Poetry

The Obit

/ The WheatandTares
Google photo

I heard of your passing today and wondered how you’d been.

It’s been so long since I heard your voice, my memory is wearing thin.

You’d left here with a destination, hoping to ease the pain.

But where you went the agony followed, and it never stopped the rain.

I wished you well and bid farewell, for my hands could never hold.

The life you led was a restless one, so many avenues, twisted and untold.

I read in your obit all the war stories and heroism I’d never known.

The star, the medal, the accolades, even the rescue made my heart within me groan.

For this man, I wished I had met while living and breathing and very much alive.

Rather, it was the one who set off to sea on holidays and birthdays who never arrived.

My broken heart is now mended; the scar you can barely see.

Yet, somewhere deep beyond the tears, a hope of what could’ve been still remains to be.

6/4/25 MG

Grow and Thrive to the Sky

/ The WheatandTares / 11 Comments

The sky really is the limit of your success.

There can be hardships. There can be pain.

There can be obstacles. Don’t strive in vain.

But find your place. Find your niche.

Keep pushing forward. Don’t fall in the ditch.

Yet, even in the moment of falling.

You can always find your calling.

You only have to look up to the sky.

And you’ll begin to thrive when you seek the Most High.

Commit your works to the Lord,
And your thoughts will be established.

A man’s heart plans his way,
But the Lord directs his steps.

Proverbs 16:3, 9

Pride

/ The WheatandTares

The struggle for privacy

Fear or Conceit

No matter what causes you to hide, the result is always wounding pride.

The concealment of shame is revealed in the blame, and it’s exposed in the rain.

The seething, veiled anger causes pointed fingers, refusal to linger.

The struggle for privacy

Terror or Pain

No matter the attempt to shield, the answer is never to yield.

The removal of truth is shown forth in the uncouth, and like pulling an eye tooth.

The reeling emotions causes rare demotions, and inner commotions.

The struggled for privacy

Real or Fake

No matter the desire to perform, the reply is always to conform.

The hiding of faith is displayed in scaiths, and expressed in the haith.

The disclosure of reality causes exposure of brutality and the coming finality.

Pride

Pended – MG – 4/5/22

Pride goes before destruction,

And a haughty spirit before a fall.

Proverbs 16:18

The Sound of a Lonely Heart

/ The WheatandTares / 4 Comments

Do you hear it?

The steady buh-bump of a heartbeat

It’s almost monotonous as it beats on and on

Sometimes, it will jump ahead and run a race for a bit

Yet, usually it’s just the faithful buh-dump that continues to march along.

All by itself

Do you hear it?

Late at night, you can hear its inner groan

As the sighs are taken and the tears are falling

Sometimes, the moan becomes a wail as eyes burst forth with life

Yet, usually it’s just the haunting sound of the broken beats

Do you hear it?

The silence is deafening, as there are no words to fix the dull aching thuds

Sometimes, the echo of the night is all that can be heard through the suffocating stillness

Yet, usually it’s just the steadfast weeping of a lonely heart.

Penned – MG – 1/19/22

When You Can’t Speak

/ The WheatandTares

When words can’t be found to eloquently express your heart, a pen and paper will do.

When your tongue is tied because your heart is bound, a soft melody can unwind the strings.

When your lips refuse to move because the emotions run like a waterfall, a warm fire can comfort the bones.

When your vision is cloudy and the letters won’t form, let your feet find solid ground.

When your lids are closed and murmurs can’t be heard, let your hands seek for Truth.

When your eyes are veiled and the tears consume, let your soul run to His refuge.

The answers are never easy.

The questions are never ending.

The rebuttals are ever repeating.

Yet, the hope you will find in the solace of His grip is the very grace that will sustain you.

Draw close. Close your eyes and listen.

Breathe in deeply as He breathes life into you.

When you can’t speak, His love can be heard.

Psalm 18 nkjv

Was The MadHatter Really Mad?

/ The WheatandTares

If you make the hats feverishly, does that really make you mad?

And if you turn the room upside down because of the words that you say, does that make you insane?

And what if you imagine such a thing, and it comes to be a reality, does that make you a Magician or a dreamer?

If you sail the seven seas and yet are afraid of drowning, does that make you fearless?

And if you hike the highest mountain, does that truly make you an adventurer?

And if you dive into the deepest cave, yet long for the sunrise, does that make you a warrior or a defender?

If you are always present, does that mean you are never lost?

And you are always looking down f I’m above, does that make you a true intellect?

And if you are dying to live, does it truly mean you are alive or are you simply breathing in?

You can be a MadHatter, or you can be the Cat.

