| Southwestern Alive The terrain around the river was full of arroyos But with the summer wind of Arizona where no wind blows harder It's the best place to be in heat such as it is But if the storms come in winter and often they do Those arroyos become freezers for any stuck so low It's the altitudinous terrain with the cover you need Even without snow and ice your feet could freeze and bleed But once the storms have passed and the wonder of the desert is seen You will never ever rethink why you came to this place so pristine In the distance the mountains of blue with a cover of white atop Lie far away even if they appear to be close, so close to the touch So travel the Southwest; New Mexico to the fullest from Taos to Columbus And then on to Arizona from Tucson to the Colorado River But never think for a moment that this is a peaceful land For it will surely take all that you have if you try to hold it dear But appropriately will return in beauty what you serendipitously surrender |
| Winter in the Gilas The winter winds blow upon the plains Coming to rest among the towering Aspens' White-barked trunks with leaf still green With these winds come winter's icy freeze and snowy blankets cover the meadow's glen The plains become endless seas of white While the mountains and canyons of the Gilas Glisten and dance in winter's delight The birds of the mountains all move south And the cowboys and hunters all go home Leaving cattle on the range to roam As well, freeing the bear and the deer To enjoy this winter scene left alone The bear will sleep in hibernation sweet While deer and other forestry creatures forage and feed As always from creation's first day God's nature continues without fear, anxiety or need |
| S t o r m s Infrequently seen in the world of lost dreams Are those who have been discarded and forsaken by all The reality of hope battered and torn Lying dormant, after tossed thither and yon as by the winds in fall After storms of wind-blown distresses Those who have been mistakenly discarded still survive Sadly, never thought of by the masses For who cares if they live or die Alas that which was dormant and thought gone for naught Arises and reclaims its place in those forsaken hearts For God wills ministering angels to strengthen the downtrodden Lovingly giving those mistakenly discarded a new and discernible dream Where or when these angels of God will appear is not ours to know For His mind is far above our diminutive scope But trust in the Lord for from God springs all hope So, if the winds of despair blow afoul in your life Do not tarry in turning to God in your strife Allow those ministering angels their mission to be done And never forget, the dream and the hope and The Christ Are one |
| Wintry Misty Flakes As the wintry, misty, white puffs of flakes descend from Heaven to Earth The minds and thoughts of our youth abound With thoughts of a white Christmas and what it brings, All while candy cane dreams take minds above and beyond. Oh, how much of time is spent in those wondrous dreams When the trees are trimmed and stockings hung. But seldom is thought of a wonderful gift Freely given two millennia ago When Christ the child did lay in a manger all alone; His mother Mary so young and afraid and Joseph confused The Shepherds in the fields with a heavenly host Hearing Hallelujah from above Knowing not what to do or where to go. |
| The Wisteria Draped Gate Through the valleys of peril he rode in the night Forever looking for peace He ventured both far and near But never once did this peace appear For he sought both day and night after the peace of God While his noble stallion the ground did trod His stallion bold and strong Carried him on with a grace and ease While his rider prompted him on never once his search appeased He rode on and on through this valley at night Knowing for sure he would find the peace which comes in the light And as the dawn was breaking upon the meadow serene As if awakening from a surrealistic dream This valiant knight on his quest for God's peace Did find a gate in the pass ahead More and more beautiful the closer he came And above was a sign 'Peace to all who enter in My name' Dismounting his steed this noble and humble man did kneel And pray this was the peace for which his heart made appeal Upon the gate were purple regal flowers so clean and in abundance great They flourished about the sign above And as the gate did open, then from within a voice said "COME ALL IN LOVE" Our man had found his peace at last and entered into God's grace Through the Wisteria draped gate |
| The Crumbling Adobe Wall Across the endless desert a myriad of travelers trod Over the centuries, at least three, curiosities drove them all From Cortez to Onate and on and on they came Even Jim Bridger and Fairmont of Civil War fame But throughout this rich and perilous history The Southwest has continued to stand Whether it be the Pony Express or Butterfield Stage, The story remained the same, for those who first and foremost Settled this land and made no qualms about their claim The Comanche, Arapaho and Apache all knew the truth For it was their forefathers who gave this land a name and worth They hunted and built and lived upon the earth, and revered it all But today, centuries past, the only thing to remain Are a few brave stories of those glorious people And a Crumbling Adobe Wall |
From the Daylight of Dawn
From the daylight of dawn to the setting sun
Life in the world goes on and on
Few seldom stop to think or take action
They simply respond ignoring daily distractions
Framing them as dismal failures or possible successes
Without a thought of the building stresses
But the hearts of man as is woman's are in pain
For seldom does either sense achievement or gain
Regrettably the worldly things fill not this void
And rarely will man or woman find a deep sense of joy
Alas and for certain neither stops to consider
The root of this emptiness in him or her
But in each heart which has this empty space is a desire
To find an unimaginable peace to which all aspire
That which God the Creator has placed deep within
For it's a new journey he wishes us to begin
By seeking to fill the void we find the answer in one
It's The Christ Jesus, God's only begotten son
Freely offering you peace, love and joy as never before
And all you must do is simply knock at the door
When this discovery is held firmly and established with delight
Each and every day will joyfully end in a peaceful goodnight.
