Of this world…

A face lay there in eternal sleep,
No smile.
No frown.
I wonder,
“After all, smiles and frowns are of this world”.

A Science and Conscience Limerick

The world has been through times like this before and mankind has survived. That said, I am a baby boomer who could have never imagined what is happening in the world today.

The Listener

For the third time this week
He decided to visit in the middle of the night
Like all the other times

Judgement Day

When He came down from the heavens above,
We welcomed Him, arms wide open with love.
We showered our God with adoration
And eagerly sought His revelation.

Prostrated before His magnificence
In an attempted rite of recompense
Under the golden throne of creation,
We prayed for everlasting salvation,

Advertisement

Divergent Thoughts: Set of Haikus

In the name of God
Millions tortured, maimed and killed
Still preach the gospel

The prophet of peace
Followers kill in his name
Mute spectators all

A MESSAGE TO AMERICA ON MARTIN LUTHER KING’S BIRTHDAY

THE LAND OF THE FREE AND THE HOME OF THE BRAVE

BY CHARLES ROBERT LINDHOLM 

How free are the free
How brave are the brave
In America today? 

Have we learned our lessons
From the past
Or are we doomed
To repeat our errors, again? 

Lazarus, After

Lazarus never smiled
after he rose from the dead.
For 30 years, until he died again,
he was haunted by the
unredeemed souls he saw
in the four days he
journeyed in the afterlife.

Laughter died stillborn in his chest.
That was what he told neighbors—
when he talked about it.
But, it was hard to speak, and
had been since that day.
His throat was always dusty
and his tongue thick.

Something’s Off

Outside the temple,
Starving homeless beg for food
While monks drive mopeds.

God So Loved

The guilt of all
was paid in full

Preaching on the Street Corner

You passersby, please stop and stand and hear
About a Man who came to earth and bled,
Whose purpose was to drive away death’s fear.

Clap

On the banks of religion, I ponder the propensity of holy silences. Its how flow.

Why search with feet and hands, eyes and ears and nose

for a formless revelation, for a voice, or sound,
that is Never, ever nebulous and blank, that hadn’t considered we men and women
would write its noiseless musings, would sketch and paint, stain glass,

Profitable

Amazing grace, how sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me.
I ran away, but then I found
That God would set me free.

THE WORLD IS FLAT

By Charles Robert Lindholm 

‘tis sad that minds are closed so tight
like iron gates in prison walls
locked within their inner cell
with covered ears
and hidden fears

The Oak

From the Cornerstone on which the foundation’s laid
For the church of Christ Jesus, by blood bought and paid,

The Seed

From the Rock in the desert that quenched Israel’s thirst
To the manna God forty years kindly dispersed,

TERPOGIJC

a reverse acrostic poem

My Favorite Book

Of all the books I love to read,
There’s one I especially favor.

What God Has Done

If it were up to me,
My life would be a shame—

Lord, I Need You

I’ve failed again. Lord, please forgive.
I’m dying, yet I want to live.

Break My Heart, Dear Lord

Break my heart, dear Lord, for that which Your heart breaks.
Help me comprehend the gravity of sin,

Peace Has Vanished ( a Ghazal)

I had written this poem ( Ghazal ) a few weeks back in my mother tongue, Assamese, regarding the unrest going on in many parts of the world.  I gave a finishing touch yesterday and translated it to English.  This is not a literal translation. It is difficult to do a word by word translation and retain the ghazal format.  I am including both Assamese ( first) and the English version here.

Previously posted at my blog http://www.fleetingmuse.com on 8-22-2017.

*********

অশান্তি কিয়

সকলোতে আজি শুনো হাঁহাকাৰ,  পৃথিৱীত ইমান অশান্তি কিয়
প্ৰাচুৰ্য্যৰ মাজত শুনো আৰ্তনাদ, ৰাইজৰ মনত অশান্তি কিয়

বিজ্ঞানৰ আজি জয় জয়াকাৰ, পৰাক্ৰমীৰ শুনো উন্মাদ হুঙ্কাৰ
নৈতিকতাৰ পতন দেখি নিতেনিত, ৰাইজৰ নহব অশান্তি কিয়

চাৰিওদিশে দেখোঁ বাজে ৰণডংকা, জনতাৰ মনত কিহৰ আশঙ্কা
অজান আতংকবাদীৰ মোক্ষম আঘাট, বুজিছানে আজি অশান্তি কিয়

অন্তৰত জ্বলে দুঃখৰ অনল, চৌদিশে দেখোঁ  জ্বলে দাবানল
সৰ্বহাৰাৰ বিচাৰ নহল উচিত, নহলেনো আজি অশান্তি কিয়

বৃথা প্ৰলোভনত মতলীয়া ৰাইজ, বৈষম্যৰ জয়ধ্বনিত সদা ব্যস্ত
ধৰ্মান্ধতাৰ উন্মাদনাত বিবেক নষ্ট, পৃথিৱীত নহব অশান্তি কিয়

Peace Has Vanished

Untainted Grace

Her head held high, wearing her crown with dignity

Proud of the woman she claimed to be

Carefree of all of life’s mishaps

Life happened to her in a split second

Dragging her pride and her head down with it

As her head continued to hang low the crown started to slowly slip off her head

The once sparkling jewels became a testament of her demise

The mist that rose from her sorrow as the cold tears hit her hot cheeks

Tainted her crown, filling it with rust that clung to the hinges of her heart

The Shepherd

The loving Shepherd walked among the sheep;
By name each one He called.

Look and Live

The blundering fools, why must they murmur so?
But I was one of them, and yes, I know

Villanelle of Christ

Great Redeemer is His name
Walked on earth so long ago
Age to age He’s still the same

Old Things New

Villanelle

For growth in Christ, this must ensue:
A metamorphosis within,
That all things old may be made new.

Saturday Service at the Church of ING

Dank air, thick and heavy
As gaseous molasses,
lazily ferments in this amber rusted barrel
Of soulful blues and bad tobacco.

Faithful, old drunks slowly sway,
Inebriated from breathing kill-devil air.
They sing wailing gospels of woe
In harmony with Lucille on the record player.

Quiet My Disquiet

Some days I feel on top of things and everyone’s content,
But then come days just like today—composure’s quickly spent.