The Only One
'The only One Who can teach me to find God is God, Himself, Alone.'
Thomas Merton, Seeds of Contemplation.
The only one
who can fill black night
with interior light,
who can lead me
past the gun-shots,
thump and thud,
hate filled percussion,
of hidden mines,
the death of
children
is God,
Himself,
Alone.
poem by Steven Federle
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Enter the Sanctuary
To find love I must enter into the sanctuary where it is hidden, which is the mystery of God.
Thomas Merton, New Seeds of Contemplation:
Deep in the tangle of branch and leaf
I move to the core, to the dark shaft
that draws life up from the muddy ground
to blooms sprung to being
by the ascendant sun,
open, imbibing morning light
like new wine, drunk with love.
Here I seek you
in your green sanctuary,
hiding, gleeful,
anxious to be found.
poem by Steven Federle
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Dark Contemplation
"Contemplation cannot be taught. It cannot even be clearly explained. It can only be hinted at, suggested, pointed to, symbolized." Thomas Merton. New Seeds of Contemplation
Through seasons of pleasure
and months of pain,
morning birds calling;
night's howling trains
oh, fall into dream's
cold silent folds
where unyielding truth
nightly is told.
The morning star's rising
through night's fading lace.
Soon sun will be glaring;
truth without grace.
poem by Steven Federle
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The Serene Happiness Of Silent Acceptance
For all God's gifts there must be in us a response of thanksgiving and happiness and joy: but here we thank Him less by words than by the serene happiness of silent acceptance.
Thomas Merton, Seeds of Contemplation
With gift of thunder and pain
prepare the soil
for living rain.
With gift of streaming grace
fill my soul
with unspeakable faith!
poem by Steven Federle
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We Must Be Grateful
'For all God's gifts there must be in us a response of
thanksgiving and happiness and joy.'
Thomas Merton, Seeds of Contemplation.
***
We must be grateful
when the old ones leave.
Forsaking the March sun,
they brush off tender, white blossoms.
Past the fleeing migrations,
they exhale their final, tainted breath.
Rising from earthen bones
in deep silence, new hymns intone
of thanksgiving and joy
and home.
poem by Steven Federle
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The children in black
The children in black
Where did their childhoods go
Trailing water behind
How did they become this cynical
They write words of hate
Tears of joy is no longer a term for them
How can they be so small
But hate so much
The children in black
The children in black
What happened to happiness
Are they that controlled
That everything can effect them
Don't they have the right to laugh
Why are their eyes this guarded
Does everything have to be that formal
What happened to innocence
Did it go away with the faith
The children in black
The children in black
I can see the bitterness
Can't you see the ugly truth
Bitter minds already got their minds trained
So why are children so dark
Is there that much pain
The children in black
The children in black
What happened to be open minded
Did it close like a door
Only opening for a few
Is this society that negative
That they can't see the light
What happened to love
Loving parents and friends
It must have went away
The children in black
The children in black
Their hate scares me
Their eyes make me grimace
With thier hate they can stop the world
But how is that possible when they are so young
Are their minds that easy to twist
The children in black
The children in black
I hope they will soon see the light
I don't know if it's normal to be afraid
But that's what I feel
Why do most people find it easier to be sad
Do they realize it's not
The children aren't children anymore
They're miny adults trying to impress
Why don't people realize this
Are they that oblivious
Maybe if people opened their eyes we could do something
But until then...
The children in black
poem by Lillie Ellis
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A World Filled With Hate
This world is filled with hate
Hate against life
Hate against your friends
Hate against your pet
Hate against the rain
Hate against a busdriver
Hate against your teacher
Hate against your parents
Hate against your brothers and sisters
Hate against a difficult game
Hate against your job
Hate against the way you live
Hate against your body
Hate against a withering flower
Hate against a not-working car
Hate against someone hurting you
Hate against a child that doesn't obey
Hate against the cloudy sky
Hate against God
Hate against the death
So much hate in everyone of us
We're filled with it
But only a little dropp of love
In this hate filled world
Could overcome every bit of hate
poem by Angel of Death
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Do Not Gaze into the Night
"We do not see the Blinding One in black emptiness. He speaks to us gently; His light is one fullness and one Wisdom." Thomas Merton
Do not gaze into the night.
He is not in the cold wind
tearing at tender leaves.
No, nor does He live
on the mountain of thunder
nor on the crashing shore
where the surf pounds
time on rocks as old
rhythm itself;
You'll not
find Him
in the piercing cries
of the children
of Syria;
but in your own
brilliant darkness
washed clean
by your tears
there you will find Him:
gentle, and full,
and wise.
poem by Steven Federle
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Mercy and Love
In order to know and love God as He is, we must have God dwelling in us in a new way, not only in His creative power but in His mercy. Thomas Merton, New Seeds of Contemplation.
Nothing I could do
would ever be enough
to make the dead-wood
live. Though the wind
and rain sever bright leaves,
tender blossoms from
the cherry tree, and the
birds themselves fly
from my anger,
I know
I could never
make it right,
though with tears I flood,
nourish with a
broken heart's blood
I am powerless.
Yet still these bruised stems,
thicken and split
to bud, spill green life,
fill the earth
with mercy
and love.
poem by Steven Federle
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The Sea Of Love
'….it is a sea of Love which flows through the One Body....'
Thomas Merton, New Seeds of Contemplation.
The sea of Love
fills my lungs
courses through
open fingers
warms glowing
heart, pulses
blood-lines
through diaphanous
skin.
In in the surge
of mother-sea
I wait
and grow
and emerge
into who
will be.
poem by Steven Federle
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The First Moment
A door opens in the center of our being and we seem to fall through it into immense depths which, although they are infinite, are all accessible to us; all eternity seems to have become ours in this one placid and breathless contact.
