The Life
(own question marks, as you will)
So who is Jesus
The son of God
There
That was easy
But really
A child
Like you and me
With parents
And upbringing
The awkwardness of being
Adolescent
The quaking feelings
Of first love
The breaking heart
After
Learning
Schooling
Listening to authority
Tussling with it
Giving in
Though not all the way
Learning the work of this father
Deciding
It is not for him
And then diverging
No longer like us
Perhaps
Except in a search for freedom
And to get it right
With God
With everyone who matters
And to be disappointed
To give in
Or to wander off
Or in his case
Do both
Now he is divergent
God and human
Will and way
Thirty years to grow
Three to live
Then famously
What happens next
Then quietly
For the sake of souls
The living and the dead
Those there
There here
What happens
After that
It all seems quieted
Padded somehow
To hear the story
And to picture it
With or without
Pictures
We know
We’ll think them up
Regardless
But the actions
After death
After three days
Were they amazing
And is that
A silly question
Tangential circles
And did they start
In hell
Where Christ declared
I am risen
So are you
If you want
To be
Come with me
And hell was harrowed
Cleared
Horrified the demons
Hosting nothing
Like their agenda’s
Nothingness
And now on Earth
Where we live
Who live
Was it an angel
Or a gardener
Or Jesus himself
Who was a help
At the empty
Tomb
And were the spices
Cherished
Thank you
Mary
He could have said
They smell wonderful
Even though
There is no need
An empty tomb
Except for a shroud
Perhaps
Guards absent
Or emptied of
Responsibility
Death became reality
Instead of faith
With him
Or her
Or anyone to believe in
While we live
Forgetfully
Until someone has died
And we have responsibilities
To our families
To our minds
To our emotions
And wrestle
Losing
With mortality
But here it is
An empty tomb
Do we believe again
In one whose faith
We had
And then surrendered
And there it is
A ghost
And we don’t believe
In ghosts
And it speaks
Becomes a person
Different
And the same
For God can manage
Paradox
It is me
I am here
I was death
And now
I am life
And while they cower
Reasonably
In Jerusalem
Witnesses appear
To say
Jesus is back
I mean
Jesus lives
The temple to be torn down
In three days
Then raised again
A miracle
Is Jesus
And the miracle is not of stone
But soul
And it is that
Of Jesus
And
Reasonably
They do not believe
‘Til the Christ appears
Offers up wounds
As evidence
Jesus is there
In spirit
And in flesh
Yes
We believe
Jesus is there
Jesus is here
In spirit
We’ll remember
Jesus
In that way
No
No
Jesus is here
Don’t you understand
Really here
We could take meals with him
I believe
And I believe
Please
My friends
Believe
And after all belief
Had turned to Herod
And to Caesar
While we were calculating
How to live
With earthly lords
Again
This is what we’re told
This is what
She tells us
And those
Who were with here
What shall we do
What shall we do
Prepare to surrender
All again
To rise above the fear
We feel
For reason of our hiding
That we decided
Could be waiting
Until we’re
Forgotten
To come out again
Into the daylight
Of suspicion
And arrest
And execution
Like the cousin John
And what fortune like that
Might await the rest of us
We were about
To disband
All our community
Return to what jobs we had
What houses
Might accept us
And now you say
He’s here
Believe again
Yes
Yes
I do
Yes
You do
But all lines come together
For Jesus here
Who will believe
And will we believe
Maybe with a meal
We take together
We shall know him
As we knew him
He shall be our friend
As he had told us
All of us are friends
But also rabbi
And as some of us had said
Out loud
Even before him
Our Messiah
The one who saves
Both Israel
And the world
For the sake of Gentiles
He received
Jesus is here
How can we doubt
And where is Thomas
He should be here
Later on
He will
He and she
And everyone
Shall be here
At the point
Where lines and circles meet
The nexus
The zenith and the nadir
Whatever names you have
For what
You believe in
All directions
Meeting points
And places
Jesus
Is there
Jesus is here
And will stay
Once we decide
Once we all
Have decided
C L Couch
I am Christian, and I don’t mind if you are not. I like the other faiths. They fascinate, and I like to learn about them. And, more importantly, I respect them. I respect you. But sometimes I must be who I am and even for the sake of those who believe as I believe. Or I believe because they do. And God calls. And I respond. So here is something out of our beliefs, our faith, our code. It is creatively expressed, and I hope there is some accuracy to it. But it is poetic because poetry has strength of thought and feeling--and strength of imagination with the words at least. I offer this to you, what you will. Thank you.
