A resurrection of sorts
The kid was collapsing.
No hope is in sight.
His Open was shutting.
His knuckles were white.
The Ghost of Augusta
was gripping his throat.
We knew what was coming
while watching him choke.
And then Jordan rallied.
His passageway cleared.
His instant recovery
assuaged all our fears.
It’s one for the ages
(an Open now closed)
as one we watched dying
revived and arose.
Asking God to heal a Senator and his colleagues
God, beam your grace to John McCain
as he looks up to You
acknowledging dependence on Your care.
Remind him when he’s weak You’re strong
and willing to draw near
whoever seeks Your face through trusting prayer.
Be near his wife and family
and give them means to hope
that all things work together for our good,
that crises come to test our faith
and focus our belief
that we have strength to do the things we should.
And may John’s cancer call to mind
the need to unify
divided men and women and The Hill.
May senators and congressmen
admit their arrogance
while praying for a colleague who is ill.
Celebrating Canada’s 150th birthday
A Toast to our Next Door Neighbor
This year’s our neighbor’s birthday
and I’m hoping that she knows
just how much it means to us that she is there.
She’s a friend we’ve grown to cherish.
She is generous and kind.
Yes, our neighbor always looks for ways to share.
Born in 1867,
she is strong beyond her years.
And this year’s a chance to celebrate her birth.
Raise a Molson or some Murchie’s
and then sing “O Canada”
to commemorate our next-door neighbor’s worth.
Happy 150th Canada!
Children of a Common Mother
Children of a common mother
share a border like no other.
There’s no wall that can divide us
based on all that yet unites us.
We both speak King George’s English
as we feast on chips and codfish.
While we Yanks prefer our coffee,
our dear siblings sip their hot tea.
Both our nations boast rare beauty.
Our resources fuel our duty
to preserve our Mother’s Nature
and protect it so it stays pure.
We are allies fighting terror
as we seek God’s help through prayer.
Brothers, sisters we’re united
and that makes our Mum delighted.
(the above words can be sung to the tune for the old Swedish hymn “Children of a Heavenly Father.”)
A poet’s prayer for his native land
Although Facebook didn’t alert me,
I posted a birthday greeting to my favorite uncle on my timeline.
Even though he’s getting older,
there’s still a spring in his step and a patriotic beat to his heart.
This uncle of mine has been through the war a time or two
and has the scars to prove it.
Fighting for the freedoms I too often take for granted
has taken its toll.
But he is not bitter.
He’s confident his service was not in vain.
While his vision is not quite what it used to be,
my uncle still manages to focus on the disturbing headlines
as he sees beyond the years and dreams of a better day.
Although prejudice, homelessness,
rampant gun violence and radicalized religions
make my uncle weep,
he prays (in his own way)
that God will bless our land once again.
In spite of the fact
his extended family is having trouble getting along,
my Uncle Sam refuses
to write his nephews and nieces out of his will.
He believes in them.
He knows they are better than they sometimes seem.
And so on this his 241st birthday,
I call on all my cousins from coast to coast
to honor this special man and give him the respect he deserves
by the way we treat each other.
I can’t think of a better birthday present to give our dear uncle
than giving each other the understanding,
acceptance, kindness and trust he longs for.
And may the frosting on his cake be a determination
to give one another the benefit of the doubt
when we are tempted to think the worst.
Happy Birthday, Uncle Sam!
My Rhymes and Reasons 