An Earthly King

If only they understood, really understood
that he wasn’t a threat; no, he wasn’t an earthly king
though he was flesh and blood. He was here for other things,
setting the stage for his rule, down the road of time
Not here to rule at that time, in that place; but
they misunderstood, were defensive, and acted
cutting short a life; but in fulfillment nonetheless
So in a way it wasn’t free will after all, or at least
not in a human understanding of it.
They were playing their parts;
making the choices he knew they would,
the choices written down long before,
by prophets who heard the words of the Lord
wrote them down, and waited, for the coming
of Elijah, for the coming of the King
Here he was; but they didn’t see.
The question is, “Would we?”


November 25, 2006 21:03



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 19,830+ of my poems at http://www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.

Breakfast Party

A hurried up party
in our bed this morning,
on top of the comforter, the blanket
toy tea set and imaginary orange soda
all too real pepperoni and green salad
with creamy Caesar dressing
early, before breakfast
presented by eager happy hands
giggling sisters
for mommy and me
this morning, after the start of our day
but the start of theirs,
before the cartoons,
a breakfast party
After we moved on to chores and work
they were there still, enjoying a video
goldfish, and each other’s company
on our bed, continuing the party
without us

November 25, 2006 9:35


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 19,830+ of my poems at http://www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.

Snow in the Trees

High up at the top of the chairlift
at the summit of the mountain,
the trees were coated, as with larger amounts of clay
with snow and ice, layer on layer
from mother nature and the snow guns of man
the trees carried the load with aplomb
graceful, statuesque, white,
hiding their evergreens
Skiing between these canyons of snow
groves of, forests of these frozen sentinels
quiet above the din of the lodge, of the open
lower slopes, trails, of the ski area
up here, with the blue sky so close as to touch it
the air so cold, so clear
magical in the peacefulness, tranquility
up in the short encrusted trees
at the top of the mountain

November 24, 2006 20:15


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 19,040+ of my poems at http://www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.

Sixty-One Years Ago

At the end of the Thanksgiving service,
she shared the affirmation of her call,
her turn before the committee,
She shared the news with the congregation
with the family of faith she shares
her journey with in so many ways
He was assisting the Pastor,
retired but such a vital part of our ministry
still there with strong voice in the choir
with the words of grace over communion
assisting that night too
He greeted her at the closing,
sharing that his call was sixty-one years ago
When he knew ministry was his calling,
his career, that servanthood would be his path
in a series of churches, so many miles away
Sharing her joy at her new call, in the memory
of his own so long ago
Would that she could share that blessing
long down the days of her life
touch another soul who feels the pull of ministry
and encourage them as he did
part of the continuum of ministers,
disciples, apostles of our Lord and Savior
Jesus Christ, our brother

November 24, 2006 17:28

Sixty-One Years Ago

http://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2006/11/sixty-one-years-ago.html

All of my poems are copyrighted by Raymond A. Foss, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014. All rights reserved. Contact me at Ray Foss for usage. See all 33,930+ of my poems at www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.

A Walk in Livingston Park

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 19,830+ of my poems at http://www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.

"Postcard Shots" - St. Lucia

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 19,830+ of my poems at http://www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.

Running in the Park

A family of five
with three balls,
and stomachs still full of turkey,
of pancakes, and sausage
ran and played together,
in the park this morning,
laughing and chasing
each other, the balls
around the windswept field
kicking, catching, running
getting winded,
laughing some more
enjoying the day
so glad we were able to share
the warm fall
sun-filled hour or more
and the family time
all too often forgotten
in filled days and busy lives


November 24, 2006 13:15


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 19,830+ of my poems at http://www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.

Transfiguration

Whiter than white,
he shone in brilliance,
sealing the fulfillment
standing with Elijah,
with Moses,
Peter, James, and John
far off, a bit confused
at His appearance
somewhat, as he truly was
the Son, the Beloved,
with whom the Father
was well pleased
Ready now for this journey
fully prepared
for the cross

November 23, 2006 20:25
Matthew 17:1-13

All of my poems are copyrighted by Raymond A. Foss, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013. All rights reserved. Contact me at Ray Foss for usage. See all 24,020+ of my poems at www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.

Hallowing the Name

Holy is the name of God
and we are to hallow the name
never in vain; never tolerating
others who do, without a word

Praying, remembering the Lord
in all my prayers,
in my personal words
not by rote alone

November 23, 2006 20:15


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 19,830+ of my poems at http://www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.

A Lean-to in the Woods

A bed of pine,
corrugated metal for a roof
and snow fencing walls

A place of refuges
out in the woods
just up the hill
off the path

A place for reflection
sanctuary in the city
close but away
from the day to day

-----------------------

edited March 26, 2021

A Lean-to in the Woods - v2

https://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2021/03/a-lean-to-in-woods-v2.html

up the trail from Apple Hill Road,

Claremont, NH

1976 to 1978

November 23, 2006 20:06

A Lean-to in the Woods

http://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2006/11/lean-to-in-woods.html

&

edited October 29, 2015

Out in the Woods – v5

http://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2015/10/out-in-woods-v5.html

(editing version 4)

edited April 16, 2015

Out in the Woods – v4

http://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2015/04/out-in-woods-v4.html

(editing original)

Edited April 24, 2013

“Out in the woods – v3”

http://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2013/04/out-in-woods-v3.html

(from the original)

edited April 26, 2012

“Out in the woods – v2”

http://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2012/04/out-in-woods-v2.html

Original poem 3/26/2004

“Out in the woods”

http://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2004/04/out-in-woods.html

about walk in woods in Claremont, NH

&

edited October 29, 2015

A Walk in the Woods – v3

http://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2015/10/a-walk-in-woods-v3.html

(editing version 2)

Edited April 24, 2013

“A Walk in the Woods – v2”

http://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2013/04/a-walk-in-woods-v2.html

August 7, 2006 19:38

“A Walk in the Woods”

http://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2006/08/walk-in-woods.html

All of my poems are copyrighted by Raymond A. Foss, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021. All rights reserved. Contact me at <a href="mailto:raymondafoss@gmail.com">Ray Foss</a> for usage. See all 53k+ of my poems at www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.

poetry, poem, wind, nature, forest, cold, love, grace, faith, God, hope, comfort, Raymond A. Foss, Poetry Where You Live, spring, woods, lady slipper, flower,

#poetry #poem #wind #nature #forest #cold #love #grace #faith #God #hope #comfort #woods #spring #ladyslipper #flower

Faithful Frankness

Over and over, she poured out her heart
her pain, her plea, her wish
directly, frankly
to the Lord, in the temple
spilling out her prayer
making a promise to God
if her prayer would be answered
her honest, frank appeal

November 23, 2006 19:10, edited 19:32
1 Samuel 1:4-20

All of my poems are copyrighted by Raymond A. Foss, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013. All rights reserved. Contact me at Ray Foss for usage. See all 25,340+ of my poems at www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.

