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
Momentous
(moment, momentary, memento)
The Earth is leaning
We mark the
Solstice
Though we don’t feel the angle
Any more than
We feel our portion of
The arc of Earth
Yet we note things
And there is
Change
To see us through perceptions
To help us grow
Through seasons
As
The seasons
Sleep
Plant
Grow
Sickle then
Sleep again
And so we lean
So we live
So we lean in
To living
C L Couch
Photo by Christoph Theisinger on Unsplash
a few lines as if in part above the abbey
a few lines of nature
and of God
looking outside
nothing
grand to see
with no majestic sound
rather
the grandness and the majesty
are in the small networks
of the branches
dark tendrils
once the vessels of green leaves
then shall all be green again
after three months
when green
shall
smally
grandly
majestically
overwhelm impending gray
again
that is nature
and is God
the work
at least
in lines
of
seasons’ prophecy
c l couch
photo by Brussel Banda on Unsplash
Each Resurrection
Into the ground
The flesh of us
Organs inside the shell
Even
The ash of us
Return
Because the story goes
We came from there
And in that way
And
Exceptions notwithstanding
Must go back
It doesn’t end
We do believe
For those who do
Believe
That
There is more
A when
Even a where beyond
The mantle of the Earth
Rather
To the edge of heaven
There to judge
With any
Advocates
How things had gone
How awry
We treated
All the laws of God
Even the simple two
Commanding
Like the rest
Yet
Over
With the strength
And practicality
Of love
And so we rise and maybe to
Fine
Satisfying lives to come
I don’t know about clouds
And harps and
Such
Or everything be gold
Or the color of
Fresh snow
For all the tones
And textures
Here
For beauty
And sensation
More so the dynamos of life
Inside each one
They could continue
Now
Perfected
With open will and
New assignments
So that
What is to come
Is
So much more than cells
And atoms
Smaller things
To know
Someday
And all the larger matters
That
We took as Earth
And farther
As our media for strategy
Ambition
And the like
Because in all
Significance
Even to shadow meaning
Well
They were
It could be that heaven
Or what
Might be
Is more interesting
And active
Finally
A virtue out of busy
We don’t how perfected
And could there be
An element
Of risk
At hand
Depending
All the energy
The health
And who knows
What
And yet
The more
The most
Exciting days
To come
And though our call be not
To hurry
Still
This is what we have
In the offing
And to earn it by the balance
Or by grace
Cost
And accepted
Freely
So that we might get there
And
Once there
Without doubt
Are welcomed
To the
What’s next
Of eternity
Amen
As in
So it shall be
C L Couch
Photo by Steve Johnson on Unsplash
clcouch123 
Recent Comments