My Own Book Of Poetry
By Mary Esther Smith Wacaster
Copyright 2013 Mary E. Wacaster
Table Of Contents
A Brother Remembered
A Christmas Blessing
A Cupped Hand
America’s Wool Gatheringl
A Soldier’s Vow
A Time To Be Born
Autumn Song
Be A Friend Today
Beatitudes
Beholden There The Shame
Behold! He Walks With Them
The Breath Of Winter
Children Lost And Found
Christmas Essence
Crown Of Thorns
Dark Times Of The Thorns
Empty Words
Existential
Feed The Lambs
Fields Of Heather
Fishing Hopes
Following The Wind On A Wing
Fountains Of Rome
God Says
Healing Wings
I Must Walk
It Is Done!
Joy Fulfilled
Lament
Laying Up Treasures
Learning Took A Holiday
Limitations
Lo, the Rose – Fashioned by God’s Hand
Love Finds Its Way
Migration
Mountains To Climb
My Best Friend
Nature's Way With Winter
New Hopes
Once Known
Our Thankfulness
Passing Times
Pure Water
Running The Race
Seasons and Season
Slowly Child
Spring
The Captain Of My Ship
The Cry
The Drifter
The Eagle Flies
The Flag
The Grace Of The Cross
The Growing Rod
The Heart That Is Forever
The Light Of The World
The Pilgrim
The Quiet Years
The Seasons Of Our Lives
The Turning Of The World Around
The Winds Of Time’s Song
Time Swiftly Passes
Together
To War My Son
Wandering Lambs
Wanderlust
What I wanted
Whisper of Love
White Darkness
Who Are You?
Wings For Flight
You Are There
Preface
I began writing poems when I was 17 or 18. Many of my poems were inspired by my own experiences, but many were also inspired by what I saw and heard from others and from studies from the Bible. I didn’t consider them seriously until I was about 30 and then decided to compile them and keep them as a collection for myself. As I wrote and collected, I began to see attitudes changing from selfishness more to selflessness, and growth as a Christian. Many of my later poems have double meaning; thoughts from a physical standpoint, and thoughts from a spiritual standpoint. I sincerely hope that as the reader goes through this small collection of my poems, that he can draw comfort both physically and spiritually, as I did.
I have other poems and small verses for good morning thoughts, which I hope to put into a collection for further publishing.
Dedication
To the honor and Glory of Jehovah God my strength and my redeemer
And to those who have shown interest in my poems, I humbly dedicate this volume. God has been good to me, and I return His graciousness by writing words of love and encouragement for those who read this volume, in hopes that it will give them strength and comfort when needed.
Fields Of Heather
In the spring’s pleasant weather
Life seems young and free
As we trip along beside the sea,
Laughing and singing joyfully;
Through the fields of Heather.
And where the flowers grow
Fragrant in the summer's glow,
Hand in hand we go.
Slowly onward each step we take,
When seasons turn to Fall
We hear the geese's high call
As they flee from winter's pall.
Lying still in winter's wake
Memory wakens dreams within
While the cocoon of life we spin,
Waiting for new spring again.
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The Grace Of The Cross
Write on a stone, cold and grey,
When comes the time of the grave,
The hope that can therein lay,
Of the joy for all He gave;
He makes still an anxious heart.
So heavy does our sorrow
As a cloud hang o’er us now,
As one by one we falter
From the burden on our brow;
He comforts and stills a dying heart.
To give the heart of a Son
That on an alter lay,
Where peace is to be won,
And there His Glory stay;
He uplifts and stills a broken heart.
The Bread of Life is raised,
His atoning blood is spilled.
This cup of shame He suffered
To atone as God has willed;
He heals and stills a bleeding heart.
What is this Cross to me?
His love by blood outpoured.
Beneath its shadow there to be
From sin and shame restored;
He subdues and stills as hopeless heart.
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Lo! The Rose Fashioned By God's Hand
Grow a rose and watch it bloom.
