The Father of the Bride

June 8, 2007December 2, 2021 / Greg Asimakoupoulos

Advice to Coach Holmgren from his pastor

When you stand beside your daughter
and you hear the Wedding March,
I am guessing you’ll feel something
like a sliver in your heart.

Though you’re thrilled beyond description
that your baby’s now a bride
you will have a strange sensation
like an itch deep down inside.

It’s a bittersweetish splinter
that you cannot tweezer out
cause it’s wedged and twisted sideways.
It’s what good grief’s all about.

It’s a shard that’s caused by memories
of those precious years you had
planting seeds of faith and wisdom
as her mentor, as her dad.

It’s a sliver that you’ll live with.
You’ll thank God that it is there
for it’s just one more reminder
what you’ve shared is really rare.

* This weekend the coach of the Seattle Seahawks will walk his fourth (and youngest) daughter down the aisle. This poignant verse was written by Coach Mike Holmgren’s pastor who will officiate the wedding ceremony.

Dr. Death is Free

June 5, 2007December 2, 2021 / Greg Asimakoupoulos

But the price of his parole may prove costly

Kevorkian is out of jail.
He’s been paroled and still…
I can’t help wonder why he’s free
and who he yet might kill.

He’s Dr. Death. His stock in trade
is suicide assists.
This wolf in sheepskin should be feared.
There’s poison in his kiss.

He’s ruled like God though he’s a man.
Who gave this rogue the right?
That he would choose when life should end
is cause for chilling fright.

When health declines, he wrongly thinks
that life has lost its worth.
I wish he knew God is most real
when we share sorrow’s berth.

Our days are in His loving hands.
He’s proven true and tried.
So don’t be lured by Dr. Death’s
lame case for suicide.

A Prayer for Joe Anzack’s Parents

June 1, 2007December 2, 2021 / Greg Asimakoupoulos

Memorial Day observances continue;
It’s Not the Ritz, Paris

A parent’s worst nightmare.
A proud soldier son
is ambushed and missing.
Not much can be done.

The Army goes searching
with little to say
while Joe Anzack’s parents
both worry and pray.

And then it’s reported,
he’s missing no more.
A body’s found floating.
A victim of war.

O God, grace Joe’s family
who ache to know why?
Why freedom’s so costly?
Why others must die?

Why sometimes You answer?
Why sometimes You’re still?
And why faith is needed to
trust in Your will?

It’s Not the Ritz, Paris

Room Service with a purpose.

Paris Hilton’s
Comfort Inn
is a place
to sleep off sin.

Grandpa Conrad’s
progeny
is a guest
without a key.

Bars on windows.
Striped PJs.
Endless nights
and sunless days.

Will her jail time
make her smart?
We can pray
that it’s a start.

Don’t Take Memorial Day for Granted

May 25, 2007December 2, 2021 / Greg Asimakoupoulos

Granite headstones deserve to be decorated;
The American Idol Battle Royal

Don’t Take Memorial Day for Granted
Granite headstones deserve to be decorated.

They called it Decoration Day.
A chance each year to humbly say
how much we owe to those now gone
who blazed our freedom trail.

It is a day to leave our homes
and journey to a yard of bones
where those who served sleep six feet down
awaiting Gabriel’s horn.

It’s there we’ll place a plant or wreath
and think of those who lay beneath.
We’ll thank the Lord for what they did
to benefit our lives.

In cemeteries far and near
we’ll say a prayer and shed a tear
and count the cost of liberty
they paid on our behalf.

We’ll also grieve for moms and dads
recalling special times we had.
And we’ll resolve to spend less time
at work and more at home.

It is a somber holiday
which calls for more than rest and play.
It is for taking stock
of bonds that made us rich.The American Idol Battle RoyalBeauty and the Beatboxer have returned to their corners Blake and Jordin both are winnersEach has won the nation’s heart.Beauty and the Beatbox singerduked it out. They really sparred. And though Jordin got the knockout,Blake can hold his head up high.Wasn’t it a split decision?The gloves are off and both have pride.