Thomas Merton, Seeds of Contemplation
The approach is clear;
light of day,
bright sky
beyond my
silken shroud,
the door is open,
but I am afraid.
Should I pass through,
perhaps descend to
endless depths?
I listen,
I hear you calling me
calling me;
come home.
so, breathless,
trembling with life,
I begin.
poem by Steven Federle
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The Sound Of Youth Passing
Why is it
that little children
who weigh
almost nothing
move like a herd of elephants?
Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump.
poem by Terence George Craddock
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Spirit of Spring
If we trust God to act in us, God will act in us.
This is how our lives become prophetic.
Thomas Merton, The Springs of Contemplation
Spirit of spring,
gleaming
fields, marsh
weeping.
Oh, trust the rain!
With sacred grief,
it will lead you
to prophecy:
bird-song in
the foothills;
heavy grapes;
the tall
summer
grain.
poem by Steven Federle
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A Simple Question
'While I am asking questions which You do not answer, You ask me a question which is so simple that I cannot answer. I do not even understand the question.' Thomas Merton, A Merton Reader,
'And He continued by questioning them, ‘But who do you say that I am? '' Mark 8: 29
Clear day
golden sky
gives way to
black clouds
and I ask,
'why? '
It's a child's question.
Within cities
hard edges, pavements
grey receive the red
tide, heads fall
and lives split open,
spill into
gutters fill,
sewers, fill
the sea,
and like a
persistent child
I ask 'why? '
In the morning
through bright
windows I see how
spring leans
to summer, timid
leaves open wide
glow in silver light
and green fire
fills the wood,
and by this beauty
silenced,
I hear
in tones
beyond my hearing
a simple question;
'who? '
but I cannot answer;
I do not
know.
poem by Steven Federle
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Life Itself
"It is that life itself, fully awake, fully active,
fully aware that it is alive. It is spiritual wonder."
Thomas Merton, New Seeds of Contemplation
Dark rain penetrates
tender leaves, swell spirits, sparks
dormant roots to life.
Like a god, Your star
ascends; with wonder and grace
shines Your mighty face!
poem by Steven Federle
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The Quarrel
'Let no one hope to find in contemplation an escape from conflict, from anguish or from doubt.' Thomas Merton
*
Words spoken drift like
mustard gas, doubt burning like
webs, unexpected
spiders brush my ears,
slip into my eyes as blind-
ly I run away.
poem by Steven Federle
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Shots
Shots
Ringing all along the borders can be heard
Striking out like a venom in the sky
Cutting through the air faster than a bird
In the night.
Children
Are lost in the sand, building roads with little hands
Trying to join their fathers castles together again
Will they make it? who knows where or when
Old wounds will mend?
Machines
Are winding their way along, looking strong
Building roads and bringing back loads and loads
Of building materials
In the night
Men
Are trying to move the borders on the ground
Lines between the different spots that each has found
But back home another scene was going down
In the night.
Lust
Comes creepin through the night to feed on hearts
Of suburban wives who learned to pretend
When they met their dreams end
In the night.
Shots
I hear shots, I keep hearing shots
I keep hearing shots
I hear shots.
Shots
I hear shots, I keep hearing shots
I keep hearing shots
I hear shots.
But Ill never use your love,
You know Im not that kind
And so if you give your heart away
I promise to you
Whatever we do
That I will always be true.
song performed by by Neil Young
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Frosty The Snowman
Frosty the Snowman
Was a jolly happy soul
With a corncob pipe and a button nose
And two eyes made out of coal
Frosty the Snowman
Is a fairytale they say
He was made of snow
But the children know
How he came to life one day
There must have been some magic
In that old silk hat they found
For when they placed it on his head
He began to dance around
Frosty the Snowman
Was alive as he could be
And the children say
He could laugh and play
Just the same as you and me
Frosty the Snowman
Knew the sun was hot that day
So he said let's run
And we'll have some fun
Now before I melt away
Down to the village
With a broomstick in his hand
Running here and there all around the square
Saying catch me if you can
He led them down the streets of town
Right to the traffic cop
And he only paused a moment when
He heard him holler stop
Frosty the Snowman
Had to hurry on his way
But he waved goodbye
Saying don't you cry
I'll be back again some day
Thumpety thump thump
Thumpety thump thump
Look at Frosty go
Thumpety thump thump
Thumpety thump thump
Over the hills of snow
song performed by by Ella Fitzgerald
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Redemption
'... it is the unaccepted self that stands in my way
and will continue to do so as long as it is not accepted. '
Thomas Merton, A Search for Solitude.
Broken-hearted,
uncertain
of my sullied worth,
beaten down, degraded
to my basic earth,
you gaze on me,
and I see a new light.
My face grows brilliant
in your radiant sight.
You find in me
what I cannot see,
and teach me
to love
humanity.
poem by Steven Federle
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Let Me Teach You
Straighten up your chronicles and,
Let me teach you about life;
And like the exodus of your sentiments in the world of hate,
But the revelation of my romance will lead you on.
Of a proverb of your past and your nakedness,
Of the psalms of my joy and the peace of my mind,
But come to me with your lamentations when you have no hope;
And let me teach you how to find a perfect way in the bush.
poem by Edward Kofi Louis
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For Love Alone
Occupy my whole life with the one thought and the one desire of love, that I may love not for the sake of merit, not for the sake of perfection, not for the sake of virtue, not for the sake of sanctity but for love alone. Thomas Merton, Seeds of Contemplation.
radiant vision
brilliant interlude
raging clouds sundered,
sun-split storm;
soft rain falls
through winter-bare trees,
through fields of
feral flowers,
God's world
set afire
for love alone
poem by Steven Federle
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