Friday, May 28, 2010

P0PPIES




THE POPPIES THAT LITTERED THE BATTLEFIELD

WERE BROUGHT ON BY THE LITTER OF WAR

FOR POPPIES ONLY GROW ON BROKEN SOIL

WHETHER BY PLOW OR BOMBARDMENT

THE POPPY DOESN'T CARE

IT GROWS IN BROKEN SOIL



AND THE POPPIES STILL GROW IN BROKEN SOIL



BECAUSE OUR PROMISES

MADE TO THESE OUR DEAD

OUR HONORED DEAD

HAVE NOT BEEN KEPT

WE SAID THE WORLD WOULD BE BETTER

BECAUSE OF THEIR DEATH

THEIR SACRIFICE





BUT UNLIKE CHRIST

THEIR DEATH DID NOT BRING RESURRECTION



SO TO THESE DEAD

THESE HONORED DEAD

WE RECOMMIT OURSELVES

THAT THE WORLD AND COUNTRY

THEY DIED FOR

WOULD BE A BETTER PLACE

THAT PEACE AND LOVE

WOULD HAVE NO NATIONAL BOUNDARIES

THAT FOOD AND HAPPINESS

WOULD NOT BE FOR THE FEW

BUT THE MANY

THAT THE DREAMS THEY DIED FOR

WOULD COME TRUE

THAT MEN WOULD TURN SWORDS INTO PLOWSHARES

AND SPEARS INTO PRUNING HOOKS

THAT THE LAMB AND THE LION WOULD LIE DOWN TOGETHER

THAT THERE WOULD BE A NEW RESURRECTION

THAT HEARTS WOULD BE BROKEN OPEN BY LOVE

AND GROWING IN THAT BROKEN-NESS

POPPIES WOULD LITTER THE LANDSCAPE



SLEEP WELL HONORED DEAD

WE WILL REMEMBER OUR PROMISES



FRANK A VOLLMER

Thursday, May 27, 2010

ON THE DEATH OF A MOTHER OF MY FRIEND





I MOURN YOU

THOUGH I NEVER KNEW YOU

I NEVER SAT AT YOUR TABLE

LAUGHED AT YOUR JOKES

OR SHARED YOUR VIEWS



YET I MOURN YOU STILL

FOR YOUR DEATH IS A LOSS TO ONE I LOVE

AND I AM DIMINISHED BY IT



AND SO I MOURN YOU



BUT MORE

FOR YOU SHAPED AND BROUGHT INTO BEING

MY FRIEND



SOMEWHERE IN YOU THEN WAS A GIFT OF BEAUTY

AND THAT MUCH BEAUTY IS NOW GONE



AND I MOURN YOU



NOW YOU SLEEP OUT IN THE RAIN

ALL YOUR ELEMENTS GOING BACK TO GOD

NOW THE SENSE OF LOSS GIVES MY FRIEND PAIN



BUT IN THE SPRING

WHEN CROCUS BUDS PEEK THROUGH THE SNOW

COME BACK



COME BACK

WITH MEMORIES WARM

ALL HARSH THOUGHTS FORGOTTEN

COME BACK WITH MEMORIES OF LAUGHTER

AND MAKE MY HEART-FRIEND

SMILE





FRANK A VOLLMER

Sunday, May 23, 2010

TRIAL






THERE IS A LEGEND

PERHAPS IT’S TRUE

THAT A GROUP OF JEWS

ON THE EVE OF THEIR GASSING

AT AUSCHWITZ

PUT GOD ON TRIAL

IT WAS A JEWISH TRIAL

WITH THREE JUDGES

EVERY WITNESS

HAD TO BE BACKED UP

WITH ONE OR MORE

THE CHARGE WAS

THAT GOD HAD ABANDONED HIS PEOPLE

BROKEN HIS COVENANT

ALLOWED GENOCIDE





ONE WITNESS ASKED

WHY IS THIS SHOAH

DIFFERENT FROM OTHER SHOAHS IN OUR HISTORY

WHY SHOULD WE BLAME GOD

FOR WHAT CHRISTIANS

HAVE DONE TO US

FOR TWO THOUSAND YEARS



BUT THIS IS OUR SUFFERING

AND WE ARE SUFFERING NOW

WE FEEL GOD HAS ABANDONED US

IN THIS ANUS MUNDI

IN THIS PLACE WHERE THE DEVIL CELEBRATES

WHERE GOD SEEMS TO HAVE A DEAF EAR

TO HIS PEOPLES PLIGHT



ONE JUDGE SAID

HAVE YOU NO ANSWER

TO THESE ACCUSATIONS



BUT THERE WAS ONLY SILENCE





ANOTHER JUDGE SAID

DO YOU AGREE YOU MADE A FLAWED HUMANITY

THERE CAME A SOUND LIKE A MIGHTY WIND BLOWING

THE WIND CRIED GUILTY



THE THIRD JUDGE SAID

WHAT FURTHER NEED HAVE OF WITNESSES

HIS OWN VOICE HAS BETRAYED HIM

