ev’ry time
the Spirit of God moved
and there was
water
then a world
and God lives in each one
of
us
as we allow
fearful
creator God
yet also living inside
in
intimacy
which is the part of God
that should amaze
and
does sometimes in songs and
testimony
many and great
O God
are thy works
as
in the hand
that
planetwide presses out plains and
valleys with mountain ranges
rising
between fingers
and yet
God indwells
all
who want
and closely forever
which must be one of those
many
and great works
and is
c l couch
“Many and Great” is a hymn based on Dakota tribal understanding and language
the title is taken from the hymn “Ev’ry Time I Feel the Spirit”
photograph by Nick Moore at Unsplash
inventing things
you know
thinking about our making things
and how we invent
things
that nature invents things
animals invent things
dams
also tools for eating
moving earth
to make a life beneath
nature finds a way
to move great things
so that
the planet makes
some sense
and I imagine
stars are moved
for this as well
c l couch
photo by Jr Korpa on Unsplash
(x = space)
x
x
In My Father’s Now-and-Then Kitchen
(and backyard)
x
My father could cook many things
Well, six things
The rest were disasters
Like shipwrecks on rocks
On waiting shores
x
He could make—combine,
Stir, apply, bake—apple pie
He taught me how to have
Cheddar cheese with that
x
He could make blackberry cobbler
Blackberries, maybe, because of
Growing up
In Olympia
Where there were
Berry trees and bushes in abundance
Real crust (back to the cobbler)
Made from many ingredients
The right amount of sweet and salt
To savor
x
He could make bean soup
Ham and bone kept from another meal
Beans soaked for days
It seems
He might have made the cornbread
That came with it
Maybe my mom made that
x
Have I got to six?
Well, he could grill adept
If maybe nothing challenging
The usual suburban fare
Meat and vegetables
I’m a plebe
I like hamburgers
I was satisfied
x
My mother cooked everything else
Too bad you can’t taste
Her corned beef with cabbage
Carrots and potatoes
With the cornbread
(Southern)
That she made
x
I can’t taste it anymore
For many years
Except to remember
I’ve found nothing close to hers
In waking time,
Since
Sigh
x
What else my father cooked
Was awful
(shapeless shapes
on plates)
He was the only one
To eat those things
He made
x
C L Couch
x
x
Photo by Daniel Gamez on Unsplash
x
clcouch123 
Recent Comments