Poetry

Reflections on September 11th

/ Greg Asimakoupoulos

Looking back and looking forward

Fifteen years ago we panicked
fearing all that lay in store
as in shock we tried to ponder
terror’s unexpected horror.

Evil claimed a bloody vic’try.
Fear moved in and claimed a room.
Helplessly, we called on Jesus
jailed within a cell of doom.

Empty churches filled with pray-ers
who acknowledged their deep need
asking God for retribution
and for justice to succeed.

What seemed like old-time revival
was short lived and long on pride.
When a nation finds its footing,
faith grows faint as fear subsides.

In our apathy, confront us.
Bring us to our knees again.
Help us see our need for Jesus.
Give us grace to trust in Him.

God, protect us from mad snipers
who gun down the unaware.
Give us courage to see clearly
and disarm the threat of terror.

Ryan’s Not-So-Great Adventure in Rio

/ Greg Asimakoupoulos

Lessons Lochte leaves us

Yes, Ryan Lochte lied and lost.
He trashed a loo and learned the cost
of drinking to the point of drunk
and acting like a fool.

So needlessly he paid the price
for dodging what he knew was nice.
He dove into disaster’s wake
and wasted what he’d won.

And here’s the lesson from his fate.
To drink til drunk’s a big mistake.
You lose endorsements right and left,
your reputation, too.

I hope that Michael Phelps can save
his teammate who has misbehaved.
He knows firsthand the curse of booze
and how it steals your joy.

O Say Can’t You Stand?

/ Greg Asimakoupoulos

Questioning Colin Kaepernick’s refusal to stand for the national anthem

O say can’t you stand
when our flag is unfurled
though our nation is fraught
with both bias and hatred?
Don’t you owe some respect
though you have some regrets
for the rights you enjoy
and the blessings you cherish?

Colin, aren’t you aware
disrespect breeds despair
and the choices you make
may soon come back to haunt you?
O say does that Star-Spangled Banner yet wave
o’er the land of the free
and the home of the brave!

*with apologies to Francis Scott Key

The Olympics of Daily Life

/ Greg Asimakoupoulos

What it takes to go for the gold every day

The Olympics of life are a constant affair.
There’s the balance beam of work and play.
There’s wrestling worries and hurdling fear
while pole vaulting problems each day.

There’s swimming upstream ‘gainst the current of wrong.
There’s diving into what needs done.
There’s dashing from breakfast to rush-hour grid.
It’s a mind-numbing race that we run.

There’s the relay of faith where we pass the baton
to both children and grandkids alike.
Yes, we need to be fit as we all exercise
and then trust God with all of our might.

So, Lord, won’t you coach us to do what it takes
to finish while doing our best?
Please give us endurance for what comes our way
and then help us to face every test.

Mining for Gold

/ Greg Asimakoupoulos

What we can learn from Olympic athletes

Those athletes who mine for gold
are born quite gifted (so I’m told).
But skill alone is not enough.
It’s discipline that counts.

You gotta work to win the prize.
A high IQ won’t make you wise.
An inbred talent is a gift,
but practice mines its worth.

You’re musical? Well, that’s a start.
But to achieve a work of art,
you must invest what friends may waste
and spend much time alone.

The same is true in terms of grace.
When we (by faith) the Lord embrace,
we’re gifted and at one with Him
but have a ways to go.

A life of disciplined resolve
is that to which we have been called.
Much time alone with God Himself
fine-tunes a life of faith.