MEDITATION

2009

THE PINES

THE PINES




THE PINES

LIKE WHITE CLAD MONKS IN MEDITATION
STOOD UPON THE HILL

THE CLOUDS HEAVILY LADEN
STRUGGLED IN THE SKY

THE WIND MADE SPORT WITH THE LOOSE SNOW
PILING IT AGAINST THE FENCE

BUT A LITTLE BROOK FORGETTING IT WAS WINTER
LAUGHED ITS WAY ACROSS A SNOW FILLED FIELD

 

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

MEDITATION

 

BY

 

FRANK

 

 

LOCUSTS AND WILD HONEY

 

 

HIS DIET
WAS LOCUSTS

AND WILD HONEY

 

MANY EUROPEANS

TURN THEIR NOSE UP

AT THE LOCUSTS

 

BUT IN HIS DAY

AND CULTURE

LOCUST AND HONEY

WERE A MEAL FOR THE POOR

THE VERY POOR

 

WHO COULD SCAVENGE FOR IT

IN THE WILDERNESS

 

IT WAS THE VERY POOR

AND POOR

THAT JOHN PREACHED TO

THE MAJORITY OF THE POPULATION

THE PEASANTS

 

ROUGH TREATED HUMANS

CREATE

A ROUGH RELIGION

 

SO JOHN SPOKE TO THEM ROUGHLY

BUT IN HIS HEART

HE WAS LIKE A PARENT DISCIPLINING HIS CHILD

 

WHAT MUST WE DO THEY CRIED

SHARE WHAT YOU HAVE

CLOTHING

FOOD

BE HONEST IN YOUR WORK

BE HONORABLE

IN YOUR DEALING WITH OTHERS

BE A CHILD OF ABRAHAM

 

REMEMBER

BEING A CHILD OF ABRAHAM

GAINS YOU NOTHING

IF YOUR ACTIONS ARE UNWORTHY

OF BEING ABRAHAM’S CHILD

 

JOHN WASN’T A DIPLOMAT

HE WAS BEHEADED

 

NEITHER WAS JESUS

HE WAS CRUCIFIED

 

BUT BEFORE THAT

JESUS

WITH A DAWNING SENSE OF VOCATION

JOINED JOHN’S

RENEWAL MOVEMENT

 

HE WAS BAPTIZED

 

GOING DOWN INTO THE WATER

LIKE THE RED SEA

COMING UP A MEMBER

DEDICATED TO CHANGE

FROM THE SLAVERY OF THE OLD

TO THE FREEDOM OF THE NEW

 

BY THE TIME JOHN DIED

JESUS HAD BRANCHED OUT ON HIS OWN

 

JOHN WAS A GOOD FRONTMAN

BUT JESUS THOUGHT

HE PREACHED

AN ANGRY GOD

 

HIS CONCEPT WAS DIFFERENT

HE BELIEVED GOD LOVED HIS CREATION

WANTED WHAT WAS BEST FOR HIS CREATION

 

WHO WOULD

THOUGH HE DIDN’T KNOW IT AT THE TIME

DIE FOR HIS CREATION

 

JESUS WAS A PEASANT

HIS FATHER WAS A TEKTON

A DAY LABORER

 

HE SHARED WITH OTHER PEASANTS

A NATURAL DISTASTE

FOR CHURCH

AND STATE

 

BOTH IN HIS MIND

WANTED TO KEEP HIM DOWN

AND TAKE HIS MONEY

 

 

HE SAID TO HIS FELLOW PEASANTS

YOU HAVE DIGNITY

WHICH CANNOT BE TAKEN AWAY

YOU HAVE BEEN CREATED BY GOD IN HIS IMAGE

WALK PROUDLY

HOLD UP YOUR HEAD

 

YOU ARE

EACH OF YOU

GOD’S FAVORITE

 

