Snapshots of Heaven - Jim Eclectic (aka Peter E Edwards)
© 2016 Peter E Edwards. All rights reserved.
Cover photo is a collage by Peter E Edwards
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Snapshots of Heaven
This is my second book and is a selection of 72 poems that trace my journey from making connections with myself and with God. It looks at aspects of Christian life and experiences.The best way I can describe it is that it is rather like sowing seeds from an unmarked packet and seeing what springs up! These poems come from a time when I felt I should write 5 poems a week for a year and the first one in my diary sets down my intent:
The Spark
Let me be the spark,
That lights desire,
And feeds the flame,
That starts a forest fire.
Afterwards
After the fury and the awe,
The wind, the whirlwind,
The waves pounding in,
Again and again,
The burning, and the fire,
The place of peace,
Where my only desire,
Is to stay here with you.
Read and be inspired!
The Author
Pete Edwards was raised in Fleet, Hants. He has a degree in metallurgy from Sheffield University & has published a number of technical papers. After 30 years in the aerospace industry, he has now retired to spend more time with his family, continue writing his poetry (under the pseudonym Jim Eclectic) and paint in watercolours. He lives in Nailsea, North Somerset with his wife Judy and has 2 grown up children, Beth & Stephen. He regularly presents new poems, which explore his Christian faith from many angles, at Café Create locally. Both Pete and Judy have read their poems there since 2012. They are both members of Living Waters Church in Clevedon.
Contents
1. The Time is Soon
2. Where You Are
3. My Own Place
4. Angels (2)
5. You Are (3)
6. The Bridge
7. Work Of Art
8. Draw Me
9. Angel
10. Piece By Piece
11. This is a Song
12. Whisper
13. Draw Me in Your Picture
14. Believe In Dreams
15. Into Your Dreams
16. Above The Clouds
17. Galaxies
18. Come To Me
19. Life Awakes
20.The Music's Flow
21. Beyond Imagining
22. You
23. You Bring Colour
24. The Breeze
25. You Are Everywhere
26. A Symphony
27. You Are My Wings
28. If You're Not There
29. Afterwards
30. Touch
31. Breathe
32. Dream Words
33. Wild Fire
34. Born There
35. Out of the Blue
36. The Kiss
37. Easter
38. The Father's Love
39. We Have It Nailed
40. The Next Wave
41. You Come
42. Look to the Stars
43. Enclosed By Clouds
44. Strong
45. Wrapped
46. Wrapped 2
47. Ashes
48. The Spark
49. The Day
50. First Light
51. The Heart
52. Re-Wire
53. Complex World
54. Mosaic
55. Freed
56. A Tree
57. Two Hearts
58. Love is
59. Wrapped 3
60. Treasure
61. I Made You
62. Abandoned Race
63. Unseen in Doorways
64. Locks and Keys
65. Expect
66. Letting Go
67. Keys1
68. Outline
69. I Want To Be
70. Sky
71. In You I See
72. Love Is (2)
1. The Time is Soon
The time is soon.
To end the waiting,
To see the breakthrough,
See the changes coming,
Rushing, unexpected,
One by one,
Step by step,
As we feel the might,
The warmth of the sun,
Dissolving the night,
As a new day has begun,
And there is only light
2. Where You Are
You are a bird,
Spread your wings,
Fly above the world,
You are blossom,
Blown on the breeze,
Amazing me,
You are a star,
Shining bright,
Over where we are,
You are the sky,
Wide above us,
Full of promise,
I feel the air,
And will rise,
To where you are.
3. My Own Place
Above the clouds,
Beyond my understanding,
There are no sounds,
Where words are found wanting,
I finally see,
The wonders of the stars above,
Amazing mystery,
Reaching out like love,
Into the darkness,
Lighting up the unknown,
Here I will rest,
And make this place my own.
4. Angels (2)
Like the Summer flies,
You hover but never rest,
Like sweet incense you rise,
Your touch butterfly breath.