THEY JUDGED HIM GUILTY AS CHARGED



THEN AS ONE

SINCE IT WAS EVENING

THE RECITED THE SHEMA

HEAR O ISRAEL, THE LORD IS OUR GOD, THE LORD IS ONE



FRANK A VOLLMER

Friday, May 14, 2010

THE SHELL






IS IT JUST HIS DEATH THAT WE REMEMBER

IN THE GIVING OF THIS CUP

THIS SHELL THIS BAPTISMAL DEVICE

THIS GOLDEN SCALLOP

THAT SCOOPS UP WATER FROM THE FONT

AND TRICKLES IT DOWN OUR HEAD

AND CALL US TO BE CHRISTIAN



DO WE JUST REMEMBER HIS DEATH

OR MORE FOR IS NOT THE CUP A SYMBOL POOR

OF SOME GREAT WAVE THAT OVERWHELMS US

SPILLING US FROM OUR FEET

PLUNGING US INTO A VIOLENT SEA

BEATING PUMMELING CHOKING BRUISING

UNTIL WE STRUGGLE TO OUR FEET

GASPING AIR AS SOMETHING PRECIOUS

WILLING TO LIVE



A BETTER SYMBOL PERHAPS OF THAT TIME

WHEN ALL THAT WAS MY FATHER CEASED

AND ALL HE WANTED TO BE BECAME

A GOING AWAY AND COMING BACK

A SAYING OF HELLO -GOODBYE

TO CALL MY FATHER A SAINT

WOULD BE TO NOT REMEMBER HIM



BUT TO CALL HIM A MAN

WHO LAUGHED AND LONGED YEARNED AND DREAMED

WHO CRIED OUT OFTEN IN THE DARKNESS OF HIS BEING

WHO WAS OFTEN ANGRY HURT OR IN SOME PAIN

WHO LOVED WITH BOTH A LARGE AND NARROW HEART

WHO WANTED LOVE APPLAUSE AND OTHER MAN'S ESTEEM

WHO SAW DREAMS CRUMBLE IN HIS ALL THUMBS HAND

WHO CRIED OH GOD TELLS ME WHO I AM

THIS PICTURE OF A MAN WHO AS I GROW

BECOMES SURPRISINGLY JUST LIKE ME



THIS CUP IN WHOSE HOLLOW I CAN HEAR THE OCEAN'S ROAR

THIS SYMBOL OF AN OCEAN POOR

THIS GOING DOWN TO DEATH

TO BE CALLED BACK BY WATER

RUNNING LIKE RAINDROPS ON THE FACE

LIKE MY TEARS FALLING AS MY FATHER WENT

FOR REBIRTH

AND THE BEGINNING OF DREAMS







FRANK A VOLLMER

Friday, May 7, 2010

DANDELION SEEDS




GATHER THE DANDELION SEEDS

THE VOICE SAID

GATHER THE SEEDS

THIS AFTER I HAD BLOWN THE PUFFBALL

INTO A STEM



IT REMINDS ME OF PENITENCE

AND FORGIVENESS



BY THIS I MEAN

IF I SIN

AND AM SORRY

I AM FORGIVEN



IF I STEAL A POOR MAN’S COAT

AND FEELS SORRY

I AM FORGIVEN

BUT THE POOR MAN

STILL HAS NO COAT



WHAT I SEEM TO HEAR

IS THAT THERE IS FORGIVENESS

WITHOUT RESPONSIBILITY FOR OUR ACTIONS

WITHOUT A NEED TO REDRESS OUR ACTIONS



I DON’T HEAR THAT NEED

IN THE ALL ENCOMPASSING

FORGIVENESS OF CHRIST

AND I THINK THAT IS CHEAP GRACE



DOES THE ADULTERER GET OFF SCOT FREE

THE MURDERER

THE CROOKED POLITICIAN

THE VENAL BANKER

OR FOR THAT MATTER

ALL THE HOUSEHOLD SINS

WE COMMIT REGULARLY




GOD CAN FORGIVE SINS

BUT CAN

OR SHOULD HE

OBLITERATE THE HARM I’VE DONE

AND IF NOT

WHAT PENALTY

MUST I PAY

HERE OR HEREAFTER



THESE THOUGHTS BOTHER ME

FOR THE DAY IS FADING

AND NIGHT IS COMING SOON



I ASK FORGIVENESS

FROM ALL I’VE HURT

AND PRAY THAT GOD WILL SOOTHE THE WOUNDS

OF THOSE I’VE WOUNDED



AND PRAY THAT GOD

WILL GRANT ME

A PEACEFUL NIGHT

AND A QUIET END





FRANK A VOLLMER

Sunday, May 2, 2010

PERICOPE








ONE OF MY PET PEEVE

IS THE USING

BY CLERGY

OF CHURCH SPEAK

THE USE OF WORDS

THAT THE LAYMAN RARELY KNOWS

MY LATEST PEEVE IS THE USE OF THE WORD

