Thursday, July 01, 2004

Family Secrets

Little and big secrets
silence, unsharing
from shame, for protection
blank spots
in the telling
of our story

Carved off areas
sometimes casually shared
As if we knew, forgetting the secret
the missing words
names crossed from address books
pain pushed down

Missing memories
scraps of childhood
undiscussed.


=============

=============
edited September 13, 2018
Family Secrets – Revised – v5
edited November 12, 2017
Family Secrets – Revised – v4
edited November 12, 2017
behind a mask – v2
November 11, 2017
behind a mask
the allegations in the news about
Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore
and a flood of memories and feelings
&
edited November 12, 2017
the smell of the smoke – 2 – v4
edited June 6, 2015
the smell of the smoke – 2 – v3
(merging edits to original and version 2)
edited May 29, 2015
the scorch of fire – v2
edited May 23, 2015
the scorch of the fire
edited May 22, 2015
the smell of the smoke – 2 – v2
May 21, 2015
the smell of the smoke - 2
May 19, 2015 and May 20, 2015
Focus on the Family
radio broadcasts
Helping Your Husband Overcome Childhood Sexual Abuse (Part 1 of 2)
see transcript:
Helping Your Husband Overcome Childhood Sexual Abuse (Part 2 of 2)
With Guests Cecil Murphey and Gary Roe
The piece that caught my attention was the statements about God placing hands on the side of the boy’s heart while being sexually abused.
Unlike the story of the fiery furnace in Daniel 3:1-30, where Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego had no smell of smoke on them, victims of sexual abuse do have the smell of the smoke of that evil upon them, even as God was with them in the fire.
&
edited November 12, 2017
an unwanted touch – v2
August 20, 2014
an unwanted touch
Devozine for August 18, 2014 to August 24, 2014
“+sexual struggles”
&
Habakkuk 3:1 (GNT)
devotion: “Sexual Abuse”
national abuse hotline
1-800-656-4673
devotion by Kerri Voegeli
for August 19, 2014
read August 19, 2014
&
edited November 12, 2017
I can understand their anger – v2
November 18, 2011
I can understand their anger
&
edited November 12, 2017
A box around these memories – v2
November 18, 2011
A box around these memories
&
edited November 12, 2017
A Walled-off Place – v2
November 18, 2011
A Walled-off Place
&
edited November 12, 2017
Under the Veil of Silence – v3
November 18, 2011
Under the Veil of Silence – v2
November 18, 2011
Under the Veil of Silence
&
edited November 12, 2017
Open the Sealed Records – v2
November 18, 2011
Open the Sealed Records
&
edited November 12, 2017
On that Altar of Football – v2
November 18, 2011
On that Altar of Football
&
November 12, 2017
When we worship false God – v2
November 18, 2011
We worship false Gods
&
edited November 12, 2017
At the trough of their power – v2
November 18, 2011
At the trough of their power
Sandusky sexual abuse scandal
and re-victimizing the children
in hearing his defense and seeing him
on the sidelines of the Penn State football games
over and over again
and the same for all adult victims of sexual abuse
hearing these words and these images
and failure of Penn State to release all documents
regarding the scandal
&
edited November 12, 2017
For me, a stranger – v2
November 18, 2011
For me, a stranger
&
edited November 12, 2017
Family Secrets – Revised – v4
edited January 10, 2016
Family Secrets – Revised – v3
(merging edits to original and version 2)
edited September 2, 2015
Family Secrets – Revised – v2
6/17/2004
Family Secrets - Revised


All of my poems, photographs, and videos are copyrighted by Raymond A. Foss, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018. All rights are reserved. Contact me at Ray Foss (raymondafoss@gmail.com) for usage. See all 47,870 of my poems at www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.

God, Spirit, Christ, faith, love, child abuse, assault, sex, power, touch, memory, secret, shame, sexual abuse, Roy Moore, Sandusky, law, children, justice, abuse,

#God #faith #love #grace #childabuse #sexual #assault #sex #power #touch #memory #history #mask #hidden #shame #sexualabuse #RoyMoore #Sandusky #law #PennState #children #justice #abuse #family #grooming #poetry #MeToo #secret #hidden #silence #fear #poem

Wednesday, June 30, 2004

New links

I have added a number of new links yesterday and today.