Let its beauty fill your room.
Pick its petals when it dies,
And place in a basket ‘til it dries.
Spray with perfume and let it stand,
After mixing well with your hand.
Place in a closed container and then
Mix it up now and again.
At least ten days, or more; what a smell!
Costs much less and lasts as well.
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The Heart That Is Forever
What is Love?
The blooming of the rose
In the heart that knows
How to give the most tender care
And with greatest understanding there
Makes every petal glow
And every leaf show
That every breath with soft caress
Opens the rose with gentleness.
What is God's love?
The blooming of the heart
Like the rose of God's art,
Given beneath the Master's care
The understanding that we share,
Can make every life glow;
His breath of love is a soft caress
That opens the heart with gentleness.
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A Brother Remembered
Why do you weep over that low grave?
Why? For our country's honor he died!
But other countries do not honor us;
Your tears are for the dead in vain.
Honor we sought they never gave.
We only carry our flag by our side
That through the years it gains impetus
To wipe our tears for all our dead again.
To arms! To arms! Our honor save!
Yet fighting feet now make their stride!
With fists clenched and mouths that cuss
Over ground where the dead has lain.
This is freedom! You cannot enslave!
Give us honor! Give us pride!
We won't stand w
ith blunderbuss!
Still, Tears are for the dead in vain.
"We, the people" our lives gave.
“Gettysburg and Flanders’s Fields, side by side”.
Repeat and repeat all omnibus,
And wipe our tears for all our dead again.
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A Time To Be Born
We believe
that everything must have its reason.
Solomon tells us
for every time there is a season.
A time to be born;
A time to die;
A time to laugh;
A time to cry.
And as we walk through sagely days,
We see the reasons for God's ways.
His Love in our time to be born
His Peace in our time to die;
His Joy in our days of laughter
His Comfort in our times we cry.
May you be blessed in His Love,
Wrapped in His Comfort
And covered by His Peace.
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Winds Of Time's Song
The son through the eyes of a father;
The learning of the centuries gone;
The harvest of a lifetime
in the winds of time's song.
The beating of hearts bound together
as the rhythmic beat of the drum,
find father and son tied to nature,
the song of all as one.
The father through the eyes of a son;
Remembrance of the centuries past;
the gathering of the harvest
on the winds of time's song.
Be A Friend Today
Put your hand in mine
And let me call you friend.
Walk along with me
Unto the very end.
For the time grows dark
And dim grows the eye
But together joy is ours
As the time passes by.
For sweet is your song
And sunny is your smile.
Close together then we’ll walk
To strengthen every weary mile.
As we laugh and sing together
Hand in hand along the way,
Inspired with all God’s glory
We will spend the waning day.
If our footsteps fall together
Making our pathway bright,
We will find the dew of happiness
Together, in God’s morning light.
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A Soldier's Vow
Rice paddies are steaming,
(Lord, what am I doing here?)
The jungle is so hot!
I crawl upon my belly with scorpions,
Snakes, and the jungle rot.
The days are without end.
Another flash of gun fire.
I swear I will neither bend
Nor burn upon the enemy's pyre.
I count bodies scattered right and left
Wounded and dead.
I sicken deep, to the depth of my soul,
From the deadly lead.
I look deep into each eye
That with life still glows,
Listening for the breathless sigh
As life slowly goes.
This giving is the blood, life,
And soul of my country unblemished;
We serve, as one, with all striving
Not to leave unfinished
This heritage our fathers raised.
Because our heritage is free
I'll neither leave it unpraised
Nor soiled freedom see.
This land upon which my blood does flow
Will weep as I wept as my blood was shed.
This land will then forever know
Theirs will die, as mine are dead.
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Together
Hand in hand together
We'll walk along today.
We'll laugh and sing together
On the path of God's way.
And if tomorrow will be ours,
We will walk along the same,
As we spend those happy hours
Singing praises to His name.
