Monk (1)
and in the half-light of the abbey church,
candles flickering,
a kneeling stillness
for years of days
prayer
so that to be is to pray
to pray is to be and
to be is to love and
to love is to understand for
there are no questions
when silence holds all answers
candles flickering,
a kneeling stillness
poem by Michael Shepherd
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Related quotes
Shadows flicker
To keep the light burning within
I quietly companion myself, when I can
Away from the mind-numbing rush to oblivion
The flickering interplay of light and darkness
Captures my attention
The light sometimes grows dim
Wilting against harsh winds
Only to revive as a guardian
Cups the flame, till it glows strong again
Lending a calming stillness, of quiet comfort
Sometimes the darkness wells up
Choking all that is light, and all that sustains light
Thrashes on dark quicksand
That’s when I pray for the light to be strong
For there are shadows flickering
Even under the brightest lamp, such is the nature of light
poem by Anita Atina
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Candles
The days of the future stand in front of us
Like a line of candles all alight----
Golden and warm and lively little candles.
The days that are past are left behind,
A mournful row of candles that are out;
The nearer ones are still smoking,
Candles cold, and melted, candles bent.,
I don’t want to see them; their shapes hurt me,
It hurts me to remember the light of them at first.
I look before me at my lighted candles,
I don’t want to turn around and see with horror
How quickly the dark line is lengthening,
How quickly the candles multiply that have been put out.
poem by Constantine P. Cavafy
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I Pray For Darkness...
i pray for darkness...
wrapping splintered lights
in perfected stillness...
stillness that heals
without questioning
why or who!
stillness that sings,
with every pulse of blood
through bodies worn...
stillness that redeems,
bringing the searcher
to his final destination...
stillness that removes,
the cross, , the crown of thorns,
lays down the shield of honor...
stillness that fills,
the empty cup, the box forgotten,
bringing the lover
to the lips of longing...
spilling his passion
on the fertile earth!
i pray for darkness,
removing all graven images,
the power of the formless
to form again and again...
i pray for darkness,
the moonlit touch forbidden,
the lover's cry, the wolfen howl,
the mystic taste of that which
cannot be seen... but felt!
poem by Eric Cockrell
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Lover's Prayer
For love
For life and eternity
This is my prayer
I pray that our love
Is more than enough
To weather the storm
I pray that you're strong
The nights that I'm gone
And you're home alone
I pray you'll forgive
Whateva I did
That brought you the tears
I pray here right now
As I make this vow
We last through the years
Lover's prayer
When I get down on my knees at night
Lover's prayer
I pray God we gonna be alright
Lover's prayer
With my head down and my hands up high
How I hope he will answer my
Lover's prayer
I pray that the sun
Continues to shine
With all that you do
No matter the bad
No matter how low
you'll make it through
I pray that I'm there
Whateve you want whateva you need
I pray that your heart
Carries apart
song performed by by Joe from Better Days
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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John of Forde, his witness
John of Forde
Kneeling there, the candles living flame
in the darkened abbey, brother monks
still and silent at the golden altar rail,
kneeling there, clearing that inner space
into which may enter what God wills –
sometimes He takes me unawares;
murmurs like a gentle thunder
some clear message beyond words
yet winging into crystal sentences,
and that, a treasure-house of joy…
why do I call it sweet, this moment
savoured, indescribable? Because
there is no other word… why do I say,
ah, He has called me to the marriage feast..?
How else to tell you how, at that,
everything becomes delight,
everything becomes a glory?
and the glory is delight;
delight, in truth, the glory.
[adapted from Sermon 43 of Abbot John of Forde Abbey, c.1145-1214]
poem by Michael Shepherd
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Sonnet: What a Christian Loves Most
I love to hear the church-bells peeling loud
For Angelus, before each service starts;
I am a Christian and I am so proud
To keep my soul pure till my life departs.
God’s peace descends on minds that deeply pray;
The atmosphere within a church is great;
I wish to get communion every day,
Confessing sins mortal, venial till date.
I love to pray kneeling ’fore grotto-gate
Emptying the heaviness from off my heart;
And then, I know my God will change my fate,
And help me do my duty and my part.
’Tis nice to live quite near a church always,
And spend in Piety our earthly days.
7-25-2002
poem by John Celes
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Visitation
candle light
flickering shadow
stillness
presence
beyond
perception
mystical
permeating
p urifying
healing
solitude
silence
communion
poem by Liam ó Comáin
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Flickering Candles
I'm just a flickering candle
In the night.
Vunerable,
Yet staying alight,
With the hope of love.
I will kiss your breast
With the promise of romance.
And fill your body
With caress
Of that vibrant dance.
In the moonlight,
then we will walk
Hand in hand
Into memories,
Lit by the sunlight
Of an endless sky.
Kissed by the moon
That is ours alone.
Two flickering candles
In the night.
Now
Shooting stars
Burning bright
To Heaven.
poem by Kevin East
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November 28,2007 is the International Day of Stillness: A Poem for the day
'Stillness is my beloved teacher.
From her, I learn new things every day.'