Threads of Her Journey

A tapestry is being stitched
story by story,
step by step, thread by thread
Pictures of her life come alive
with threads of gold,
of silver, of royal purple,
of hope, of faith, of love
her story unfolding
in the fabric, the knitted
tapestry of her life

November 23, 2006 19:05



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 19,730+ of my poems at http://www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.

After the Turkey

We sat sated in the den
ready for pie; but not quite
needing to sit a bit, settle our
bloated tummies, because
it was after the turkey,
after the rolls, after the potatoes,
the gravy, cranberries,
the vegetables, the stuffing,
the bounty of the feast we call
Thanksgiving, when seconds
become thirds, and the eye is
bigger than the stomach,
and eating is expected
Because cooking is love
and love is eating all of it
and we sit quietly, letting
the tryptophan do its thing
slowly easing the day
and making us ready
for dessert

November 23, 2006 18:27

After the Turkey

http://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2006/11/after-turkey.html

All of my poems are copyrighted by Raymond A. Foss, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014. All rights reserved. Contact me at Ray Foss for usage. See all 33,930+ of my poems at www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.

Staring into the Flame

Sitting still, quiet, alone,
in the living room of my boyhood
alone with my thoughts after the Christmas day
watching the flickering, living flame
in the fireplace, seeing the dance, the quiver
of the gas, the glowing embers on the log,
bark catching fire, curling, shriveling in the
consuming fire, lost in vapors up the flue
the pop of the wood, giving up itself
breaking down to the heat, the hungry flames
the warmth flowing out into the room
reddening my cheeks, flush already
with the cold wind outside
letting the heat from the maw of the opening
ooze into me, slow my breathing
linger a bit longer, before bed
mesmerized by the ballet
of the blue, yellow, white flames
in the quiet of the darkened room

November 23, 2006 18:19


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 19,030+ of my poems at http://www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.

Scent Memories

The new candle tarts,
ready for the winter season
shared by the shopper yesterday,
the fruits of her labor, presented one by one
so many scent memories flowed from my memory
of the fir forest, the balsam wood,
the nutmeg and cinnamon from her kitchen
from the hot cider, the pumpkin pie,
the winter potpourri
Smell rekindling, connecting earlier times
in my life with right now
How sweet is memory that is conjured
with the smell of pine, of harvest, of home

November 23, 2006 18:12


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 19,020+ of my poems at http://www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.

Breaking Camp

At 1:00 in the morning
on a moonlit, starlit night
in northern Maine,
in the Allagash Wilderness
silent strangers, worked together
to break camp and set out onto the still water
into the lake, toward the river, running north
heading out into the darkness, heavy dark
shadows from the full moonlight
the moon dancing on the lake, teasing, urging
entrancing the band of canoeists,
hushed silence through all of us
a pact unspoken but honored
a covenant of peace, stillness, reverence
knowing somehow each of us
how special these moments were
how treasured they are still
thirty years later
as I write these lines
remembering so well
how the shivers felt that night
when the only sound was the
pearls of water
falling from my paddle
the keel of the canoe
pushing through the water
and the sound of my heart
because we were so quiet
in the dark

November 23, 2006 18:00

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 20,790+ of my poems at http://www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.

In the Dark of Night

A small solitary island
without television, phone
without running water
But it had the call of the loon
the splash of bass, the slap of the beaver
the rustle of the leaves, the kerplunk
of a turtle dropping into the pond
the buzz of mosquito, dragonfly,
of waves lapping the shore
And it had the shadows of dusk,
the shimmering light of the moon,
the stars on the undulating surface
of the water, the ripples, the waves,
the stilling skin of the lake as wind dies
and there is quiet, late at night
long after the human
and daylight creatures
Time when the stars seem close,
when clouds are brushed on the dome
when the arc is clearly visible
and the Milky Way is a smudge
carved through the plane of the sky
A perfect time, a special time
in the dark on the island in the lake

November 23, 2006 17:52


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 19,020+ of my poems at http://www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.

Phosphorescence

Behind the cruise ship,
in the wake
a green phosphorescence
bubbled and shimmered
in the dark of night
the white caps and the swells
danced in the glowing sparkles
there for only a few to wonder
and treasure, as the rest slept
lost in dreams and deeper sleep

November 23, 2006 17:43


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 19,020+ of my poems at http://www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.

For this we give Thanks

For this day and for this hour,
for the joys of family, and
time to spend together
for the love we share
this Thanksgiving Day
across the miles,
when we are apart,
and for the closeness
we share in our hearts

Oh grant the world
a bit of peace
this day of rest and
day of grace
May we pause and
think again
of the God that provides,
sustains, and guides us all
and give thanks

November 23, 2006 10:58

For this we give Thanks

http://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2006/11/for-this-we-give-thanks.html

All of my poems are copyrighted by Raymond A. Foss, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014. All rights reserved. Contact me at Ray Foss for usage. See all 33,930+ of my poems at www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.

Color of Crime - http://colorofcrime.blogspot.com

I came across a disturbing blog, "Color of Crime", http://colorofcrime.blogspot.com, which highlights newspaper articles that focus on race.

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 19,020+ of my poems at http://www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.

Romanian Poetry

Here is another one I landed on last night, "Romanian Poetry", http://romanian-poetry.blogspot.com. It only seems to be just starting. I like one of the latest ones, Sonnet I.