One link to my page of note is that Professor James Elkins of West Virginia University School of law has put biographical information on this at his contemporary law poets website.

Anothe link to my page is on Mike Martin's Cedar Eden - The Blog site.

All of my poems are copyrighted by Raymond A. Foss, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012. All rights reserved. Contact me at Ray Foss for usage. See all 18,700+ of my poems at http://www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.

Marcy

Pandora’s Box
Burst open a year ago today
Because you gave us an assignment
To read a poem.
I took a risk.
And was rewarded
Beyond measure.

A silent voice
Spoke for the first time
Clear and strong and with something to share
Of beauty, of imagery, of strong emotion
Words pouring out
Through a crack in the dam
Of my heart
Wanting to be heard and seen
Hoping to touch others as
They feel what I reveal,
Free to be
Who I am

New sensations of
Pure emotions
Finding form and shape
On the printed page,
Letting me breath new air
Learning to live.



=====================
edited November 15, 2018
Marcy – v2

June 30, 2004
Marcy

All of my poems, photographs, and videos are copyrighted by Raymond A. Foss, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018. All rights are reserved. Contact me at Ray Foss (raymondafoss@gmail.com) for usage. See all 48,080 of my poems at www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live

breath, Concord NH, creator, giving, God, heart, Lent, New Hampshire, poetry, Poetry Where You Live, pure, Raymond A. Foss, senses, sharing, touch, voice,

#breath #ConcordNH #creator #giving #God #heart #Lent #NewHampshire #poetry #pure #senses #sharing #touch #voice

Tuesday, June 29, 2004

Salmon Skin

A pause on the bridge, a break in my day, as night came
A stop to drink in the murmur, the echo, pulsed from the fountain
Across the stillness of the water, pushing toward me
The salmon surface of the water drank in the rippling reflections of the reeds.
Like tethered monochrome wrapping ribbon, undulating on the skin
A momentary scene, lost to the darkening, an instant later

Another circuit of the park, quiet pulling me in
Separating from the memory of the bustle at the pool
Earlier this day, when the sun reigned
Peace among the doubt of the studying,
Learning on the fly, in summary,
Keeping me at the school, that drives me to the pond, to start with

Losing myself, in the tranquility of the water’s motion
The connectedness of the sky, its echo in the salmon skin
And its hold on me, soothing my soul
Lost in my solitary march, exercise and rejuvenation
Around the water, in the park, across from the school
My instant sanctuary, nurturing and reminding, of more



============
edited November 14, 2018
Salmon Skin – v2

6/29/04 20:44
Salmon Skin
Started via voicemail at 6/27/04 at 8:43pm (of just the 4th line), about the peace I get when I take a break from my studying and take a walk over Pierce Bridge and the pond at White Park, Concord, NH

All of my poems, photographs, and videos are copyrighted by Raymond A. Foss, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018. All rights are reserved. Contact me at Ray Foss (raymondafoss@gmail.com) for usage. See all 48,080 of my poems at www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live

church, Concord NH, creator, cross, God, Mary, memories, New Hampshire, poetry, Poetry Where You Live, Raymond A. Foss, sanctuary, schools, sky, soul, sun, voice, walking, water, white, White Park,

#church #ConcordNH #creator #cross #God #Mary #memories #NewHampshire #poetry #sanctuary #schools #sky #soul #sun #voice #walking #water #white #WhitePark #LawSchool

Saturday, June 26, 2004

Force Majeure*

You loosed the whirlwinds
That day in June
Setting two settled souls
Off their pilings

Forced to face our realities
And our fears
Living outside comfort
Risking everything

Overwhelmed still by uncertainty
Adrift with the floodwaters
Hoping to land and germinate
On fertile soil

New life with you
All I dream of,
All I pray for
Each time Sleep stalks me


*”An event that cannot be reasonably anticipated or controlled”

All of my poems are copyrighted by Raymond A. Foss, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012. All rights reserved. Contact me at Ray Foss for usage. See all 18,700+ of my poems at http://www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.