PERICOPE

WHICH MEANS



AN EXTRACT OR SELECTION FROM A BOOK

ESPECIALLY A READING FROM A SCRIPTURE

THAT FORMS PART OF A CHURCH SERVICE



LITERALLY

IT MEANS

A PIECE CUT OUT



THE SCRIPTURES

ARE GIVEN TO US AS GOD’S WORD

BUT A READING BY SOME

THAT GOD SAYS

HANDLE SNAKES

OR EARTHQUAKES ARE CAUSED

BY HOMOSEXUALITY

OR THE MANY CHURCHES

SAYING

THEY PREACH THE BIBLE



BUT THEY GO FROM SEVEN DAYS OF CREATION

TO THE COSMIC BIG BANG



FROM HATRED OF ANYTHING DIFFERENT

TO DOROTHY DAY

AND DIETRICH BONHOEFFER



IT ALL CAN’T BE TRUE


THE BIBLE IS FIRST OF ALL A BOOK

SUBJECT TO ALL THE SCRUTINY

OF ANCIENT TEXTS



IT IS GIVEN TO US AS THE WORD OF GOD



BUT DID GOD REALLY SAY

STEAL THE LAND OF ISRAEL

OR PRACTICE GENOCIDE ON ITS INHABITANTS



IF SO

IS HE NOT BEING A HYPOCRITE

WHEN HE CONDEMNS CAIN

AND FORBIDS KILLING

IN HIS COMMANDMENTS



COULD NOT THESE READINGS

HAVE BEEN WRITTEN

BY THE VICTORS

TO JUSTIFY THEIR ACTIONS



IS MURDER

CONSISTENT

WITH A GOD OF LOVE



THE BIBLE MESSAGE TO ME

IS THE TWO GREAT COMMANDMENTS

THAT YOU CANNOT LOVE GOD

WITHOUT LOVING YOUR NEIGHBOR



SO ANY INTERPRETATION

OF THE SCRIPTURES

THAT DOES NOT CONTAIN LOVE

IS WRONG



GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD

CAN WE DO ANYTHING LESS





FRANK A VOLLMER

COME HOLY GOOSE





IT DIDN’T START OUT TO BE A NOISY DAY

IN FACT THEY WERE TRYING TO BE INVISIBLE

HIDDEN BEHIND LOCKED DOORS



HE’D GONE AWAY

AND THE WAY A CHILD IS CONSOLED

BY THE SOUND OF ITS PARENT VOICE

WAS DENIED THEM



WHEN SUDDENLY THE SHUTTERS BLEW OPEN

AND KEPT BANGING BACK AND FORTH

THE ROOM WAS FILLED WITH A RUSHING WIND

THAT BLEW EVERYTHING LOOSE

AROUND THE ROOM



THEY WERE FAMILIAR WITH WIND

THEY WERE FISHERMEN

WHAT THEY WERE NOT FAMILIAR WITH

WERE TONGUES OF FIRE

THAT SETTLES ON THEIR HEADS

BUT DID NOT BURN

DID NOT BURN

BUT INFLAMED THEM



SO THAT THE ROOM WAS TOO SMALL

THEY RUSHED OUT TO MEET A CROWD

GATHERED BY THE SOUND OF THE WIND

AND NO MATTER

WHAT LANGUAGE

THE QUESTION

WHAT HAPPENED

WAS ASKED

THE ANSWER THEY HEARD WAS THEIR OWN LANGUAGE



AMONG THE CROWD WAS HEARD

WERE NOT THESE

THE COWARDS

THAT RAN AWAY

BUT NOW THEY SPEAK WITH ENTHUSIASM

LIKE MEN

DRUNK BEFORE THE NOON DAY HOUR

PROCLAIMING THE MERCY OF GOD





IN CELTIC TIMES

THE HOLY SPIRIT

WAS OFTEN PORTRAYED

AS A WILD GOOSE

A FITTING SYMBOL

FOR A RAUCOUS BIRTHDAY

NOT THE DOVE

COOING PEACEFULLY ON THE NEST

CONTENT

BUT A BOLD BRASH IMAGE

AN IN YOUR FACE BIRD

NO ONE HARMS WHAT IS MINE BIRD

A GET OUT OF THE PEWS AND DANCE BIRD

A MAKE YOUR VOICE BE HEARD BIRD

LET THE WORLD KNOW YOU’RE HERE BIRD



WE NEED THE DOVE

TO REMIND US THAT GOD IS GENTLE

WE NEED THE GOOSE

TO REMIND US

THAT GOD WILL BE HEARD

WE NEED THE GOOSE TO REMIND US

THAT THERE IS NEVER A POLITE TIME TO BE HEARD

IF YOUR BROTHER CRIES

TAKE CARE OF HIM

WE NEED TO LIVE LIKE THE WILD GOOSE LIVES

TRUE TO HIS NATURE

AND NOISY





FRANK A VOLLMER