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 19,010+ of my poems at http://www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.

joie de vivre

I stumbled on this site, "joie de vivre", http://kimberlyapplegate.blogspot.com last night. Very eclectic - a site with paintings of furniture.


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 19,020+ of my poems at http://www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.

Giving Thanks

We gather each year to remember the year gone by
the harvest season, the days of thanksgiving
the first Thanksgiving, in the cold of New England
a small band of devout Pilgrims and
rough-hewn adventurers, together sharing the bounty
of their first harvest, with the Indians they had come to know
Stopping, raising voices and prayers in humble thanks
to the creator, sustainer, provider God
Humble prayers, for they knew full well the cost
the price they had paid for the parting from the safety
the bold act of faith to go from Europe
to this new land, knowing that it was not Virginia,
knowing that they had lost so many saints,
so many souls that first year,
that their number was fewer, that their lives had been harder
harder than they planned; but the God who they followed
watched over them, protected the shoot of the stump
the hardy band, the noble colony
and gave them reason to give Thanksgiving

November 22, 2006 11:57
http://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2006/11/giving-thanks.html

All of my poems are copyrighted by Raymond A. Foss, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014. All rights reserved. Contact me at Ray Foss for usage. See all 33,930+ of my poems at www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.

Blood of the Pilgrims

In my line, my blood,
there pulses, course through my veins
the blood of those hardy souls,
the first Pilgrims, those who lived and died
for their faith, in the raw land, the new world
living my the Compact, the covenant they crafted
in the little boat, before they went ashore
and cast their fate to the wilds of the North Atlantic
to this beachhead on the shore, the bulwark
the port to the frontier beyond
so long ago, so near to home
Going there, to their village, seeing people portraying
my ancestors, reading more, learning more
of the Speedwell, my grandfather their leader
the work of my blood, my kin, their faith
down through the generations, here in New England
I feel the connection, the bond, with my forebears
who met and welcomed their neighbors,
who broke bread and gave thanks in this new place
before the migration west, before the birth of a nation
the rise of the colonies and the fight with the natives
I know some of what they must have felt, in knowing their God
seeing the God of creation, helping them, walking beside them
in creating the colony, the bastion of religious freedom
the beachhead indeed in this foreign land
Giving thanks myself, this Thanksgiving, as they did
because their God is my God,
and God has blessed me too,
beyond measure, beyond any earning of that blessing;
by grace alone, we are blessed
and we give thanks.

November 22, 2006 12:09

Blood of the Pilgrims

http://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2006/11/blood-of-pilgrims.html

All of my poems are copyrighted by Raymond A. Foss, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014. All rights reserved. Contact me at Ray Foss for usage. See all 33,930+ of my poems at www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.

A Prayer of Thanskgiving

Dear God,

I give you thanks for this day,
for the days of my life so far
and all the future days you will give me;

For You, your love for me,
for your consistent holding of covenant
with me, throughout my life;

For the word you gave your people,
your prophets, your Son, the apostles
words that live in us still, in the good news
the covenant keeping by You, “I am”;

For the words in the word,
written with a message for me, today
and each day I open the pages, seeing
in the words meaning for my life
for the struggles I face,
the challenges I have;

For the words of faith shared in devotionals,
from the pulpit, in the sanctuary,
in prayer, in song, that color our lives,
enrich our journey of faith, sharing with
other earlier saints, a bit of your grace;

For the sacrifice, the example, the gift
of your Son, who came to earth,
lived among us, gave us words
to guide, to let your Spirit infuse
the law, the rules, the loving way,
the spirit, not the letter of the law alone,
to live life as your servant, as your disciple;

For my wife, my children, my family
who love me, really love me
who see the good in me, the gifts you have
heaped on me beyond my understanding,
who brighten my day, each day,
with shared words of love, kind acts,
subtle ways they share their love with me;

For the gift of intelligence, the gift of passion,
for the gift of advocacy, the law,
where I can defend, uplift, protect,
fight for what is best,
heal lives, make a difference;

For the gift of photography, for seeing the world as
through a lens, noting the subtle, the oft-overlooked
small miracle, hidden but visible if we look;

For the gift of poetry, for being your amaneusis,
your transcriber of the words you put in my head,
into the cells of my fingers writing;

For the gift of others in my path, for my church family
for clients, and others, who touch my life, who teach me
nurture me, support me, believe in me;

For you again Lord for all I just wrote and
for the millions of other ways
You have touched, guided,
influenced my life so far
and for the certainty of my salvation,
through the gift of your Son,
Jesus Christ, my brother and my Savior.

Amen

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 19,020+ of my poems at http://www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.

Cold this Morning

It was cold this morning,
cut into you cold
my open suit coat, thin dress white shirt
not quite up to the task, my blood not yet
used to the cold, ready for its bite
assault on my skin, on me
Ice on puddles, heavy thick frost
air in my lungs so cold
walking on I saw
dangling earrings of dewdrops of
the milkweed plants’ fruits
frozen against the wind by the frost
They will be freed later in the morning
when the sun warms above freezing
and they are launched in the breeze
cold now, early before the sun bleeds
through the steel grey clouds
just aglow with the weak yellow light
early morning in the city
as fall stiffens toward winter

November 22, 2006 9:51
of a walk to Hillsborough County Superior Court
about 8:00 this morning

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 19,020+ of my poems at http://www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.

Antartica - http://davidruth.blogspot.com/

Check out the Blog of Note - "Antartica" - http://davidruth.blogspot.com/


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 19,020+ of my poems at http://www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.

A King

A king, not of this world
being baited, tested, by the emissary,
the local ruler, representative
of the Emperor
Would it be sedition and the cross
or innocence and release?
A parsed, careful,
purposeful conversation
assuaging fears; but not good enough
for the powers who wanted to remain so
I find no fault with him; I will release him
Heresy! He must die! Because he is a threat
a threat to us, because of the claims, the signs
the prophesy. For he is the Messiah,
the one who was before the world was begun
the word made flesh, the living god in our midst
and that would be bad, because we share power
with the human kings, priests, scribes
the power structure in place now
Why oh why would you let him live
He is a threat to us all

November 21, 2006 20:09
John 18:33-37


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 19,020+ of my poems at http://www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.

