altogether
To believe
x
C L Couch
x
x
Photo by Vidar Nordli-Mathisen on Unsplash
Strong wind, frost and rays of sunlight created this wonderful pattern on my windshield.
x
“Let All Mortal Flesh” is an old hymn out of the Christian tradition.
A newer hymn, “Earth and All Stars,” also comes to mind.
x
Ordinary Invitation
A pale day
Painted in yellow
Talking to the trees and sky
Green and blue in perfect tones
Framed through the window
Because the house is old,
Tall and wide
In this moment, there is fortune
Lucky to be here
You’re invited—look at that,
You’re here
C L Couch
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