It’s Been Black History Month
It’s been Black History Month
And one more week
And I’ve thought
And
Though about what
To say
Being white and not feeling
Privileged
But
To be convinced it has been there
That other white people might
Have taken back
Through
All my eschewing
Brave Black people
And we know because
Too many of
Them
Killed
Or lynched
Or lynched before have been killed
Or easily
Horribly denied
And I can only imagine
If the water fountain
Or indeed the whole damn restaurant
Or sets on
The bus
Were denied
For the sake of denying me
Small razor cuts
With large ones to the jugular
Also
Fires
Tar
Feathers
That splinter skin
Then pull it from the body
And I won’t have it
Lord
I hope I never have it
And insofar as I might mean
The other way
I won’t
Have it
Either
And I guess this is something like
What I’ve wanted
To say
And Blacks will say it better
Of their own
Though I want
Someday
For your own and mine
To be
By hook or crook
Or speech
Or gentle protest using buses
Or what have you
And by the love of God
Come down
To make us rise
Please
All of us
Someday
C L Couch
Photo by Unseen Histories on Unsplash
Martyr Medgar Evers
The Black man fell and helpless lay,
A gaping wound upon his back,
A witness to the savage way,
A beast had made it foul attack.
. . .
[from a placard—I looked some but could not find the source]
chimes
on its way to midnight
a new day
in which we don’t have to re-make everything
or anything
though there is a spirit of creation to
consider
maybe some things need refreshed
or added to with
zest
once we wake up
of course
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photo by Martin Adams on Unsplash
an invoking
o youth
attend
for time is brief
and you will be surprised sometime
at the passing of the years
attend
because you should keep learning
and applying
principles to causes
that are good
that are healthy
and that serve
attend
to love
of yourself
though especially to others
to those you know
of course
and sometimes to the stranger
given it is a time of tissued trust
and you thicker
senses and responsibilities
attend
to share what’s good
to keep
to give
to hold something in reserve
in case the war goes on
with greed
even with evil
(other evils)
o youth
attend
and live
please live
c l couch
photo by Rebecca Peterson-Hall on Unsplash
Candles in October
(my paraphrase)
more
(for which Oliver might ask)
more love
more
peace
I’d trade my gold
my medals
pins
and keys for this
for these
a lesson of age
or
Ozymandias
c l couch
(“Ozymandias” by Percy Bysshe Shelley, Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens)
photo by Brands&People on Unsplash
bounty
give us
this day
so
let’s start
with that
and then the daily bread
to ask
then
the asking of
forgiveness that is
the gift
or mercy
plus
asking to be delivered from
where
we might have
been
by trap
even the trap of will
and let God’s be the realm of power
glory
we may not understand
and forever
that
we cannot understand
not yet
though we have will as well as need
to pray the day
c l couch
get, give as given
photo by Tamara Gak on Unsplash
Questions and Answers
(easier than we admit)
God
It’s your day
As if there were a day
That was not yours
You know
Having made all of it
To call it
Day
Though we added names in time
And all of these do not agree
But
Maker of them
Anyway
And we should owe you something
For that
And you do have directives
Even as
The prophet asks on
Our behalf
What you might require
Might
Though really tell us must
Like the commandments from
The mountain
And yet
We take as options
Like
Speed limits in my culture or
Widespread fidelity in marriage
Having made
Knowing vows
And
Maybe vows
At all
You tell us to walk humbly
Carry justice and
Mercy
With us
Not because they’re easy but because
They’re necessary for
The health
And even happiness of the world
Of us
And someday
Penultimately perhaps
We’ll get it
And in time to express
And to practice
For
Impending judgment
Yes
But also for the sake
Of its own value
And the preference this walking gives
Toward
Living well
And having a whole world
(before the
last)
Of us
Micah 6:8
C L Couch
Photo by Julian Gentile on Unsplash
a weather and a faith report (2 poems)
weatherized
so the snow falls
or something
falls
sometimes it’s hard to tell
and so to turn
the street is sounding
well
squishy outside
and all the shapes are white
though I can’t
tell
for sure
which means sleet
I guess
or freezing rain and I’m not sure
the difference
contrary weather so far
this winter
as I think
sleet
(or freezing rain)
is rain or snow that will not
make up its mind
which is
all right except a kind
of misery to be out
in
Saturday if church
we believe
we don’t believe
sometimes in the same person
often
in the same
in fact
I could say me
I could say
you
not
to judge or estimate
except to claim humanity
faithful
faithless
in each of us
temptations
evil as in the prayer
flaws as will worked out
or not
in Eden
a choice
then maybe an affiliation
lightly or heavily
to wear
and yet perhaps
not so much
a burden
as to worry through the seasons
we’re all right
with
the pleasure of peace
in life
also the joy
of
fun that God has made
we well
and heavenward we
Amish-like hope that we
move in
even assured
in faith
errors
are not sins
unless they are designed as
such
but sins we make
and
do not have to mean the end
but like mis-steps we
somehow mean
and can get over
can get up
can get help to lift
resume
the road again
pleasure
peace
joy
fun
resume again as they should
forgiven
redeemed
having gone first
admittedly
so we believe
we don’t believe
but
it ain’t over
Mister Berra
‘til it’s
over
and if gain
and re-gain the faith
it ain’t never over
c l couch
photo by Jodie Walton on Unsplash
Open in Case of Regrets
Oh
It’s Friday
And a Valentine’s
And loneliness
The watchword of the day
Because
We culturally
Say so
Which is too bad since
Each day is a gift of twenty-four
With
Sixty minutes each
Which is one thousand four hundred
Forty for
A number that
Numerically
Is
Something of a gift to have
For each of us
And if you’re sad today
For whatever reason
Then
I’m sorry
By way of fractured sympathy
Since I don’t know you well enough
For whole
And
Still
I wish you well
And maybe you have those
Near
To whom
To reach
And there should be trust
To say
How are you
And may I tell you
How I am
C L Couch
(next year replace the Friday with I don’t know a Saturday I should think)
Photo by Linus Belanger on Unsplash
drop of love
(a phrase by GraceoftheSun)
which has me think
of the Rubaiyat
of Omar
Khayyam
(because I guess there
could
be other rubaiyats)
in which
we
famously do
read
a loaf of bread
a jug of wine
and thou
(translated)
and maybe such a drop
could be poured
from
such a jug
to share and make the love
sometimes in wine and often
in poetry
clc
Thanks, Grace!
https://graceofthesun.com/gesture/
photo by Yucel Moran on Unsplash
clcouch123 
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