In the Bible

Starting my days
in the word, studying
the lessons for me,
the words there for me to see
to learn from the past,
from the covenant people,
from the covenant God
and the son, good news
for the reading
when we take the time
and read it, filter through
the hidden meanings,
the parables, the stories
with so much
universal meaning

November 21, 2006 19:54


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 19,010+ of my poems at http://www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.

900 Poems

With the last poem, Winter Came In, there are now 900 poems on this 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 19,020+ of my poems at http://www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.

Winter Came In

Uninvited, unwelcome, too soon
winter came in
in through the open front door
as I sat reading on the couch
came in like a thief in the night
an intruder this evening
when she went outside
a gush of winter, a blast
of the coming cold
pushed its way in,
pushed the warm air aside
sent a shiver through me
with a smell of snow
which will follow
all too soon

November 21, 2006 19:47


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 19,010+ of my poems at http://www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.

A Knock on the Door

Was that a knock I heard on my door?
Am I imagining it; was it there?
Moving from kitchen to living room,
toward the outside door, peer out
a squirrel, one of THOSE squirrels,
looks at me, expectantly, urgently,
demandingly, for a prize, a treat
oh so smart am I, getting the human
that primate to do my bidding.
Was it really him that caused my stride
to the closed and locked door,
or was he a lucky beneficiary of fate
ready, opportunistic.
Great, now I need surveillance cameras
to monitor my door for
squirrelian perpetrators of “ring and run”
Was he laughing,
as I closed the door?

November 20, 2006 13:45


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 20,790+ of my poems at http://www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.

Ingathering

They ran/walked purposely, eagerly
from the chancel into the sanctuary,
out between the pews, by the rows
of smiling adults, the children of our church
going out to bring an offering of food
for the homeless, the shelters,
this season of harvest, of thanksgiving
Laughing, heavy laden with the bounty
of their ingathering, sharing the load
A boy and girl held the handles of a bag
marching down to the altar to present
their treasure to God

November 20, 2006 5:32

http://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2006/11/ingathering.html

All of my poems are copyrighted by Raymond A. Foss, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014. All rights reserved. Contact me at Ray Foss for usage. See all 33,930+ of my poems at www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.

Numbered Days in a Free Will World

Scripture creates a mystery of connecting
the various threads of faith, of numbered days by the creator
and free will to make choices, of an omniscient God
and a decision tree with countless choices by
an endless number of actors on the stage of life
Of preordained lives, and working toward perfection

But we forgot that we only know so much now,
that we will know all them
because the God that made the world,
can know the sum, the measure of each and every
every single choice of free will
that touches the life of a single soul,
every decision tree of every life
each life that intersects, impacts, effects even
a breath of life, a beat of the heart
or changes another’s life for an instant

There is congruity of the lessons in the good news
if we see it from the other side of the mirror
when order is made from the chaos of life
because it really was scripted from the birth of time
by the one who made it so in the beginning
and our paths are what the are
because they are, because he gave us life
and choice; but he knows the answers
and consequences of each one in turn
before they are made

November 19, 2006 22:02

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 19,010+ of my poems at http://www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.

Questions of the Children

Impossible questions, real-life questions
rang through the church this week,
hard painful impossible questions of loss
of death in sudden and agonizingly long ways
of young lives lost to cancer, to SIDS,
of questions and loss for so many who knew them
who knew their parents, of the cascade of memory
that we all carry of our losses in this human life
when one we loved was lost
to the mystery of the time of death
the choosing of God, beyond our comprehension
and oh so far beyond our explanations
questions of the children left hanging in the air
frozen like the air itself will be all too soon
in the cold of winter
But we share the gift of the belief
in the resurrection and the coming of the kingdom
so we have an answer for death
in the promise of that future
however far off it may be

November 19, 2006 21:54


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 19,010+ of my poems at http://www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.

Praying in the Wilderness

Praying in the wilderness,
a metaphor for the prayers of the people
chosen by God, the children of Abraham, of Jacob,
of Moses, the ones who have struggled, toiled,
trying to live up to the law, the holy Torah
praying for the intercession, for the healing
the communion with the God that chose them
that made covenant with them time and again
that heard the cries of the people, brought them
out of slavery, out of bondage; but marched them
in the desert, in the wilderness.
They pray still, to this day, for the coming,
the return of Elijah, the Messiah, the chosen one.
The do not share the grace, the belief,
that He was here; but it is prayers in the wilderness
that speak the truth of these people
of the separation, the loss of union
with their God and ours

November 19, 2006 21:47


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 19,010+ of my poems at http://www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.

Granting the Petition

Fervent prayer in the temple
a woman mouthing her petition to God
watched by a judging priest; but not for long
for he hears her truth, her anguish, her depression
her need for salvation through the comfort
of the God of her ancestors, the God of her people
the God he serves; He passes the peace with his words
now of comfort, of acknowledgement, of certainty
that their God is sustainer and answered of sacred prayer
her petition granted, and her spirits raised
no longer mocked, now the mother
of a prophet, the one God uses, separate and apart
for his purposes, to name a king, and then another
chosen by God for his people

November 19, 2006 21:40
1 Samuel 1:4-20

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 19,010+ of my poems at http://www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.

Dona Nobis Pacem

These were the words they chanted,
prayed together, the six voices joined in a round
following the metronome of his direction
the movement of his hand
I felt the words, murmuring through the sanctuary
far down the center aisle I stood, offering basket in hand
joining their song in humming, not wanting to break the spell
of their singing, but sharing the ancient words of Latin
A capella voices, chasing each other in round,
wrapping us in the joy of the words
The words mean Give us Peace,
and they do, each time the band sings
softly, emphatically, spiritually,
those words of grace

November 19, 2006 21:32

edited January 4, 2014

Dona Nobis Pacem – v5

http://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2014/01/dona-nobis-pacem-v5.html

(editing version 3)

Edited November 27, 2013

Dona Nobis Pacem – v4

http://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2013/11/dona-nobis-pacem-v4.html

(editing version 2)

Edited August 24, 2013

Dona Nobis Pacem – v3

http://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2013/08/dona-nobis-pacem-v3.html

(from original)

Edited August 23, 2013

Dona Nobis Pacem – v2

http://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2013/08/dona-nobis-pacem-v2.html

November 19, 2006 21:32

Dona Nobis Pacem

http://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2006/11/dona-nobis-pacem.html

Rejuvenation service

Wesley United Methodist Church

www.concordwumc.org

Concord, NH

All of my poems are copyrighted by Raymond A. Foss, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014. All rights reserved. Contact me at Ray Foss for usage. See all 34,390+ of my poems at www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.