More real than dreaming,
What can and cannot be,
Seen at the edge of vision,
In a blurred reality.
Like the midnight stars,
You’re always shining bright,
Sometimes obscured by clouds,
You still reflect the light.
5. You Are (3)
You are the bridge,
So solid and strong,
That carries me over the edge,
To the place where I belong.
You are the stepping stone,
Placed so carefully,
Just where the river runs,
To help me on my way.
You are the crossing,
From past to the future,
Until my feet are finding,
The place where you are.
6. The Bridge
You are the bridge between old and new,
What’s already done and what we will do,
You lead us from sickness to miracle cure,
Speak to our uncertainties until we are sure.
You are the bridge from dying to living,
The winding path from accusing to forgiving,
The change we need from poverty to riches,
The road that you lead from wanting to giving.
You are the bridge that I need to cross,
Forgetting the winning whatever th
e cost,
The stone that keeps rolling without any moss,
You are the satnav that won’t let us get lost.
7. Life
Life springs up unbidden,
Though death lies everywhere,
A heartbeat well hidden,
Unseen but then is there,
The cycle of creation,
And of a father’s care.
Life springs so unexpected,
Love in a desert place,
We’re suddenly connected,
By such beauty and such grace,
Seed carefully selected,
Is growing here apace.
The spirit moves among us,
A gentle touch for us to feel,
The beauty of a lover’s kiss,
Is making life so real,
Carried by an angel’s breath,
Making the broken whole.
8. Work Of Art
A work of art,
Wonderfully made,
Becomes worn in parts,
And torn and frayed,
But still we come,
Sit at your feet,
To make our home,
To be complete,
And be made new,
With colours bright,
Perfect stiching too,
We'll catch the light.
9. Angel
In the long night,
I hear the wing-beat,
Of an angel,
Feel the breeze on my face,
And know I’m not alone,
You bring light,
Where there is none,
And there is peace,
Where I can rest,
Feel your breath,
Upon me,
And I can dream.
10. Piece By Piece
Step by step and piece by piece,
The years march on and on,
Bit by bit they eat away my ease,
Fragments on memories soon gone,
Lost within a sea of confusion,
Drifting slowly down into the past,
So many voices clamour for attention,
And this life goes by so very fast,
That sometimes I must stop and wait,
Study the pictures and contemplate,
Their perfect fit to make the whole,
To rest awhile to think and sit,
Here drinking deep restore my soul.
11. This is a Song
This is a song,
That no one knows,
That beating drum,
And rhythm grows,
Into a perfect tune,
That flows within our lives.
This is a song,
That is unknown,
Its soothing sound,
And gentle tone,
That heals our wounds,
And flows into our being.
12. Whisper
Awakened in the dead of night,
Even dark clouds block the light,
No glimpse of moon or even stars,
As doubt and fear spread their alarm,
And in the darkness and the gloom,
My mind is filled with dread and doom,
But still I hear a whisper in the trees,
A quiet voice that calls my destiny,
To make me stand tall against this foe,
To plant good seeds and watch them grow,
The river still flows and sings its song,
Deep in my heart I will respond,
To turn my back against the night,
And be myself a burning light.
13. Draw Me In Your Picture
Draw me in your picture,
In my place inside your world,
Draw me so very clear,
With outline dark and bold.
Draw out your colours in me,
Paint them deep and bright,
Draw them flowing free,
Like rainbows in the light.
Draw me in your picture,
Its where I’ll want to be,
Draw each and every feature,
So that all the world can see.
14. Believe In Dreams
Believe in dreams,
They are your future,
Dancing like sunbeams,
Across the shadows that chase you,
Let them speak,
Lead you anywhere,
Just watch them streak,
In the sky like shooting stars.
Believe in dreams,
Even in the darkness,
Set sail on their seas,
Find their exotic islands,
Only believe,
They are your diamonds,
Follow your destiny,
Arise, roar like a lion!