You can be the trees, or you can be the wizard.

You can be the pirates, or you can be the boys.

Life is a perspective.

The rules are debatable and full of consequence.

Which one will you choose?

Penned – 10/3/21 – MG

For the Lord is good;

His mercy is everlasting,

And His truth endures to all generations.

Psalm 100:5

Lost Soul

/ The WheatandTares / 1 Comment

You were just a lost soul no one could hold

Traveled the world wide but never stayed close to home

Restless, renegade, rogue

That’s the life you tried to embrace

You were just a wandering soul no one could understand

Followed the stars and searched the land but never stayed too long

Rugged, ravaged, relentless

That’s the life that chased your dreams

You were just a weary soul no one could confine

Drifted beyond the horizon but never stayed in port

Regrets, remembrances, recollections

That’s the life that you left behind

You were a broken soul only One could redeem

Sailed close to water’s edge but never stayed the anchor

Reconstruction, renewal, redemption

That’s the life He has waiting for you

Penned – 8/6/2021 – MG

RIP JLH 8/5/21

I will both lie down in peace, and sleep;

For You alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.

Psalm 4:8

Memories and the emotions they bring can be so difficult to put into words, but sometimes, a song will do…

Monday Musings

/ The WheatandTares / 6 Comments

I Loved You From the Start

You were so tiny when into this world you came

My life changed in an instant, never to be the same

You stole the show wherever we’d go

Your laughter was contagious, and you let everybody know

I whispered in your ear, you can reach for the stars

My hopes for you, I never wanted them barred

Your dreams and aspirations were so far apart

I knew I loved you from the very start

You were full of so much love and joy

I was thrill God blessed us with a baby boy

You ran and jumped, climbed and dove

Into every mischief and plaything sent down from above

You grew into a man before my very eyes

As you started stepping out, the devil tried to fill your head with lies

Sometimes you would succumb but other times you would fight

I kept pleading for you to always seek out the Light

I’d sing the song of old, hoping you’d remember

Calling you back home each and every December

Your dreams and aspiration were so far apart

You held them deep within your heart

You reached out strong to find your own way

You always had your own walk, keeping conformity at bay

You’d run headlong until you’d hit a brick wall

We’d be there when you’d ask to help heal from the fall

You’d tumble and struggle, forgetting the One

I’d pray and I’d seek, begging Him to awake my son

You’d come back around, dazed and a bit fogged

Yet,, stand back up, never allowing your soul to get too bogged

I wondered if those prayers ever made a difference

Knowing deep down, He would bring you deliverance

Your dreams and aspirations were so far apart

From them, your demons must depart

One day, it was as if the door opened and swung wide

Not to fame and fortune but to the Father’s side

All the tenacity to succeed changed to purpose and hope

Now His ways are always higher in your vision scope

Look what God has brought within your heart and mind

Your life is full of joy from boyhood not friction from the grind

All your goals and achievements have taken a different road

Now, you’ll reap a harvest for the good that you have sowed

Keep chasing all there is ahead of you

The end is giving glory that He is due

Your dreams and aspiration now aren’t so far apart

And He has so many more for you deep within His heart

Penned – MG – 10/5/20

Waterfall Thoughts

/ The WheatandTares / 7 Comments

You rush here and there

Never seeing

Never hearing

Never understanding

You race like the cascading waterfall

Never resting

Never seeking

Never breathing

You tumble down with no regard

Never thinking

Never feeling

Never caring

You crash on the rocks of turmoil

Never weeping

Never laughing

Always pretending

The pools of serenity whisked away

Never stopping

Never pausing

Always escaping

The waterfall never ends.

Penned – MG – 5/23/20

The Fight of Seduction

/ The WheatandTares

The sound of your voice still rattles in my head.

The effects are slowly but surely becoming dead.

The triggers you brought always through my heart were shot.

But now, your deceitful lies have all been quickly caught.

The murmur of your tongue is fading from my mind.

The impact of your facade dissipates like scattered grind.

One look, one word, no matter the hour, I’m still taken back.

Yet, I fight and I claw to resist the seducing hatred that only brings me lack.

Oh, how I wish to cry, to scream, to vent out to all the world.

I want to demand justice and deny your pleasantries that swirled.

I fight my own daggers, realizing bitterness is not the answer.

Gall cannot bring life, my bones it will eat like a cancer.

So, I walk away, never seeking retribution or the slightest reconstruction.

I will wait for time to tell and truth to shine before my souls gives to abduction.

I cannot be free from the memories that bring pain, but I can sing.

I can praise my God for His goodness and grace, for the life He will bring.

Penned – MG – 3/1/20