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| ISBN-13: | 9781496903563 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | AuthorHouse |
| Publication date: | 12/02/2013 |
| Sold by: | Barnes & Noble |
| Format: | eBook |
| Pages: | 124 |
| File size: | 28 MB |
| Note: | This product may take a few minutes to download. |
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Seasons of the Heart
A compendium of poetry spanning the seasons of the year and the seasons of the heart
By Leila Lynne Leidtke
AuthorHouse
Copyright © 2013 Leila Lynne LeidtkeAll rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4817-2828-7
CHAPTER 1
SPRING
TIME, THE MUSE
Time flows on in an endless current,
Rushing swiftly toward the sea
Eddies and ripples in the changing torrent,
Make watermarks on eternity.
Silver minutes slip through my fingers
As the hours swim slowly by.
They disappear as I try to grasp them
Streaming silently away to die.
The steady flow of the rushing current
Speeds ahead, snaking through the plain,
And once gone, never comes again.
A Boy and a Girl
A boy and a girl
Walk slowly down the sidewalk
Hand in hand
Intensely aware of it
Intensely aware of each other
Very much in love.
A boy and a girl
Sit together on a bench
Talking,
Discussing life
Ardently, fervently
Happy together in their oneness of spirit.
A boy and a girl
Share a casual soda
Share each other
Wonder at the world around them
Wonder at the things people do
Wonder most of all about each other.
A boy and a girl
Kiss ecstatically under a street lamp
Wrapped securely
In the knowledge of their love.
Essence of Love
I can't help thinking how much more
I love you now than I did before.
Fleeting questions that perplex your brow
have more meaning to me now.
Are your eyes more thoughtful,
your hands more sure?
Does your golden hair
have a greater lure?
Is there greater kindness
in the things you say?
Does your ruling heart
hold a greater sway?
Are your arms more gentle
than they were before?
I know not, only,
I love you more.
Author's Note: I wrote this poem in celebration of my first love 40 years ago. However, it also applies to my husband, Byron. I found this poem as I was searching through my old files of writings and it means as much today as it did when I wrote it.
The Butterfly
In and out and all about
My mind wanders,
Like a butterfly at play,
It flits and flies around all day.
Never stopping at one flower,
It sniffs them all within an hour.
Airborne again, it flees the wind.
Never being caught or pinned.
Fast in flight, it fights the sky,
At last it spins away to die.
My butterfly.
My mind's eye.
INTRODUCTION TO LIFE
He rose from the grave on the third day.
He talked with Mary at the break of day.
Peter and John ran to meet him when they heard the news.
"He's alive, not dead!" That's what Mary said.
They found Him not in the empty tomb
For He joined his disciples in the upper room.
And great was their astonishment, great their fear
To see the Master suddenly appear.
And they beheld his hands and side
And knew that for men, He'd been crucified.
Amazement and joy overwhelmed them all
To see Him standing there strong and tall.
"Life evermore is yours today,
As ye believe on Me," they heard Him say.
This Easter message of victory
Has remained the same throughout history.
For the One who offered it is here today,
He's alive, not dead, so the scriptures say.
And so does everyone who encounters Christ,
For He is the way, the truth, and the life.
EASTER PROCLAMATION
The trumpet resounds through the still morning air
announcing the news ...
He is risen!
The grave is empty, silent
The early sun's rays peek into the gloomy caverns of the tomb
Revealing nothing more than grave clothes shed.
In the garden, lilies open fragrant petals
shining with vibrant life.
Their beauty proclaims resurrection life
to enquiring hearts,
to seekers.
They look for the One
Who has shed the tomb's barren cocoon,
and risen to glorious resurrection life.
This poem was inspired by the trumpet shape of a lily. I imagined the lily as God's flower announcing "He is risen" as if a trumpet sounds.
CLEANSED AND SET FREE
There is a place of refuge, beneath the cleansing flow
Of Christ's blood shed upon the cross so many years ago.
It was shed for all believers, all who seek God's presence there,
And the refuge freely offered is for all to freely share.
He heals me and renews me
As beneath the cross I go.
Oh, the deep, deep joy I'm feeling that wells up within my heart,
The relief from sin and misery, His forgiveness does impart.
No ills may dare assail me, while I stand amidst the flow.
Satan's arrows cannot reach me. God protects me from the foe.
He heals me and renews me
As beneath the cross I go.
Oh, the freedom that I'm feeling as I take my refuge there.
Oh, the sweetness of His presence and the blessing of His care.
'Tis the wondrous love of Jesus at the cross for all to share.
'Tis my hope, my pledge to ever meet my Saviour there.
He heals me and renews me
As beneath the cross I go.
I penned this poem during a church service one Sunday to encourage a friend who was going through a difficult time with a divorce.
LOVE
Love is something you do.
Love is watching a child enjoy feeding the lorikeets at the zoo.
Love is having someone give you flowers.
Love is the joy you have giving someone else flowers
Love is so big you have to give hugs.
Love is so strong it lasts over the years and over the miles.
Love is God.
I was inspired to write this after spending an afternoon at the zoo with my God children and sharing their delight at the birds perching on their hands and heads to get small treats.
DAYDREAMS
As I gaze across the back porch,
neighbor's children play in their sunny patch of grass.
A small spotted dog yaps in excitement,
dashing madly after a badly tossed red rubber ball.
The wind tosses the arms of the old scarred maple.
The petals of the last few roses drift softly down
to the rich green carpet below.