WHICH WAS WHY

WHEN HE ENTERED THE TEMPLE

WHEN HE SAW THE GOUGING OF THE POOR

HE BECAME INCENSED

AND IN A HOLY RAGE

CHASED THEM FROM THE TEMPLE

 

SO DOING

HE HAD SIGNED HIS OWN DEATH WARRANT

 

HE HAD UPSET

HOWEVER BRIEFLY

THE MONEY MACHINE

FOR THAT

HE MUST DIE

 

THEY KILLED HIM

THEY PLANTED HIM

THEY WALKED AWAY DUSTING THEIR HANDS

THAT’S THE END OF HIM THEY THOUGHT

 

BUT HIS TEACHING

BURST FROM THE TOMB

LIKE A SWARM OF LOCUSTS

 

AND THEY SANG AS THEY FLEW

TASTE AND SEE

THE SWEETNESS OF GOD

 

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

 

MAKE ROOM

 

 

IN MEDIEVAL

JEWISH

MYSTICISM

THERE AROSE AN IDEA

THAT SINCE GOD WAS EVERYWHERE

HE HAD TO MAKE ROOM FOR HIS CREATION

 

SO A WORLD WAS CREATED

WHERE GOD WAS NOT

HE HAD TO BE INVITED IN

 

A LOGICAL THOUGHT

FOR A RACE

BRANDED CHRIST KILLERS

 

WHO COULD BE KILLED

WITH IMPUNITY

MUCH LIKE LYNCHINGS

IN THE STATES

 

THEY PRAYED FOR A MESSIAH TO COME

TO THEIR GODLESS EARTH

 

WITHOUT CONSIDERING

THE THEOLOGICAL IMPLICATIONS

IT’S AN INTERESTING CONCEPT

 

THAT CHRIST HAS TO BE ASKED

TO COME TO A WORLD

WHICH HE CREATED

 

THAT HE MUST BE INVITED IN

EVEN THOUGH HE LURKS BY

HE MUST BE INVITED IN

 

THE CREATURE MUST GIVE

THE CREATOR PERMISSION

OR NOT

 

GOD GAVE THE CREATURE

CREATION

TO RUN AS HE SAW FIT

TO MAKE HIS OWN MISTAKES

 

TO STRUGGLE

AND SUCCEED

TO MAKE HIS FATHER PROUD

 

TO FAIL

TO MAKE HIS FATHER SAD

 

TO SHUT

THE DOOR IN HIS FACE

 

MYSTICS

ARE LIKE POETS

 

THEY SEE THINGS THAT AREN’T THERE

IMAGES IN A CRACKED MIRROR

VISIONARIES OF WHAT COULD BE

SHOULD BE

 

FRAIL HUMANS

WHO THINK IN DREAMS

OF A LAND NOT REAL

BUT COULD BE

 

YOUR YOUNG MEN

WILL DREAM DREAMS

YOUR OLD MEN

WILL HAVE VISIONS

 

AND GOD WILL BE A WELCOME GUEST

AT OUR TABLE

 

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

MEEK

 

 

ONE OF THE SEVERAL VARIETIES

OF THE WESTERN

IS THAT OF THE TOWN DRUNK

OR PROSTITUTE

BEING THE HERO

WHILE THE GOOD PEOPLE

THE MEEK AND MILD

COWER IN THE CHURCH

 

THE WORD MEEK CAME INTO ENGLISH

FROM THE SCANDINAVIAN

MEANING SOFT

 

IT WAS USED BY THE KJV SCHOLARS

TO TRANSLATE THE GREEK

PRAUS

 

OVER THE YEARS

THE TERM MEEK

HAVE TAKEN ON THE FOLLOWING MEANING

 

ACCORDING TO WEBSTER

IT MEANS

 

 TIMID

 HUMBLE

 LOWLY

 OVERLY PATIENT

OR SUBMISSIVE

 

SOMEHOW I DON’T THINK

THIS WAS WHAT JESUS MEANT

WHEN HE SAID

LEARN FROM ME

FOR I AM MEEK

 AND HUMBLE OF HEART

 

IN BIBLICAL GREEK .

