Day: December 26, 2019

Up is a funny word
Taken in many ways
The startups I think of
Suddenly rise to
Some sort of fame
Many times by accident
Not by any design
Then the whole world
Seems conquerable
Just stay out of the way

Truth always comes out
Ready for a great big bite
Those who were just
The glamorous ones
Have britches that feel
Too small, too tight
Their faces are sullen
They didn’t last long
Now face reality
They can only frown

Fifteen minutes of fame
Is it worth it at all?
They are there on center stage
Confounded by it all
Suddenly the curtain falls
The show, we guess, is over
I hold dear to innocence
Quiet growth and advancement
No need to beat the drums
Or march with a colorful flag

Startups come and go
Some will stick around
They went about it
The right and only way
Earning every upward step
Never get in the way of the foolish
Best to stay clear; out of reach
Give them the necessary room
Watch their glorious dance
Then the tears as they flounder

Stanski
December 26, 2019 ^

Some gave their lives, others a limb or two
Don’t overlook the invisible hurt, that’s not the thing to do
Here we are standing, pretending not to be a fool
Not thinking things are okay or just another day a school

We want to help; that’s the bottom line
We thought in doing so, everything would be fine
We are a long way from there, but here we are, anyway
Injuries mental run deeply, approach with gentleness today

The present festers, accompanied with resentment from the past
It will break through, be prepared for that
Here we are, so inadequate, we’ll prepare the fish dinners
We would rather try to teach how to fish and be a winner

So we feed and listen; waiting for a growth or sign
Trying to build solutions, knowing we have no design
We listen to the lashing out; remarks not to be recanted
Because the truth lays therein, at least the truth he chanted

He could kill with bare hands, you hear him talking mayhem
There is a mother somewhere, who desperately still loves him
Flare-ups, false friends, personal responsibility on hold
Rejected out of fear, just another story told

We’ll do our best, as they did, too
Knowing there’s no solution at least at this school
For now we just patch, we soothe and understand
Paint every picture with a positive, and hope we’re doing grand

Theirs is ongoing; no answer for them in sight
We’ll keep on encouraging and pray that we are right
We walk out the door, while they remain sitting there
With shredded lives and broken souls: they were those who dared

Stanski
December 26, 2019 ^

Time flies
Decisions made
Arduous journey
On snow covered roads
To a church you have chosen
On the Eve of Christmas
Arrival is early
Welcoming is heartwarming
Seat yourself, close to friends
Listen to music
To the Epistle
Then sing songs
Hear a solo
Bringing you to tears

The beauty of it all
So lifting, so mesmerizing
Then the Gospel
Words written long ago
Followed by new words
Prevalent words with
Real meaning
Words peculiar to what
We sense and know and
Words rooted in condition
Existing world wide

The pastor concludes
Tears are wiped from eyes
A baby’s cry can almost be heard
The evening has been transforming
We are complex people, but
Have been reduced to
Understanding the simple
And not being satisfied with it
Challenged to make necessary changes

Bread and wine consecrated
Distributed to the congregation
Candles are lit
Silent Night

Stanski
December 25, 2019