The world is peaceful and pleasant here in my backyard.
STILL POINT
There is a still point within me.
People come and go.
Events, seasons, all are constantly changing.
The familiar places and things that I think of
With fond memory are all getting older and so am I.
Yet there is a still point within me:
a resting place where I find refreshment and consolation
after the noisy confusion of a fast-paced day,
a harbor of peace to find shelter from the storms of life,
a place of quiet contentment which changes not.
Jesus is the still point of my turning world.
I took the picture of a sundial while enjoying a county fair and it reminded me of this poem.
Wedding Day
Love brings forth two followers
who would be true to the call of his trumpet
That sounds loudly and joyously in the gates of the temple.
Man and woman
they stand together
heads bowed before God Almighty
United in a bond of faith,
a pledge to keep,
a duty to perform,
a portion to share,
in rain and sun alike.
Season upon season they go,
looking always upon Him
who would lead them in the path of righteousness
holding steadfastly to each other's hand.
Many years ago I wrote Wedding Day for a couple of friends who were getting married. It was later read at our own wedding.
SUMMER
Perfume of Love
Sweet Fragrance, heavenly sight
Flowers waiting for me tonight
The one I love, a treasure trove
Of comfort, courage, strength untold.
Help me Father, to be bold
To say the loving words of old
Help me to walk each living day
To serve anew with feet of clay.
Help me to demonstrate my love
My arms spread wide to give a hug
Help me most of all to lose
Myself in You, that I may choose
To live, to serve, to pray, to care
To be the one who's always there
A helpmeet for the Father's use
To bless my husband and to lose
The selfish pride that chains me down
The sin of waiting far too long
To do the things that I must do
To be with him and walk with You.
My husband surprised me with flowers one day. Following this we had a disagreement. When I showed him Perfume of Love the next day it healed both of our hearts.
OJ
The taste of strawberry jam in the morning
on warm buttered toast,
The pungent odor of coffee,
and the fragrant tang of orange juice,
Wake my senses to the morning's revived sense of being.
Breakfast – renewed strength to meet the day's challenges.
Behold the Lord
Behold the Lord, O ye His blessed children.
His beauty is perfect.
His holiness is complete.
His ways are just and right, lacking nothing.
His thoughts are high and lofty.
Yet His heart is tender toward us.
And His ears are inclined to hear our cries.
His strong right arm supports us
in our day of trouble.
And His word guides us
when our thoughts are darkened.
The Lord only is our salvation.
His way is the way of peace,
In this present time,
And for all ages to come.
WORSHIP
The presence of God wraps around me.
I am cradled gently in the warmth of acceptance.
Love touches my heart softly and I bask in the warmth.
A radiant life that lights my heart within,
And sets my feet to dancing.
THE RIVER
Time, the mighty river,
rushes onward to the sea
Sweeping all within its torrent,
moving on, relentlessly.
Never ebbing, never slowing,
on the muddy waters flow,
Filled with fragments of the daydreams,
all the moments men may know.
Bobbing brightly in the water,
like the sparkling drops of foam,
Are the minutes spent in caring,
loving someone that they've known.
All together stream the moments
toward the river's end, the sea.
Stretching out, they calmly beckon us
toward eternity.
Dearly Beloved
Love is never what it seems
each day filled with golden dreams
Wonderment of lover's touch
little words that mean so much.
Feeling helpless, feeling strong
Bursting into mirthful song.
Knowing that you just can't lose
Telling others all the news.
Beaming joy from ear to ear, Just to say, "I love you, Dear."
THE GIFT
The joy of knowing ourselves
Comes from the giving
That starts within our hearts.
The joy of living
is in giving
A smile, a touch,
A shared moment of experience remembered,
A word of comfort,
A prayer,
Are all loving thoughts
Embodied in the wisdom of
A day spent in loving.
The Shepherd
Be still and cease from striving, O my soul,
For the Lord thy God is with thee all the day.
Don't hesitate to follow His sweet call,
He goes ahead to straighten out the way.
The closer that I follow by His side,
The greater is my joy, the less my foolish pride.
From earthly burdens He provides release,
And shares with me His victory and His peace.
His gentle voice is all you'll ever need,
To comfort you in times of dark dismay.
His shepherd's arm will guide you through the night,
And lead you into bright and glorious day.
So come with me and heed the Shepherd's call,
His glorious sacrifice was made in love,
To wash away the sin and guilt of all,
Who follow Him to heavenly folds above.
I wrote another poem years ago in the hopes that our church music director would set it to music. He said that it didn't have the meter to make the music flow naturally. The I wrote The Shepherd and gave it to him. It was never set to music but it reflected my feelings about life at the time.
Ode to Vicki
Vicki's gone;
Her soul walks on;
With Jesus at her side.
No more tears,
He gently wipes her eyes.
No more pain,
She leaps and runs,
And dances in the skies.
The victory's won.
Her job is done.
And she is home at last.
Her story's told;
Our hearts unfold,
With echoes of her past.
The joy she shares
With all who care,
Both here and up above,
She'll ever be
With company,
Enfolded in God's love.
And now we know,
She shares a part,
Of history's long span.
Her life, a bright and shining star,
In God's almighty hand.
This poem is dedicated to Vicki's daughter, Gwen, who walked by her side in this life.
(Continues...)
Excerpted from Seasons of the Heart by Leila Lynne Leidtke. Copyright © 2013 Leila Lynne Leidtke. Excerpted by permission of AuthorHouse.
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