Pictures & Poems
Below are samples of pictures I've taken and poems I've written at various times and places and stages of my life. They are in no particular order. To view more, checkout my blog or contact me (in the "About" tab).
Poems may be used for personal purposes, but please cite me as the author. This material is copywritten; there is to be no use of poems or pictures for commerical purpose without my written consent.
Soul of God
June 2013 • Estes Park, Colorado
Everything has the soul of God
Not that we can even know what that means
It is a heart knowing
It is a gut knowing
It is an unknowing of the unspeakable and ineffible
and yet,
when heard in still, small places
it becomes a rock of certitude
humbly known beyond knowing
given by love
given by beauty, by truth, by beyond
All I can do is say yes
and weep in gratitude,
in sorrow, in hope --
surrending and praying,
begging, crying out, and trusting
that this love
will somehow live through me
Reeds
September 2013 • Whitehall, Michigan
The reeds sway as the winds blow;
no mind for the lightness of the breeze,
or the heaviness of the gale
They bend however far is necessary
It is true,
sometimes one is broken or trampled
There is no message in that
other than its brokeness
It is true,
some seem to dance in the sun
and glow with the morning dew,
but those are our memories
Good as that may be,
there is no message in that
other than its glow
The brokeness, dance, and glow are beyond
without words, without knowing
within a heart space
the message is clear:
The reeds sway as the winds blow.
Ocean in a Thimble
July 2013 • Whitehall, Michigan
Who are you?
What was your name before your parents named you?
Every leaf has a name.
Even the grey wolf is known as Canin Lupus.
Do you think he knows that?
Why should you be any different?
Should we call him Jack?
Or her Diane?
Maybe you know him best as Peter!
What's most interesting to me is
we try to name God.
What name have you given her?
Is there any name that captures the ineffable?
I've heard, it's like putting the ocean in a thimble.
Pick up some dirt.
A pebble.
A yellow dandelion.
A walnut.
Rub it in your hands.
Smell it. Stare at it, until it speaks to you.
What does it say its name is?
What does it say its mission is?
What is its purpose?
Why should it be any different for you?
Dreadlocks
Dedicated to my awesome alternative students
December 2013 • Grand Rapids, Michigan
My dreadlocks are dirty
and my piercings turn you off
The love-lost meaning in my sleeve tatoo
is empty in your surface-level shallowness.
Are you in touch with your body?
I don't hate mine.
I feel everything.
Depth is my language -- pain my unique dialect.
And beauty shows up as the wardrobe of the world.
I'm ready to share it all with you,
except... you see me as unworthy.
Image is all you can take in.
I understand.
It's my protection to keep away those who feign interest.
But, if you'd ask, feel, reach, drop your gaze --
you'd see me.
Broken, but real; lost in myself.
Hopeful; more than I appear.
Then, maybe, you'd see,
I'm just like you.
Creation
December 2013 • Grand Rapids, Michigan
It is said, when God created this world
it was an act of pure love
giving itself away, as creation.
Love, willingly shattered itself
into a multitude of countless sparks,
setting in motion the divine-dynamic
manifestation of itself into form.
Given flow; always present.
For His Little Girl
July 2014 • Newaygo, Michigan
You are grown and growing.
The same and ever changing.
Static this moment, but always dynamic.
I see glimpses of me in you;
shy and reserved, unsure and unwilling to stand out.
And also, bold, happy,
eyes on the future and all its possibilities
A flash of passion for what you love.
A sleepiness when disengaged.
Always trying to balance
independence and duty.
Making others happy and making yourself happy;
knowing and being.
A stuggle I understand all too well.
You're so much farther along than I ever was.
You possess a maturity beyond your years,
and it amazes me.
I have no greater joy than watching you --
grown and growing,
being and finding yourself on this path
that is your own
filling my heart with
a father's love for his little girl.
Waves
July 2014 • Newaygo, Michigan
The waves dance on the lake's surface
happy to reflect the sun
tossing its rays back and forth
in a great game of catch
They approach me
splashing a welcome as they roll by
drawn by a force
to move on in a rythmic dance
with glittering partners
who rise with the other's falling
Gliding by,
they seem to smile and wink
Like some mythological creature
seducing me to join them
or lulling me into a happy trance
Have comments? Feel free to leave your thoughts below or click here to contact me.