From the daylight of dawn to the setting sun
Life in the world goes on and on
Few seldom stop to think or take action
They simply respond ignoring daily distractions
Framing them as dismal failures or possible successes
Without a thought of the building stresses
But the hearts of man as is woman's are in pain
For seldom does either sense achievement or gain
Regrettably the worldly things fill not this void
And rarely will man or woman find a deep sense of joy
Alas and for certain neither stops to consider
The root of this emptiness in him or her
But in each heart which has this empty space is a desire
To find an unimaginable peace to which all aspire
That which God the Creator has placed deep within
For it's a new journey he wishes us to begin
By seeking to fill the void we find the answer in one
It's The Christ Jesus, God's only begotten son
Freely offering you peace, love and joy as never before
And all you must do is simply knock at the door
When this discovery is held firmly and established with delight
Each and every day will joyfully end in a peaceful goodnight.
Grey Dawn
Across the grey, still dawn as I peer out of the dusty window of my
room, I gaze upon yet another horizon, which once more offers
nothing but hopeless effort put forth, thinking of nothing more than
making my way through another day of disappointments only to
find yet one more foreboding sunset.
Why has such a life as mine come to a place of such destitution
and uselessness? Why have I seen not the wonders of anything in
this world? Why have I missed the meaning of all that is about me
only to once more lie in my lonely room and helplessly watch yet
another grey dawn?
Have I not done all that was asked of me by men of lesser talent?
But to what purpose, except that it fulfilled some misunderstood
dream of either theirs or mine to serve an ideal and do what would
be considered by most the undoable. To accomplish that which
had not before been done, only to be forgotten in the shroud of
mystery which covers all actions of such men.
Actions which, if known by the world, would be condemned as
wrong; and yet because of their undertaking justified the
continuation of still more of the same actions, in the false hopes
which are brought about when men of power are in control of
lesser men just such as me. How long will one blind himself to
such actions and exist only for the purpose of such men and their
causes? If wrong is wrong, and right is right, then when does the
wrong appear to be right, and right wrong?
Answering such rhetorical questions as this makes one
understand why, from the darkness of the night until the clear light
of day once more breaks, there is always that unmistakable period
between..the Grey Dawn.
Across the grey, still dawn as I peer out of the dusty window of my
room, I gaze upon yet another horizon, which once more offers
nothing but hopeless effort put forth, thinking of nothing more than
making my way through another day of disappointments only to
find yet one more foreboding sunset.
Why has such a life as mine come to a place of such destitution
and uselessness? Why have I seen not the wonders of anything in
this world? Why have I missed the meaning of all that is about me
only to once more lie in my lonely room and helplessly watch yet
another grey dawn?
Have I not done all that was asked of me by men of lesser talent?
But to what purpose, except that it fulfilled some misunderstood
dream of either theirs or mine to serve an ideal and do what would
be considered by most the undoable. To accomplish that which
had not before been done, only to be forgotten in the shroud of
mystery which covers all actions of such men.
Actions which, if known by the world, would be condemned as
wrong; and yet because of their undertaking justified the
continuation of still more of the same actions, in the false hopes
which are brought about when men of power are in control of
lesser men just such as me. How long will one blind himself to
such actions and exist only for the purpose of such men and their
causes? If wrong is wrong, and right is right, then when does the
wrong appear to be right, and right wrong?