Hannah’s Prayer

She wept in prayer
for the missing element,
the unmet promise, the longing she had
the ridicule she faced, too much to bear
for the Lord had closed her womb,
and the one he didn’t love, bore him heirs
She prayed for that gift, for the joy
of bearing a son, for him, for her
a son who would be set apart,
belonging to God the days of his life
A son she bore, and he would be the one
the one chosen by God, chosen to be the
anointer of the kings, the ones who would
rule the chosen people, setting the course
for the people, under human masters
a monarchy, not a theocracy, would come
from the hand of the son she asked for
the son asked for of God, Samuel

November 19, 2006 21:24
1 Samuel 1:4-20

All of my poems are copyrighted by Raymond A. Foss, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014. All rights reserved. Contact me at Ray Foss for usage. See all 30,720+ of my poems at www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.

More than Bread

He brought tears to my eyes,
so quickly this time, because he paused
caught me with the pacing, the cadence
of his words, so rich with meaning,
meaning I treasure, relish, long to understand
“This is More than Bread” he said, holding up
the loaf of fresh-baked bread; “and this is
far more than just grape juice”
He broke the loaf and raised the goblet
intoning our hope in the mystery, the retelling
of the ancient sharing of the sacrifice
of the Christ, God with us, in the flesh
Again, with hushed words, dripping with emotion


November 19, 2006 21:17



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 19,010+ of my poems at http://www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.

A Lawyerly Question

It always seems, wherever I turn
we are the bad guys, the ones in the way
the ones asking Him questions, pressing for
the new law, testing the assertions,
learning the edges, the words,
“Who is our neighbor”, a logical question
Hardly worth casting aspersions over.
It was just the definition of the term of art,
the nuanced word thrown by Him into the mix
a new test of faith, of living the law of Moses,
of living the good life, the life well blessed
earning passage from Sheol, beyond the grave
the end of their days. It wasn’t a test so much
as a questioning for knowledge, learning what
He meant by the two commandments, replacing
the older ten and the laws, regulations, rules
for life, layer on layer, parsed and teased,
as they are still. Rabbinical interpretation,
the lawyers, the scribes, just doing their best
to live the life of a religious man
asking to know, the bargain, the balance,
the other side of the equation
words to live by, words of power

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

edited August 7, 2019

A Lawerly Question – v2

November 18, 2006 22:28

A Lawyerly Question

http://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2006/11/lawyerly-question.html

Luke 10:35-37

All of my poems, photographs, and videos are copyrighted by Raymond A. Foss, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019. All rights are reserved. Contact me at Ray Foss (raymondafoss@gmail.com)  for usage. See all 51,300+ of my poems at www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.

brother, Faith, Family, God, Good Samaritan, Law, life, Luke 10, Moses, neighbor, sing, sister, Ten Commandments, the word, way,

#brother #Faith #Family #God #GoodSamaritan #Law #life #Luke10 #Moses #neighbor #sing #sister #TenCommandments #theword #way

A Hard Winter

Well, they talk of woolly-bear caterpillars
which is it, wide brown or wide orange stripes
or maybe it is when we have a lot of rain
something warns us, tells us that there
will be a hard winter
I’m worried about the squirrels in our yard
They are far too fat, far too ready for a long,
long cold white winter, ready for hibernation
Sitting in the yard, not going up on the table
any longer. No, they don’t run for the peanuts
They look at us, and demand to be fed,
saunter over, dare us to come over,
they are the signals, the indicators, for me
Oh it is going to be a hard winter
The squirrels are fat and surly.


November 18, 2006 21:08

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 19,010+ of my poems at http://www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.

Places of Refuge

Places of solace,
of sanctuary,
isolation,
of refuge

Places out alone
alone in spaces
places in nature
by the still waters of the lake
walking deep in the winter wood
in contemplation by the sea
under a moonlit star filled sky
beneath the colored canopy of fall
in the smaller places
the smaller spaces
captured by the lens

Each a place of refuge
of reflection, of renewal
of regeneration
of saving grace

November 17, 2006 20:48

All of my poems are copyrighted by Raymond A. Foss, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014. All rights reserved. Contact me at Ray Foss for usage. See all 28,720+ of my poems at www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live. 

A Valley of Pine

Southbound this morning
a valley of pine
perpendicular and
far down below on my right
over the bridge, beside the canopy
the treetops
Ancient pines, framing a
meandering brook, hidden
in the morning fog
Black water, grey green
walls of the valley
a picture captured
as I drive by


November 16, 2006 21:50, edited 11/17/06 13:19
The view from the Merrill’s Marauders’ Bridge
http://www.marauder.org/marauder.htm

All of my poems are copyrighted by Raymond A. Foss, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014. All rights reserved. Contact me at Ray Foss for usage. See all 34,500+ of my poems at www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.

Sharing Verses

We were there for another,
very different purpose,
An attorney telling a client,
jailed and separate from family,
from friends, from the world
Telling her the change in plan
the court case dropped
the move complete
We talked easy, freely, about faith
about the word, about reading
the word, finding passages we share
in the Psalms, in Ephesians,
She getting more freedom,
to worship, me seeing more words
feeling drawn to write, both
because of spending time
in the words of God, of the prophets
of the apostles, the words that
strengthen us, guide us, lead us
to different paths. Glad to share
to enjoy a moment of grace
even inside the walls, thick,
the heavy doors, the confinement
But He is there with us
in the sharing of the verses
and the comfort in the words.

November 15, 2006 21:18


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 19,830+ of my poems at http://www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.

Not What He Asked For

We walked from court,
attorney and client,
He had a big grin on his face
good thing, since he didn’t get
no he didn’t get what he asked for
He got what he wanted
Someone to be his champion,
a judge to hear his plea
an ex ready to work with him
and his kids will get what they need
No he didn’t get what he wanted;
but he said I knocked it out of the park
So he was happy and so was I
He was off to have a beer
I was off to court again

November 15, 2006 18:52



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 19,830+ of my poems at http://www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.

