Author: stevehaarman

A new October morning
Finds us in the gray days
Of the year.  Fields of pumpkins
Waiting to become Jack-O-Lanterns 
Corn stalks groomed to form tents
Leaf burning gives us clouds
Which remind us of Indians dancing
There is enough room for spirituality
The colorful leaves, each different
As are we and are the Saints in Heaven
We wait for Halloween, Thanksgiving,
Advent and Christmas as well
It is a commercial world and much
Emphasis will be placed on what
We think are the wrong things
We are awake and know where
Our focus should be.  We have bold
Intentions, but to carry them out
We need the help of the Lord.
It is easy to be distracted from the
Things we wish to do so we double
Down in prayer and good works
When these days are past we may
Judge ourselves and look forward
To our next challenge

Stanski
October 28, 2021 ^

The FATHER’S voice is heard
His command seems daunting or 
uncomfortable to us and 
we put aside or ignore His request, 
but return to Him when we have needs 
and are willing to ask Him then, 
even as we have walked 
away from His requests.  
We are foolish people.  
Jesus taught us all we had to know 
and left the Holy Spirit with us 
to help us if we were to stumble.  
We fail easily and often refuse to 
go to the fringes where the need 
for His work is the greatest.  
Still we remain proud and even 
make noises over the little things 
that we do.  Retrospectively, 
we may regret our actions and inaction, 
even justifying them in our own mind.  
Jesus said, “Follow Me”.  
We should have no problem 
understanding His request.  
If a person of importance sought 
a favor from us we would be honored 
and thrilled, but hesitate to respond 
to the Prince of Heaven.  He always 
forgives us and offers us many chances.

Stanski 
October 27, 2021 ^

The two women walked on
Opposite sides of the road
They greeted each other at
The crosswalk; then continued
Earnestly on their paths;
Never to see each other again

Stanski
October 27, 2021 ^

I’m never really baffled but 
sometimes I will say that I am.  
Someone said I looked like Sean Connelly 
after I had grown a moustache and 
chin goatee and I am thinking, 
isn’t it the other way around, 
that Sean looks a little bit like me.  
It is perplexing and that 
might be a better word.  
I stopped at a service station and 
the lady asked about 
the Connelly possibility and 
I told her that I was the poet
A.H.McKricken and she said
I knew I knew you from someplace.  
Leave sleeping dogs lie, 
I thought as I moved on to 
the wedding hall I was looking for.  
A few made the suggestion at 
the reception which followed about 
who I looked like and I just shook my head.  
I was wearing blue jeans and 
a dark navy shirt with no tie to a wedding.  
Once there I felt overdressed, but then, 
thought I could unbutton the top of 
the shirt and walk around as if in 
a state of aloofness, but this was not my day.  
I was a guest and this is how 
Sean would have handled it.

A.H.McKricken aka Stanski
October 27, 2021 ^

One 
Waning moon
A crescent sliver
High in the evening sky
Beneath it towered
Purple mountains majesty 

Two 

Waning moon in
Early night sky with
A line of magenta
Just over
Purple-black
Mountain peaks

Three 

Orange-red eastern sky
Magenta filled northwest
Yellow crescent moon 
Above and subtle
We see beauty
He seems to nod
“I know”

Standki
October 26, 2021 ^

A dog barked and barked
As I approached it on the road
When quite near it cowered
Quit barking and backed away
Not unlike many bullies 
Stanski
October 25, 2021 ^

Whenever I travel I feel your
Presence next to me.  I talk to you
And want to be as a brother to you.  
The Holy Spirit is within me
A storm announces itself
And lightning and thunder
Light and shake the skies
Windows are closed and the
Wonders of nature are displayed
In an evident way.  It is beautiful
In its own way.  It may cause damage
But so do many things.  It may
Wake us up to being aware of
Universal needs and how we
Can help with God’s grace.

Stanski
October 25, 2021 ^

Although we are all one in the spiritual sense, 
we ache, suffer pain, even exhaustion 
wondering why we seem to see only our differences.  
We cannot walk in everyone’s shoes for even a moment, 
let alone a day, but are wise enough to 
know that we all experience and 
react differently to the stimuli about us.  
Who is to profit when we begin to 
distinguish the differences we see in each other?  
What does one gain when his eternal soul is 
gambled away on finite, ambiguous choices?  
Who is right or wrong?  Does it matter
when we tend to elevate ourselves 
by diminishing others?  
The word is we should discard our possessions and
follow without question the precepts 
given by Jesus and 
then reinforced by the Spirit. 
This does not have to be literal, but doing so in
the spiritual sense is even more demanding.  
Do we want to be like Him? 
open to everyone with all the problems and 
challenges that come with them and 
act as He wants us to at this time or 
are we going to pause, put on hold 
these things until it is more convenient?  
We ask why, when we know the answer.  
Most are not ready to accept this encounter 
because we do not feel stable, so we are 
willing to wait and in a sense, defy or put aside 
the very teachings we believe in.  
Disputes will continue and 
our confrontation with reality 
will be compromised until the day 
we are ready to throw down
the gauntlet and say no more.  
The sun may shine that day. 
The task, test or trial is just beginning.
There will be others at our side pulling for us
They, too, see the value of the gift

Stanski 
October 25, 2021 ^

 
Sunday is overcast, but uplifting
Through over three-fourths of the year
Still, new and exciting things are
On the threshold of our living
All in all, we have much to do
Like many small communities
We suffer from lack of work
As well as seemingly incurable
Depression and drug use
We are hurting because of 
Complacency and abuse
Slowly we make inroads
With God’s help
For today I pray to stay
Focused on duties, and preparation
Trying to make things better for others
Amen.

Stanski 
October 24, 2021 ^

The shoreline continues
You don’t
Legs and back are sore
And all you have
Is a handful of beach glass 

Stanski
October 24, 2021 ^