I said to Stillness,
How can you teach me so well?
Stillness said,
By being with you always.
I said to Stillness,
How can you teach me so much?
Stillness said,
Because you have much within you;
I, but a mirror for your mind;
I, but a mirror for your heart.
I said to Stillness,
O my beloved teacher, will you
promise me you will never leave me?
Stillness said,
I cannot leave you;
though you can leave me..
but what is stillness without a companion?
I said to Stillness,
Is your work hard?
Stillness said,
I have the most wonderful task that I could wish for:
I sit with babies while they smile;
I sit with children in the classroom
as they delight to learn;
I sit with the angry and disturbed,
and watch them grow to peace;
I sit with the sad and lonely and bereaved
and watch them rediscover happiness and joy;
I sit with kings and queens and rulers
while they find wisdom and mercy;
I sit with governments and committees
while they find reason and justice;
I sit with artists and scientists,
and watch them find new things outside themselves,
and find new things within themselves;
I sit with those who pray or meditate,
as they find God in themselves;
I sit at the feet of saints
while they become perfection;
I walk in the gardens of the dawn,
I walk in the gardens of the dusk;
in the deep of the night, I watch;
I fly with birds, in the silence of the air;
I watch the animals as they explore the earth;
I listen to the growing of the trees and plants;
I listen to the opening of the flowers;
Said Stillness,
I am the friend and the companion of all;
who would not love to share my life with me?
I said to Stillness,
May I never leave you.
And Stillness looked me in the eye,
and Stillness smiled at me:
‘I am born with every creature born
to be their friend for life.’
poem by Michael Shepherd
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Lip Service
LIP SERVICE
The church is almost empty
Lit with candles
Under deserted alters
No hymns or music
Nor any distortions
Perfect silence
Is the hour - God lends his ears
For my prayers, smiles and feelings
Shown in perfect stillness
You need not sing,
Shout, weep, clap or cry
To take your prayers
to the soaring heights
Your deeds are being watched
Minute after minute,
- as who never sins
can even need not pray
God is one, and
He sits too high
He may not be knowing
YOU and ME
Conscience is His
Ambassador, stationed in me
Dispatching reports
To HIM, daily of me.
Louis Santhana
poem by Santhana Louis
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One evening
One evening
~
Caught in the candles lights
Flickering shadows on the wall
Softly the music plays, serenading
Whilst a conversation flows
Like the finest of wine poured
Into the glasses which rolled in hand
Flavour the scent of the evening
The warmest of company, love
Grows in the look of an eye
The curl of every smile
Caught in the candles light
A romance blossoming
Little else is as beautiful
Or motions to the heart
The warming amber glow
Captures in perfect silhouette
The first kiss of the evening
A relationship beginning
poem by Matthew Holloway
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Stillness: a Poem for the International Day of Stillness, November 28
'Stillness is my beloved teacher.
From her, I learn new things every day.'
I said to Stillness,
how can you teach me so well?
Stillness said,
By being with you always.
I said to Stillness,
How can you teach me so much?
Stillness said,
Because you have much within you;
I, but a mirror for your mind;
I, but a mirror for your heart.
I said to Stillness,
O my beloved teacher, will you
promise me you will never leave me?
Stillness said,
I cannot leave you;
though you can leave me..
but what is stillness without a companion?
I said to Stillness,
Is your work hard?
Stillness said,
I have the most wonderful task that I could wish for:
I sit with babies while they smile;
I sit with children in the classroom
as they delight to learn;
I sit with the angry and disturbed,
And watch them grow to peace;
I sit with the sad and lonely and bereaved
and watch them rediscover happiness and joy;
I sit with kings and queens and rulers
while they find wisdom and mercy;
I sit with governments and committees
while they find reason and justice;
I sit with artists and scientists,
and watch them find new things outside themselves,
and find new things within themselves;
I sit with those who pray or meditate,
and watch them find God in themselves;
I sit at the feet of saints
while they become perfection;
I fly with birds, in the silence of the air;
I watch the animals as they explore the earth;
I hear the growing of the trees and plants;
I listen to the opening of the flowers;
I walk in the gardens of the dawn;
I walk in the gardens of the dusk;
in the deep of the night, I watch.
Said Stillness,
I am the friend and the companion of all;
who would not love to share my life with me?
I said to Stillness,
may I never leave you.
And Stillness looked me in the eye,
and Stillness smiled at me:
‘I am born with every creature born
to be their friend for life.’
*
(With acknowledgements to Iain Trousdell of New Zealand, whose poem quoted from in the first two lines inspired this extension..)
poem by Michael Shepherd
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~ Prayer ~
Beloved you only pray in times of stress or need.
Forget not to pray for the joy and abundance you already have.
Prayer is but the expansion of your self into the Cosmos.
If it is for your comfort to pour darkness into space,
It should also be your delight to pour out the dawning of your soul.
If you cannot but weep when your soul summons you to prayer,
Trust that after weeping you shall find laughter.
When you pray you rise to meet in the air others who pray.
And you recognize each other in sweet communion.