IT IS THE REGULAR WORD FOR AN ANIMAL

WHICH HAS BEEN DOMESTICATED
WHICH HAS BEEN TRAINED

TO OBEY THE WORD OF COMMAND

WHICH HAS
LEARNED TO ANSWER TO THE REINS

 IT IS THE WORD FOR AN ANIMAL
WHICH HAS LEARNED TO ACCEPT CONTROL

 

IN NO WAY DOES IT EMASCULATE

THE ANIMAL

 

 CHRIST SAID

I HAVE COME

NOT TO DO MY WILL

BUT THE WILL OF THE FATHER

WHO SENT ME

 

PETER

WAS A WILD BULL

OF A MAN

BUT JESUS USED HIM

AS HE WAS

 

TOO OFTEN CHRISTIANS

ARE SEEN AS COWERING IN THE CHURCH

BUT CHRISTIANITY

IS A VIGOROUS

VIRILE RELIGION

 

WE ARE BROKEN

TO THE REINS

WHICH IS THE CODE OF JESUS

 

THE SKILLS WE HAD

AS A WILD ONE

ARE STILL OUR SKILLS

WHEN JESUS SAYS PULL

WE DON’T QUESTION

THE REINS

WE PULL

 

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

 

MOM

 

 

THE WAVE MADE BY MY BOAT

CAME BACK AS RIPPLES

AGAIN AND AGAIN

FADING EBBING TILL INVISIBLE

 

BUT MY SCIENCE HALF OF MIND

KNOWS NO ENERGY IS LOST

BUT RATHER IS TRANSFORMED

TRANSMUTED

BUT NEVER LOST

 

SO SAYS MY POET'S SIDE

 

HOW MANY ECHOES HAS A LIFE

 

SO THAT A MEMORIAL SERVICE

IN A MEXICAN RESTAURANT

WHEN THE SANCTUARY WAS CLOSED

SEEMED FITTING FOR THE WOMAN WHO WAS MOURNED

OR RATHER REMEMBERED

 

REMEMBERED FOR HER LAUGHTER

FOR HER SENSE OF THE ABSURD

FOR HER SENSE OF KARMA

 

THE SANCTUARY - READ SADNESS - WAS CLOSED

THE RESTAURANT - READ REFRESHMENT - WAS OPEN

THE ECHOES OF HER LIFE RANG IN THEIR HEARTS

 

AS THE RIPPLES OF HER LIFE

ROCKED MY BOAT

GAVE ME SWEET DREAMS

 

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

 

MOTHER’S SPIT

 

 

I REMEMBER

BEING SPIT POLISHED

BEFORE CHURCH

WITH MOTHER’S SPIT

 

 

I ALSO REMEMBER

HAVING MY CLOTHING WET CLEANED

BEFORE BEING SENT OUT INTO THE WORLD

 

AND BRUISES AND CUTS

WERE STARTED ON THE WAY TO HEALING

WITH THE SAME

 

MOTHER’S SPIT

MIRACLE POTION

HEALING TEARS

WHILE RESTORING

A CRYING FACE

TO ITS ORIGINAL SHINE

 

SOMETIMES I LONG FOR MOTHER’S SPIT

TO PUT THE WORLD BACK TO WHERE IT WAS

 

I LOOK AT MY GRANDCHILDREN

AND ALL THE BACTERIA

KILLING PRODUCTS

 

AND KNOW THEY’LL NEVER REPLACE

A MOTHER’S

ANXIOUS

AND LOVING FACE

SAYING LOOK AT YOU NOW

PLAYING STICK BALL

IN YOUR SUNDAY CLOTHES

COME HERE WHILE I FIX YOU

 

AND LIKE JESUS

BENDING OVER

THE BLIND MAN

THE DEAF MAN

SHE’D RESTORE ME

TO PRISTINE GLORY

AND SEND ME ON MY WAY

 

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@