Friday, June 25, 2004

Tears

My eyes welled up
Tears rolled down my cheeks
As the choir sang
Of God’s Love and His forgiveness
Vision blurred for a few moments
So I could but see
Unburdening my heart
In your house this Sunday

You are not finished with me.
You have saved me
For what I know not yet
I pray you will steel my heart
And guide my hands and feet
To do your work.

Heavenly Father,
Thank you for this day
And your promise
Paid with your body
For all of us


===============
edited November 14, 2018
Tears – v2

posted June 25, 2004
Tears
July 8, 2001
July 1, 2001 12:10


All of my poems, photographs, and videos are copyrighted by Raymond A. Foss, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018. All rights are reserved. Contact me at Ray Foss (raymondafoss@gmail.com) for usage. See all 48,080 of my poems at www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live

body, choir, creator, eyes, Faith, father, forgive, God, hands, heart, hope, love, Methodist, New Hampshire, poetry, Poetry Where You Live, prayer, sing, United Methodist, work,


#body #choir #creator #eyes #Faith #father #forgive #God #hands #heart #hope #love #Methodist #poetry #prayer #sing #UnitedMethodist #work

Thursday, June 24, 2004

Crosswalk

Iterative, coding conventions
Six month of our lives
Spent casting and recasting
The structure of the new environment
To bring forward history
And meet the new paradigm
Of an Org-centric model

Overhead and spreadsheets
Whiteboard and Picturetel
To reach consensus
On ever narrowing issues

Fund and Org and Activity
Oh, don’t forget Account
Characters with meaning
Numbers and letters
Six characters and
How many levels
For each

Links hard and soft
Moving before our eyes
Why does that link there now?
Freeze date oh thank God
You are near (or here).



About crosswalking the old accounting system to the new accounting system's nomenclature, back in spring 2001 (part of why I went to law school).



All of my poems and photographs are copyrighted by Raymond A. Foss, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015. All rights reserved. Contact me at Ray Foss (raymondafoss@gmail.com) for usage. See all 40,660+ of my poems at www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.

Tuesday, June 22, 2004

Idiots

Feeble knats
Buzzing in my classroom
Inane questions
Blank looks
On doe-like faces
Frozen in time
By my knowledge
Unable to perceive
The law, the truth
The power of the words
I impart.



Hypo – September 30, 1997
Fake poem of Professor Huge Ego
For Jive closing argument

All of my poems are copyrighted by Raymond A. Foss, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012. All rights reserved. Contact me at Ray Foss for usage. See all 18,700+ of my poems at http://www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.

Monday, June 21, 2004

Glassworks

Mesmerized, watching
The skill, artistry
Effortlessness in the heat
Of the sweating craftsmen
In the beach air
On the Vineyard

Living,
Molten glass, clear
Droop on the shaft
Entering the
Orange maw
Mouth of the furnace

Glow yellow
from the warming
Glistening wet
Grow with the blow
Liquid and free

Spin and catch
Supple flesh
Add color and form
Enter again
Translucence now
Hot gases
Fill the space
Wipe brow
Enter again

Cool and gel
Cut from the pipe
Clutched like a robin’s egg
By a toddler’s wonder
Placed to firm and harden
Into permanent wonder


==================
edited November 3, 2018
Glassworks – v2

Written 6/20/04 14:06
Glassworks
about Martha’s Vineyard Glassworks
somewhere I spent hours,
over many summers in the 1990’s watching bowls,
pitchers, pictures, and more, come to life.

All of my poems, photographs, and videos are copyrighted by Raymond A. Foss, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018. All rights are reserved. Contact me at Ray Foss (raymondafoss@gmail.com) for usage. See all 47,970 of my poems at www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.

air, beach, colors, creator, God, grow, life, Martha, Martha's Vineyard, mouth, New Hampshire, orange, poetry, Poetry Where You Live, Raymond A. Foss, summer, vine, work, yard, yellow,

#air #beach #colors #creator #God #grow #life #Martha #MarthasVineyard #mouth #NewHampshire #orange #poetry #summer #vine #work #yard #yellow