Being Known in the Gate

Meeting, greeting, knowing the crowd
the adversaries, the allies, the seemingly neutrals
the advocates, the prosecutors, the clerks
the officers of the court, the sentries at the gate
Being known in the arena, in the meeting rooms,
in the court; at ease among the denizens,
the players, each with their part on this small stage
Bantering, expanding the circle, sharing,
enjoying the familial feel, being known

November 15, 2006 13:47
Proverbs 31:23

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 20,790+ of my poems at http://www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.

Her Words

Her words were for me
the reason I do this, why I care
go into the ring, fight
Because I can help, stitch the bonds
broken by neglect, by accusation,
by overreach, by excess.
By her words, of thanks,
of acknowledgement, forcing me to hear
I knew I had done the right
Stood beside her,
made a difference, for her,
for them, for all of them
Gave them another chance
to be a family, again


November 14, 2006 22:46


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 19,010+ of my poems at http://www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.

Withdrawn

Petitions withdrawn
no hearing, just gone
a family can breath
again, move on
with their lives,
spend time together
without intrusion,
without bending
to other wills
heal the wounds
of the family tree
laugh and cry
and protect
those kids

November 14, 2006 22:40


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 19,830+ of my poems at http://www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.

A Call Affirmed

They heard His call through her
Knowing she was asked, by the Creator
to follow this path, at this time in her life
this season to grow, in faith and commitment
to pursue the ministry, the pulpit, the servanthood
another affirmation, like in the class, in the chapel
in the words of the congregants, knowing too
that the words she shared were His, that the voice
speaking was one speaking through her, using her
a vessel, a body in service, doing the work, the urgent
the necessary work of the kingdom, now, in this place
She shared herself and they saw her faith, her joy
Questions asked and answered, concerns allayed
Moving forward, another step farther from the boat
out onto the cold water of the North Atlantic
At least Peter was in the Sea of Galilee
and his sight was on the living word
But stride she does, being His feet
following his path, being the servant,
the teacher, the shepherd, already
Preparing for the next day of her life
Now that she doesn’t have to change course
Because they heard her call too

November 14, 2006 22:28


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 20,770+ of my poems at http://www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.

Sitting at my Desk

The girls at school, the coffee finished
the news scanned, the day begun
papers in folders, in piles, ready for review
to find the words, the language,
the winning arguments, the fine details
that make the difference for one client,
one client at a time, one issue, one claim
one knitting of the pieces into a story
the story of their lives
compelling and convincing, the judge

November 14, 2006 8:37


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 19,830+ of my poems at http://www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.

Before the Committee

She will be there, standing before the committee
telling her story, the path that brought her there
before those who would sit in judgment, elders
leaders of the faith in our place, those
called to the path before her, those asked
to represent the laity, sitting judging the call
the still small voice she heard, and answered
Choose me, Lord, I will go
So here she is, another hurdle, another step
on the path laid out before her
Stepping through the threshold
up over the gunnels, out onto the water
staring straight ahead, at Him
knowing she can walk where he tread
feel the waves between her toes
wearing the teachers sandals,
walking in His footsteps
being His feet

November 13, 2006 22:23


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 19,830+ of my poems at http://www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.

A Gray Day

Driving in town, between the drops of rain
watch the people scurry, trudge, dash, between
the buildings, hunker down at the crosswalks
eyes the passing cars, the growing puddles
avoid the splash, the spray, bend to the will
of the weather a bit, respect the rain, this late fall
feel the cold, the damp, ooze into you, bleed heat
drench the sweatshirt, the dead leaf litter
ponder the hamsters on their treadmills,
their appointed rounds, their daily grind
race to court, to bank, to the office
dry again inside, but a gray day


November 13, 2006 13:25


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 20,790+ of my poems at http://www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.

Feeling the Ancient Words

Urging a blessing on a humble table
using the litany we know so well,
the words He used, the night
He shared that table,
with the first twelve,
That Holy Thursday
The bread, the wine,
Symbols of the harvest,
the fruits of the soil
Symbols too of His body, His blood
The Passover Lamb a human sacrifice
Given on the cross for us
The words of remembrance, they hurt
Hurt when I consider my sin, His pain
But the words heal too
Heal when I listen, hear the words –
“Broken for you”.
For me, to save me,
A smile grows on my face as
I dip the bread, Eat the feast
In His House this night
His offering
saves me

November 12, 2006 22:27


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 19,010+ of my poems at http://www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.

Loyalty and Goodness

Naomi, Boaz, and Ruth
Three who together give us a lesson,
a teaching, an example
of loyalty and goodness,
of covenant and sacrament,
of sacrifice and service.
Of doing the right thing, the just,
to redeem the Bitter
back to Pleasant.
To give hope,
where there was despair
to redeem by faith

November 12, 2006 22:20
The Book of Ruth


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 19,800+ of my poems at http://www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.

Faith of a Mustard Tree

She wonders if I believe the words I write
about her faith, her beliefs, her love of God
Her submission to the call she feels, deep within
Still small voice speaking to her, directly,
in the wee hours of the morning,
before the house awakes, before the distractions
of the day, of daily life, create a din to drown out
quiet guiding words of calling, calling her now
still small voice, nudging her from complacency
to schooling, to inquiry, to speaking, to proclaiming
to ministry, in the church, in the half-way house,
into the hearts of family, of friends, of strangers
in school, on the street, in the words I write and share
throughout the web,
the connectedness of the modern age
Sharing the story, the truth, of her boundless faith
the courage to walk in that faith into the world
into the future with certainty of purpose
and even when not, to continue on the path
laid out before her, to walk in faith
Faith like a mustard tree

November 12, 2006 14:17, edited 14:35
Matthew 17:19-20 & Luke 17:5-6

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 19,800+ of my poems at http://www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.