CLC
Photo by Jacob Amson on Unsplash
beatitude
if
I took a chair
upon the dock
set the
chair
and set myself
on top
or
deeper in
I’d have a grand time
until
forgetting
where I am
suddenly stirring
and
then
falling in
chair
and peace
and all
and I hope
if
I'm not drowned
I’d have the
grace
to laugh
(or laugh
in
heaven)
c l couch
photo by Anne Nygård on Unsplash
(2 poems for the weekend)
Man’s Search for Meaning
nah
I simply cannot
come up with
what
to say
it’s Friday
named for Freya
I believe
to go with
Thor
from yesterday
I hope
you have
a pleasant weekend
fecund
(Freya would go
for this)
and with delight
without the mischief
Loki would rather
sponsor
enjoy the days
and look forward
to more
which is how
I think
we have to live
as we can
today
with an on-the-side assurance
of tomorrow
like at a restaurant
asking for
assurance on the side
you know
how figures
and metaphors
must go
as we need them for our work
our rhetoric
discourse
and persuasion
speak to
the birth of a nation
the death of gin
(for a time)
the resurrection
of our booze
(after)
say we are
a patchwork
I remember
melting pot
from school
though don’t hear it
so much
in these
so-called
grownup days
so it’s the weekend
two days to play
for those
who may
yes
chores
too
we know
running errands
and for some
there’s running
too
if you want to think
there could be time to think
though let play
and rest
be timely
too
as they are vital
literally serving life
in
all
Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl
Golde and Tevye
only a little more prosperous
so I could buy the small appliance
when I see it
or trade with less anxiety
for a car
or buy clothes to wear
for comfort more than look
though comfort
requires cost
as well
anything else
well
a less hovel-like place to live
with enough space
to keep me
without doubt
un-claustrophobic
paying for a class
now and then
so I might get better at this
and other things
and there’s fresh food for cooking
like a marketplace experience
most days
though now I’m getting crazy
over riches
I am sure
but
there it is
the kinds of things I want
or want to have
within reach
C L Couch
Photo by NASA Hubble Space Telescope on Unsplash
What He Knew and Did Not Know
It was the
Rappahannock
I was told
He must have thrown
His dollar
Across that
For it
To reach the other side
The Potomac
Is too wide
And I wonder
Was there someone
To retrieve it
Or find it
On one’s own
To pocket it
And so have a small fortune
To spend
In the markets
Of Fredericksburg
And he
Must have been long-suffering
For all that happened
After
And eloquent
For situations in which
Most
Would not have been articulate
Except in a metaphor
A message
Object lesson
In leaving
Or perhaps
Remaining in a tent
At Valley Forge
Achilles-like at
Troy
Never
To appear
But dream instead
Of spring
Or even winter
In Virginia
In a home
Beside the fire
And yet
He prayed
We understand
And showed himself
And
Showed himself
A leader
Through it all
And after
When he must have
Shook his head
When offered coronation
Of all things
At least
He wasn’t there
For apotheosis
Above the Capitol building
A new nation
Perhaps he understand
Must
Try to get it right
And overdo it
Underdo it
In the process
The nation
Is a process
He must have understood
And had great messages
And then retiring
The
Not-once
And not a future king
But servant
To the land
And finally a farm
Martha
Tragically some slaves
The awful legacy
He terribly
Misunderstood
And misapplied the
Morals of a better code
Than he
Possessed
Inside himself
Maybe he knew
He’d be a bad king
Relying
On the flesh of others
Ridiculously
Criminally
Owned
And otherwise
And maybe we say
Otherwise
He did all right
And then stepped back
While others
Might
March
Forward
C L Couch
(on the birthday of G Washington)
Photo by Alex Korolkoff on Unsplash
Sigh the Old Machine
(one or the other)
I exhale
Without anything to share
Not really
Not a single thing
(so to say)
But a confession
This is the land I walk in
Today
A land of shapeless
Lack of opportunity
Without orientation
I could walk
This land for days
And come across nothing
Usefully
Defined
And so keep wandering
‘Til shapes arise
Small to left and right
Then something large
Like a statue
In a city
Or a fountain
And I must walk around
Taking in what detail
Might appear
Ask myself
About the sculptor
And the occasion
For such a thing
To rise
And on the other side
After a while
There it is
The tower stands
The phallic thing
To knock down
Then to go around
The ruins
No longer keeping me
From the pleasant
Fecund valley
Just beyond
And
Look
