The Sister of My Son*

You are my first born.
You taught me thrill
Adoration
Responsibility
And love.

Nothing on earth could touch you.
I was your protection.

I cleaned and bandaged your cuts.
I cheered your grade school performances
Your high school events
Took you on your first “date”
To teach you how boys must treat you.

I bargained for your first car
A little yellow Mustang.
I drove through a winter storm
To rescue you when it stalled
And pushed it a block
To safety
While you warmed under my heater.

I lectured you
When you selected an unworthy dating partner.
I carefully schooled the man
Who would become your husband
Before granting my blessing.

But I failed you, too.
I was absent when I should have been present.
I was harsh when I should have been gentle.
I was silent when I should have spoken
And spoke when I should have been silent.

Without discussion
You dismissed me
Withholding my precious grand daughters.
You knew precisely where to insert the blade
For maximum effect.

We have circled the sun
Time times time
Since I have seen you.
I may nevermore see you.

You were my most fond joy
But have become my greatest sorrow.

Like the Prayer of St. Francis
I learned to accept what I cannot change.
Nothing remains of you in my life.

You were once my daughter.
But by the volition of your will
You are now the sister of my son.

* Sadly, this poem is truth. I suppose I was a terrible father, being too chained to
my career. There is a price for such foolishness. Why is life most clear, viewed from
the perspective of age? My daughter is a lovely, good woman. But, like myself, will
one day see more sharply through the lens of advanced age. As for me...I seek
redemption through grace, undeserved. I held too lightly that which deserved a firm
grasp, and too tightly to that which held far less merit. Perhaps this confession
will serve as encouragement to a parent for whom the clock still ticks.

Sky Terrors*

Blood smells like copper
Death smells like wine
But there’s no smell like sorrow
Growing on vines.

It pierces my heart
Squeezes my breath
Stifles my cry
And shrouds me in death.

Gone are the children
That played on this street
Gone are the families
Gone, head, heart and feet.

Swept are their hopes
Banished their dreams
Cast off all the plans
Ripped bolts, nails and seams.

The homes are all gone
Churches gone too.
The wounded stumble about
Not knowing what to do.

Tuscaloosa,Joplin and Moore
They’re so far away.
What does it mean
At the end of the day?

The death of anyone
Diminishes me.
Our poor, ruined cities
Become a mortuary.

* This poem was originally published in May, 2011, as
Tuscaloosa and Joplin. I now update that work under this title,
following the horror that occurred in and around Moore, OK.
Having survived two relatively minor tornadoes, I cannot imagine
the fright and loss after an EF 4, or 5 tornado. My heart and
prayers go out to the people in our heartland. May a merciful,
loving God wrap them in His compassionate arms. This fallen
world subjects us all to such disasters.

Personal Note----It Hurts Sometimes

Yesterday I attended the funeral of a dear friend. Ken was 66 years young. Friday evening, while at his desk he suffered a massive heart attack and stepped into eternity. I have stared into the face of death many times. I was often present when life winked out, like the dying of an ember. When I saw Ken, the mortician had already applied his handiwork. But I gotta tell you...this death got to me. Ken and I served side by side at the police department, and together we had been through some pretty terrible things. Yesterday, looking at Ken lying in his box, I felt very alone. There is one fewer voice I loved to hear. One fewer shoulder I knew was always available to me. One less ear to listen to my confessions. One less heart to love me. Writing this, I realize how selfish this all sounds. I know I will see Ken again. I know he is okay, right now, in the arms of his Savior.

But I feel the loss of a brother right now, in this moment. And it hurts. I hate death, and look with eager anticipation to the time Death itself will die.

~~James

Post Script....Tell someone you love you love them. Tell them what they mean to you. How indispensible they are to you. How greatly you rely upon them. Do it now.

The Dream

I had a dream
Or the dream had me.
I was in shadows
Or shadows were in me.

I saw forever
Or forever saw me.
I was filled with sadness
Or sadness filled with me.

I saw my lover
Or my lover saw me.
I moved to embrace her
Or she to embrace me.

I wept when I held her
Or she wept over me.
I knew I must leave her
Or she knew she must leave me.

The dream finally ended
Or the dream ended me.
I knew the dream had gone forever
Or forever knew the dream had gone from me.