But if tomorrow is not ours,
And God's promises we claim,
We will walk along with angels,
Singing praises to His name
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A Christmas Blessing
I send you the Spirit of Love,
To warm the Yuletide days.
I wish you ever-growing Faith,
To light un-walked pathways.
I ask for you simple Joy,
That your year might be filled.
I seek for you the Strength of Peace,
That your fears might be stilled.
I pray for you the Touch of Hope,
That within Him doth abide.
May God grant you Grace of Life,
That He might be glorified.
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You Are There
In my memories, shadows grow
to be the pleasant shades of life,
And friendships are the canopies
that filter out the strife,
From the slender twigs that bend
when storms began to blow,
To the peaceful shade of love
in the evening sun's warm glow.
For it is there stands the mighty oaks
where memories have been sown,
Together forming the deepest roots
whereby we never stand alone.
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Wings For Flight
How do you reach to the depth of the soul
While cultivating the sod of life?
How do you sift time's sands for your goal
While the seas wash it back with strife?
Lashing out, each wave, soft or wild,
Hides the footprints of effort set deep,
Washing them away as the castle of the child.
And the walk is laborious, yet not steep.
Then, as the fingers of the sun reach over the day
Beat then soft rains of Spring at your play
And warm my soul to life's green bud.
For more to be desired is the breaking
Of the last silken threads that bind
The butterfly to winter's cocoon, and as shaking
Free the wings for flight, I free the mind.
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Who Are You?
Who are you Job?
Did I hear you complain?
But God called you His faithful servant.
He called you out by name!
He let you be tested,
Like the sifting of the sand.
Then He patiently waited,
Before taking you by the hand.
He taught you through your questions
While silently your head you bowed
To hear what was forbidden
And what had been allowed.
But when He was finished
What blessings He gave to you!
May I sit beside you in silence,
While God teaches me, too?
Who are you Abraham?
Are you a friend indeed?
Did you seek to serve your God
In every word and deed?
Did you follow where God would lead
As the years passed you by,
Waiting for that promised son
Without a question of why?
Did you weep because He asked you
To give your only son,
To prove your love to Him,
When obedience was done?
May I walk along beside you
In quiet attitude, to learn
How to
be such a friend as you
In obedient concern?
Did you say you couldn’t speak?
But didn’t God offer you His strength
When, fearful, you were weak?
Did you really walk with God,
And talked with Him face to face,
When He gave you His commandments
To teach the Hebrew race?
And through the years your walk with Him
Brought courage to your soul,
Yet anger caused your striking out,
And you failed to win your goal?
But gently, then, God buried you Himself,
Completely in His rest.
May I stand with you in awe
Of God upon this earthly quest?
Who are you Queen Esther?
For the Jews, didn’t you intercede?
And your uncle told you not to fear,
For God would guide indeed?
In wisdom Mordicai questioned you
"Is it not that you should be
Here for such a time as this,
To set our people free?"
In courage didn’t you approach the King
To seek favor for the Jews?
And the King’s anger softened
As he listened to your news?
May I follow close behind you
As before your God you bow,
To serve in His divine purpose
In a time such as now?
Who are you King David?
Are you the slender youth,
That slew the fearsome giant
With a stone and slung-shot, forsooth?
Did you weep upon your pillow
In sorrow for your shame?
Did you go to God with broken spirit,
As you called upon His name?
And did He not call you a man
After His own heart?
For in spite of all your failings
In faith you did not depart.
And was it not from your loins
Arose the King of Kings?
May I search your abiding love
For the faith that it brings?
Who are you Mary?
A quiet Spirit of Love,
Blessed of the Holy Father
For a Son from above?
Did you watch this Son grow strong
In faith, and obedience to our God?
Did He hold the scepter of King David,
Because He walked upon Israel’s sod?
Did you watch Him grow, and tremble
As you beheld what His fate would be?
Did your heart quiver for His honor
As He bled upon the tree?
Such a love as a mother
In the songs of angels does abide.
May I weep with tears of sorrow
And stand as a mother at your side?