There’s sun
And moon
And opportunity
With many things
Like words
C L Couch
Photo by Gian Gomez on Unsplash
I’ll Come for You
I’ll come for you
When
You are sad
And far away
It seems
I'll come for you
When you are lightless
Then
I shall be light
I’ll come for you
Be the sounding noise
When you are quiet
Find you
On my own
I'll come for you
Stay next
To you
Until
You’re ready
I’ll come for you
And be with you
While the world waits
Or goes on
Without us
As it may
We’ll find an entry once
Again
When ready
You might have wounds
They
Should be tended
Let’s take care of
Those
And be brave
About something else
(remembering
there’s
something brave
in saying ouch
for honesty)
I’ll come for you
And when we’re
Ready
We’ll get up
And move
So slowly back
Into an expected
Life this time with more truth
And carrying a salve
In each other
For any
More pain
I'll come for you
C L Couch
Photo by Gilbert Ng 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
a wing and a prayer
(2 poems)
marathon magic movies
I wish I were a wizard
a good one
as in
good at it
I could change the things
that frustrate me
and are
only things
the things that
do not fit
the things with
parts
that do not work
so well
as they did
once
or I could make
new things
out of unused molecules
of things
that broke
and-or I gave up on
a while ago
a wizard
for convenience
though
maybe I’d have to
pick my sides
as well
though it seems
that wizards often
stood between them all
to force and even host
negotiation
then
once all was done
return
like Cincinnatus to the farm
rather to the cave
to rest
and learn some more
of magic in the world
and the world
itself
perhaps
for which
the magic serves
obviously spiritual
do I want to say
something
obviously spiritual
always
thought it always seems
to come with
something secular
as well
and that’s because
I am here
while you are there
(and here)
and your host moves
in between
what do you say
what does love say
why can’t I
serve these all
the time
doubtlessly
with only a little more
than what I have
and what I am
and this
prevaricates
this elongated pause
while at the edge of things
that wait
even indifferently
for my
participation
the world waits
in emptiness
and need
and with too much of it
held hostage by too few
behind the gates
of hell
that we are told
cannot prevail
against
our own rock
our body in the faith
that set on it
these gates
even with those
who push from the inside
cannot
shall not
stand
wow
all this from me
and those like me
have faith
and share in faith
to love actively
and maybe not much more
which is
Herculean
beyond classic labors
that shall
tell a new story
a second set
of revelations
as it were
so I believe
and sit with those
who believe
then we shall stand
and nothing bad
what has chosen to be evil
shall prevail
but at the last shall hide
and have its final
bastions
thrown apart
by faith
togetherness
and love
which sounds simplistic
to be simple
but there it is
like Jesus
or another Lord
accessible
by anyone
no secrets
or secret knowledge
simply
believe
together
and together
love
and though it’s not
the most important thing
well
to win
c l couch
photo by Jr Korpa on Unsplash
Steel Brass Plastic Agenda, Never the Last Word
(2 poems)
Steel Brass Plastic Agenda
There was an argument
In Kansas City
And evidently
Lots of guns
At the scene
So who wants to be powerful
Who wants to be famous
First
Who is more superior
By bullets
An argument
Is not enough
Except perhaps
For pretense
I am ready
I have the final volume
With my gun
Keep talking
Keep rising
I’ll have you
With the last word
My own
Explosion
To settle everything
Then come and get me
You should
Know me now
Never the Last Word
This is no last word
But taking a breath
To breathe
Without the news
And all things
That press on me
On us
I can’t do this without you
And don’t want
To
But let’s all take time
To breathe
And we can drink
And talk
Besides
We could sit
At table
In that made-up
Lakeside café
I keep making up
Adding details
For our ease
And for reflection
On reflection
Of the water
And we could leave
Better than before
Join me
In breathing
If you will
In sipping
Also nibbling something
For small pleasure
Great pleasure
In the interacting
Relief in
Trying to be ourselves
A little more
Each time
We meet
You send me something
And I send you things
While the café waits
And other good
Imagined things
In between
The substance of ourselves
And what we choose
In greater and more open
Health
(let’s try)
To share
C L Couch
Photo by Fern M. Lomibao on Unsplash
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