A Single Sin Sacrifice

We all sin, we all fall short, we all need grace
grace boundless and unending, grace to redeem
to bring us back to our creator, to our God
from whom we are estranged, by the nature of man
the way we were wired, it would seem
Free will to make bad choices, century on century,
age on age we have, made the same bad choices,
breaking covenant after covenant with the most high
the One who has kept faith,
has honored each covenant made
The law required a sacrifice, the priest into the
holy of holies, behind the curtain, blood spilt for another year
another season of sin, of falling short as a person, as a people
as peoples of God, repenting for what we had done,
for what we would do again, an endless cycle of atonement
A new covenant, by the Word Made Flesh, a single offering,
the priest and lamb as one, offering himself, pure and white
blazing, brilliant, as on the Mountain, spilling his own offering
his own blood, for those would could not, redeeming all
with a single act of sacrifice, of atonement, of offering
Once and for all time, from the foundation to the end of the age
Until he returns in Glory, at the trumpet call
We wait still, eagerly, by faith

November 12, 2006 14:00
Hebrews 8-11:4


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 19,800+ of my poems at http://www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.

A Husband for Ruth

She needed to be protected,
provided for, to provide for Naomi,
to be the best example of the converted;
how better, how fitting, the grandmother
the ancestor of a King, a King for the people
the people of God, who needed a King
because they could not follow God as their King
She was the transitional figure,
the foreign covenant maker
the human who offered all, like the creator
to be of her blood, their people would be her people
their god her God
She would turn from her people, her lands
She would follow in the fields,
gleaning behind the reapers;
She would lay down with a stranger
she would bear a son
She would bring honor in the gate
and a King for her new people
A King that would be the dynasty,
the line from which the Lamb
would come,
with a new covenant
for all

November 12, 2006 13:29
The Book of Ruth 1-4


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 19,800+ of my poems at http://www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.

2004 - Durham

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 19,800+ of my poems at http://www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.

Her Faith

Like a second layer of skin is her faith
right out there, the outer edge of her
exuding from her pores, from her being
Proclaiming the good news, living the Word
sharing her faith, her joy, not letting the world,
life’s little problems steal her joy
Being the faith she believes, sharing her gifts
her spirit, His grace, answering His call
open and honest, ready to do His work
Be His hands, now

November 11, 2006 19:35
http://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2006/11/her-faith.html

All of my poems are copyrighted by Raymond A. Foss, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014. All rights reserved. Contact me at Ray Foss for usage. See all 30,790+ of my poems at www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.

Preaching the Revelation

She wasn’t reading the words on the page
not to herself at least, she was preaching from the Book
she was in the spirit, rising up to the top,
preaching to the mountaintops,
Proclaiming, with passion, with energy
with excitement, the words of the Revelation
the coming of the end times, let them come,
Let us be ready for that moment,
Let the rider come, let him find us all,
awake, with arms and hearts wide open
Eager for the call, for the invitation to the banquet;
for the coming of the rider, his fiery eyes, his horse,
his robe, dipped in blood, his sword at the ready
to bring low the mighty, to balance the scales,
to battle the armies that will rise to fight
vanquish them all, as is written
before the final story, the ending of the age
Raising her voice, with the reading of the words
the knowing of the victory, the faith in the good news
the revelation of our saving,
and welcome by the bridegroom
all clothed in fine linen, bright and pure

November 11, 2006 19:15
Revelations 19:6-16


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 19,780+ of my poems at http://www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.

Coming to Enjoy Revelations

All it takes is faith, real faith
and there is no darkness, no fear
in the coming judgment, the winnowing fork
the fiery furnace, the final gleaning
no threat, no challenge,
Just joy, at the coming, the revelation
the revealing of the glory of the Lord
the new age dawning before us
the wait over for all his people, the ones
called by name, by the trumpet blasts
Hearing our Master’s voice, seeing
the face of our brother, our savior
walking with him into the new Jerusalem
finding our home, in the kingdom
Walking the streets of gold,
finding the saints what walked before us
Let it come!

November 11, 2006 15:24


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 19,780+ of my poems at http://www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.

Eagerly Awaiting Him – edited 3

The Return of the King
And his reapers
Gathering in one
Eagerly waiting his return
No more sin, no more struggles
A rider on the white horse
Herald of the new age
Bring on the coming
The return of the Savior
Not to atone, not to suffer.
To gather in his sheep

November 11, 2006 8:02, edited 15:19
Hebrews 9:24-28


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 19,780+ of my poems at http://www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.

Eagerly Awaiting Him - edited 2

The Return of the King
And his reapers
Gathering in ones
Eagerly waiting his return
No more sin, no more struggles
A rider on the white horse
Herald of the new age
Bring on the coming
The return of the Savior
Not to atone, not to suffer.
To gather in his sheep

November 11, 2006 8:02, edited 15:14
Hebrews 9:24-28

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 19,780+ of my poems at http://www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.

Eagerly Awaiting Him - edited 1

The Return of the King
And his reapers
Gathering in the ones
Eagerly waiting his return
No more sin, no more struggles
A rider on the white horse
Herald of the new age
Bring on the coming
The return of the Savior
Not to atone, not to suffer.
To gather in his sheep

November 11, 2006 8:02, edited 8:06
Hebrews 9:24-28


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 19,780+ of my poems at http://www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.

Eagerly Awaiting Him

The Return of the King
And his reapers
Gathering in the one
Eagerly waiting his return
No more sin, no more struggles
A rider on the white horse
Herald of the new age
Bring on the coming
The return of the Savior
Not to atone, not to suffer.
To gather in his sheep

November 11, 2006 8:02
Hebrews 9:24-28


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 19,780+ of my poems at http://www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.

Blogs of Note

When you get a chance, check out the Blogs of Note. Currently, there is one of the Blogs of Note called "Adopt a Microbe", http://adoptamicrobe.blogspot.com/, which is very cute.

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 19,780+ of my poems at http://www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.

A Walmart Moment

At the end of the day
that started with a question
and an answer from your lips

A special moment,
shared under the fluorescent lights
of the Wal-mart, by the jewelry counter
a moment of spontaneity, doing it right
asking the clerk to back away
after the selection made
not caring who saw

On my knee at ten minutes
before midnight,
asking again, this time
with a diamond ring
to share my life
and be my wife

November 9, 2006 21:20

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 19,010+ of my poems at http://www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.