Know that when you enter prayer with no other purpose than asking,
For the sake of asking you shall not receive.
Be invisible and pray not before men.
Beloved I cannot teach you how to pray with words as,
You have but to allow God to speak through your lips.
If you but listen to the stillness of the night you shall hear;
“Father your will is our will”
We need not ask for anything, because you know our needs before us.
Father you are our only need, for in giving of yourself you gives us everything.
(Inspired by Kahlil Gibran)
ROTMS
View more writings, images and video at;
rotms.blogspot.com
poem by Ray Lucero
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Pray For Love
Yeah, oh yeah,
Pray for love,
Yeah, oh yeah,
I lift my eyes up to heaven above
And what Im asking for is all Ive been dreaming of
True love is so hard to find
Wont you pray
Wont you pray
Won't you pray
Diamonds and pearls and fortune and fame
Some ask for sunshine and others for rain
Is what I'm asking for asking too much?
Won't you pray
Won't you pray
Won't you pray
Oh yeah,
C'mon and pray for love
Pray for love, love, love, love
Late at night when I'm alone in my room
Whispering your name by the light of the midnight moon
I believe that day will come
Won't you pray
Won't you pray
Won't you pray
There's just too many lonely people
Too many lonely people in this world
Too many lonely lonely people
Won't you pray
Won't you pray
Oh, yeah
C'mon and pray for love
Pray for love, love, love, love
C'mon and pray for love
Yeah, yeah
C'mon and pray for love
C'mon and pray for love
Pray, pray, pray for love, love, love
There's just too many lonely people
Too many lonely people in this world
Too many lonely lonely people
Too many lonely people in this world
Too many lonely boys
Too many lonely girls
Too many lonely people in this world
C'mon and pray for love
Oh, yeah
C'mon and pray for love
Pray for love
C'mon and pray for love
Pray for love.
song performed by by Vanessa Amorosi
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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All Day Long Doses
Pray!
Pray to pray for prayer.
Pray to stay there in prayer.
There is no time to find prayer.
You must pray to make prayer,
The only time you have.
The only key you need...
To unlock all that keeps you fed,
And nourished!
Pray to pray for prayer.
When you're there,
Stay!
Like every wish you keep that comes.
Prayer should be the only thing decided,
That's done every moment you breathe a breath
Of life.
Pray!
Pray to pray for prayer.
Stay there in it!
Take it with you
Like you take and do your faith...
In all day long doses!
Without fear you have taken too long of a break!
poem by Lawrence S. Pertillar
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Pray
I pray for your safety my love
Pray your dreams be fulfilled
Pray for help from God above
Pray a shattered world rebuild
Pray with me, that all are fed
Pray our Lord God will listen
Pray we see what lay ahead
Pray our mortal souls be risen
Pray for all who now do suffer
Pray for respite from their pain
Pray empathy provides a buffer
Pray for those few gone insane
Believe sincere prayers always work
Believe prayer lights where Satan lurks
(Dedicated to my Beloved)
ROTMS
poem by Ray Lucero
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Heartsong, heart's dance
In silence, every song that’s sung
is as a wheatgrain in the hand;
known in wonder, love and awe;
its essence more than human sound;
in stillness, every joyful dance
is summed as if in perfect prayer;
though every muscle yearns to praise,
unmoving; more than mind in air;
silence sings and stillness dances
in the freedom of the heart;
self, content to be the watcher;
loving each and every part.
poem by Michael Shepherd
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Morning Prayer..God's Protection
Morning Prayer...God's Protection
Another day, another sunrise
Kneeling at your feet
Saying my morning prayer
Leaving everything at your cross
I live under your power
Cover me with your most precious blood
Surround me with your millions of angels
I need not fear
You promise to be with me
Everywhere i go
Your love has taught me to be strong
Your presence, my comfort
I pray, in your name..Amen
poem by Meggie Gultiano
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Candels In The Grotto
Candles in the grotto
Flickering in the night
Hoping God will see them
On this cold and lonely night
For they are the prayers of many
Who are hurting and afraid
Wishes from so many
That only the Lord and His mother
Can make the pain go away
Oh how they shine
Bring fourth their light
Showing the Lord and His mother
Their hearts of love for them tonite
May their prayers be answered
As their lights begin to fade
May the light of heaven
Bring you brighter days
poem by David Kush
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Stillness Of The Night
Midnight on the hill I heard the thunder fill
The stillness of the night
It hit me like a slap, youre never comin back
From the stillness of the night
It was never black or white, neither wrong or right
Like the shadow of a full moons light
I knew wed lost the track, when I heard the lightning crack
The stillness of the night
Chorus
In the stillness of the night
Thats when well make it right
We can stop the thunder till the light
In the stillness of the night
I know you think you hear, those voices in your ear
In the stillness of the night
But Ive tried to make it clear theres nothing left to fear
Just the stillness of the night
And if you listen hard you might find the reason for your fright
Just the wind is high tonight
And the danger we must face is the anger of this race
In the stillness of the night
Chorus
song performed by by Reo Speedwagon
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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