15. Into Your Dreams
Whisper to me while I sleep,
Let your words carry me,
Through the dark of the night.
Speak to me in the morning,
Inspire me with your dreams,
As colour fills the sky.
Talk to me in the daytime,
Let me see your smile,
As I walk in the sunshine.
Listen to me in the evening,
Let love surround me,
And carry me into your dreams.
16. Above The Clouds
Above the clouds,
The sun still shines,
Upon our world,
We just need to rise,
Up into the skyways,
Above the clouds,
That cast their shadows,
On our lives,
That bring the cold rains,
To wash away our dreams,
Find a new perspective,
The sun shines,
All the time,
No matter what life brings,
Bask in its light,
And be revived.
17. Galaxies
The stars are our potential,
Burning bright above us,
Countless suns shine over all,
In the black backdrop of night,
So many man made lights,
Will dim them to our eyes,
Attractive neon distractions,
That seek to rule our skies,
We must turn our backs on them,
To clearly see these galaxies,
To feel the emptiness of space,
So filled with countless lights,
To reach out to the impossible,
To touch and hold it tight.
18. Come To Me
Come to me when strength fails me,
When I can’t go on any more,
And I have no energy.
Come to me when I am aching,
Feeling broken and sore,
And tears stop me seeing.
Come to me when there are no words,
When there is nothing but silence,
Let me feel your love return.
19. Life Awakes
From what you create,
I misplace and break,
Your colourful displays,
Into pieces of mosaic,
And from this mess,
I fret and stress,
While you still make it into success,
And fill with faith,
For nothing less,
As life awakes,
To take its place.
20. The Music’s Flow
The music’s flow,
It’s gentle caress,
Touches head to toe,
Coloured reflections,
Drift and spin,
Swirl and dance,
Like butterflies,
In the bankside grass,
The river flows,
It’s clear direction,
Pulls me so close,
With every inflection,
Each string of notes,
Plucking at my heart,
Healing my soul,
As it swims afar,
Into the glow,
Of the setting sun,
In the peace,
That eases my mind,
And sets me free.
21. Beyond Imagining
Why is your voice a whisper,
I can’t really seem to hear?
How will I know you listen,
Or if you’re even there?
I pause to tell you everything,
But can you hear my cry?
I know you can do anything,
If you would touch my life,
It seems I’m in a raging storm,
And my ship is sinking fast,
But far beyond my imagining,
Are the answers that I ask,
I have no time to sit and wait,
To find what you will do,
My eyes can only see my fate,
But my hope is fixed on you.
22. You
You’re lovable,
But like the dove of peace,
Uncatchable,
Untrainable,
Your heart is never empty,
It’s always full,
You’re believable,
And better still,
Your un-believable!
You promise the inconceivable,
You’re approachable,
Your’re resourceful,
Unforgettable,
And inexhaustible,
You are unmissable,
Kissable,
But sensible,
You’re reliable,
And undeniable,
Your ideas are always try-able,
You’re reachable,
Dependable,
And your love is inexpendable,
Incomparable,
Unforgettable,
You’re unbreakable,
Unshakable,
Totally unmistakable,
To me you are irreplaceable,
You’re immovable,
Renewable,
And your plans are always do-able.
23. You Bring Colour
In the night,
There is only grey,
And black and white,
But in your light,
You bring colour,
Into my sight,
And everywhere,
Is bathing in its touch.
As it shines,
It brings to life,
The hidden things,
We have inside,
And brings colour,
To stir our minds,
And everywhere,
Is bathing in your love.
24. The Breeze
Feel the breeze,
As it gently ripples,
Through the trees,
Shake your arms,
And be released,
Join its rhythm,
Fingers flutter like leaves,
Stirred into motion,
Like a swarm of bees,
Consumed by devotion,
Stretching beyond belief,
Experiencing new emotion,
As the wind increases,
Into an explosion,
That excites your very being.