A Fuzzy Orange Band

A question, an important question
Framed and pregnant in my mind
had to wait a little longer for its asking

I went downstairs, to the bathroom,
with an idea, a thought, a scheme, a plan
A fuzzy orange pony tail holder,
like a fabric woolly bear caterpillar
That would do, the perfect choice

Running back up to you, with excitement
laughter in my smile, to ask you
to ask you the question, the one we had discussed
from the moment of our courtship, the one
we knew would come sooner than for some

My question two years ago today
Our covenant sealed, after your answer
with a fuzzy orange band

November 9, 2006 20:22


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 19,800+ of my poems at http://www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.

The Book of Ruth

A soliloquy on the meaning, the placement
the position of the Book of Ruth,
a monologue on the transition, the turning
from the Judges to the Kings,
with a pause on the genealogy, the sacred
the holy connection of the dynasty,
in a story of covenant, of strangers, outcasts
the lowly widows, foreigner and mother-in-law
bound by a sacrificial covenant, a joining of lines
and lives that would create a line to the King
to David, her progeny, and from him to the Christ
the final King of the Jews; but not before her story
her faith, her loyalty, her bond, her covenant
with Naomi, with her people, the path
she would take, they would walk, she would follow
to the land of her people, the land not her own

November 8, 2006 23:42
On my talk at the start of the November 5, 2006
Sunday School class for the Middle High group
on Ruth 1:1-18


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 19,780+ of my poems at http://www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.

Jesus Began to Weep

We heard a story, a very personal, very public story
of the friend who died, the friends who didn’t understand
didn’t comprehend who he was,
what his personage meant, the power he had
over life, over death, over our lives
He wept for our ignorance, our unbelief,
the corruption of the conserver mentality of the powers that be
because they want to remain the powers that be
He wept for the friend who had to die, who must be
sacrificed, as he would be, so we would see, understand
be illuminated to who he was, because we were too weak
to hear and believe. He wept for the sisters
He wept for the brothers who followed him
He wept for the elders; maybe, just maybe, he wept for himself
Jesus began to weep, tears that ultimately healed

November 8, 2006 1:17am, about the sermon by the Reverend Peter Hey, Wesley United Methodist Church, November 5, 2006
John 11:32-44
35 Jesus began to weep.

All of my poems are copyrighted by Raymond A. Foss, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014. All rights reserved. Contact me at Ray Foss for usage. See all 30,770+ of my poems at www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live. 

Awakening Wall

Driving in the fall ‘morn, light filtering
into the clearing wood; I spied a wall
awakening from its slumber,
no longer shrouded
along its course by brush and branch,
cleared away by ax and saw, felled and hauled
to make someone’s home warmer, this winter

The work of a farmer, a team probably, so long ago
when the land was more field than forest,
before we moved to the cities
and the land went fallow,
returned to the wood it once was
and stone walls were hidden and forgotten
parsed and bisected land
became a forest once more

Now it is visible, a wall without reason
a relic in season, exposed and stark
until snow hides its course

November 5, 2006 17:12


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 19,770+ of my poems at http://www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.

The Silence before the Applause

There was a silence, before the applause
this morning in church, after the fourteen voices,
the lone trumpet, and pianoforte
finished the prayerful hymn,
“Rise Up, O Saints of God”, this holy day,
this All Saints Day, a day to remember those
those that had gone before, that held up
that did the work of the gospel, spreading his
Good news to earlier disciples, whose work is done
who have gone to their reward,
How beautiful was the silence, the hum of the strings
of the piano, the echo of their voices
off the vaulted ceiling,
high above us in the wooden pews
A reverent silence, befitting the hymn,
feeling the words in our chests,
the memory in our hearts
of the saints of our faith

November 5, 2006 16:14


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 19,770+ of my poems at http://www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.

White Breast

It was the white breast of the raptor,
stoic in the aged tree
sitting motionless,
drinking in the light of the sun
the warmth of its rays,
high up in the canopy of the lone elm,
bare of leaves this morning
next to the interstate, ready for the
heat to create thermals to soar on
All of us turned to look, as I curved
off the exit ramp, the cloverleaf
Keeping our eyes on the regal bird
perched in the tree

November 5, 2006 16:09


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 19,010+ of my poems at http://www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.

Snow Flurries

There were snow flurries in the air today
early for my liking, snow flurries coming
in small singular spirals, falling through the air
spun by their shapes, the tug of the wind
sitting in the office, watching them tumble
by my window, pause in the conversation with client
marvel for a moment at the ballet before me
forward scouts for their brethren to follow
later in the season when fall yields to winter
soon enough they will come, in legions

November 4, 2006 19:22

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 19,770+ of my poems at http://www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.

A Harsh Mirror

For those who grab the spotlight
sit in righteous judgment
Casting the first stone
against their fellow.

A harsh mirror, from the
carnie, the fun house
Distorts their features
a parody of themselves
when their own sin is
exposed, shone across the
dial, the web, the real-time news cycle

How far the mighty climb
in the Temple
How far they fall
When the shards of their glass house
crumbles under the weight
of their hubris

November 3, 2006 21:50

All of my poems are copyrighted by Raymond A. Foss, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014. All rights reserved. Contact me at Ray Foss for usage. See all 30,710+ of my poems at www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.

A Drive to Court

Three together, down the road
a sprint to a court date,
saving at the end, of the journey
second-hand smoke, nervous puffs
of the cigarettes of the driver
her passenger;
Stranger riding along,
in the back seat,
Hoping to be a white knight,
champion of a silent partner
of this ragtag band
Pursuing a singular purpose
To keep them safe, return them
to their family, with judicial seal
imprimatur of legitimacy
Denied elsewhere, by those
who think they know better

November 3, 2006 21:45


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 19,010+ of my poems at http://www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.

Justice Amidst the Process

Hearing her words, her voice
anguished, tired, spent,
seeking justice, from her view
unification with her babies,
her grandchildren, caught up
in the System, pulled from home
and family, in care, in the
throes, the process, of the law
Trying, desperately, to temper
her frustration within the bubble
the reality she faces, to assuage the fears
curry favor, cooperate fully
because she must

November 3, 2006 21:42


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 20,790+ of my poems at http://www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.