Answering such rhetorical questions as this makes one
understand why, from the darkness of the night until the clear light
of day once more breaks, there is always that unmistakable period
between..the Grey Dawn.
| MISTY DEW YOUR LOVE BREAKS UPON ME AS THE MORNING LIGHT ACROSS A MEADOW COVERED WITH MISTY DEW I REFLECT SUCH LOVE JUST AS THE DEW GLISTENS WITH MULTI-HUED COLORS FROM ABOVE UNLIKE THE DEW WHICH FADES WITH THE HEAT OF SUCH LIGHT MY REFLECTION OF SUCH BRILLIANCE SHALL GO UNQUENCHED FOR ETERNAL IS YOUR LOVE ON ALL WHO PERCEIVE ITS DEPTH UNLIKE THE SUN TRAVERSING THE SKY YOUR LOVE HAS NO END EVEN DURING THE DARKENED HOURS THE BRIGHTNESS SHINES WITHIN FOR IT TAKES BUT A THOUGHT OF SUCH LOVE TO TRANSCEND THE PERILS OF DARKNESS AND TO ONCE MORE SET THE SPARK AGLOW FOREVER AND EVER THIS LOVE HAS BEEN OFFERED TO ALL WHO WOULD HUMBLY BESEECH THEE COME IN NO MATTER HOW SELF LOATHING OR SEEMINGLY UNFIT YOUR LOVE HAS REPEATEDLY LIFTED ANY WHO EARNESTLY REQUEST YOUR LOVE AS THEIR GUIDING LIGHT ENDING THE DARKENED TRAVAILS TO ONCE MORE STAND WHOLLY IN THE BRIGHT MORNING LIGHT AS THE MISTY DEW YET UNQUENCHED |
| ORIGINAL POETRY BY D.G. ISCH |
Forever a Sunrise
If a tree falls in the forest and no one is there, does it make noise?
If the sun sets and no one sees it, is it still beautiful?
Reason tells us that the sound is still present and the sight is no less
beautiful, even if unseen. However, what a pity that the demise of a mighty
tree tumbling or a sunset going unseen should ever happen.
A heart that reaches out to others, even if not received, does it not still long
to reach out? Does the same reason apply?
If one endeavors to touch another with the deepest parts of the soul and
spirit and that reaching out goes unanswered, by reason of the fallen tree
and the unseen sunset, it has still reached out and attempted to touch. The
tree may only fall but once and every sunset is uniquely different, never to
be repeated or seen again.
Can it by reason then be that this heart that reaches out and goes
unanswered will never reach out in that same way again? If God's heart
has reached out to mankind by virtue of His Son, Jesus the Christ, should
we not answer the calling? Shall we allow that tree to not be heard, or that
sunset remain unseen?
Only by answering the beckoning call of God through Christ can we reach
out with our hearts over and over again, even when the responses seem to
be empty by another. We still know that God answers our attempts to reach
out. Truly no greater love has any man for man than God has demonstrated
for man.
He has given repeatedly and been unanswered through the ages. He gave
His Son upon a tree and even brought Him forth from the grave, and yet God
in His reaching out largely goes unheard and unseen.
What a vile people we are to ignore the yearning of a God who wants
nothing but the best for us and has been willing to go to the most extreme
lengths to accommodate us returning to a life full of His glorious presence.
If in my fallen state I went unheard like the tree in the forest, had not by
God's reason been heard, I would be lost and doomed for eternity to lie and
rot at the base of an empty forest.
If God in His omnipotence had not seen the beauty in me as the unseen
sunset and determined that I was worth saving and savoring for eternity,
what a lost and useless thing I would have become.
For as the tree falls and the sun sets, in Jesus Christ I, like the tree, may
still be rooted and continue to grow; and like the sunset, instead of
darkness following, there is forever a sunrise.
If a tree falls in the forest and no one is there, does it make noise?
If the sun sets and no one sees it, is it still beautiful?
Reason tells us that the sound is still present and the sight is no less
beautiful, even if unseen. However, what a pity that the demise of a mighty
tree tumbling or a sunset going unseen should ever happen.
A heart that reaches out to others, even if not received, does it not still long
to reach out? Does the same reason apply?
If one endeavors to touch another with the deepest parts of the soul and
spirit and that reaching out goes unanswered, by reason of the fallen tree
and the unseen sunset, it has still reached out and attempted to touch. The
tree may only fall but once and every sunset is uniquely different, never to
be repeated or seen again.
Can it by reason then be that this heart that reaches out and goes
unanswered will never reach out in that same way again? If God's heart
has reached out to mankind by virtue of His Son, Jesus the Christ, should
we not answer the calling? Shall we allow that tree to not be heard, or that
sunset remain unseen?
Only by answering the beckoning call of God through Christ can we reach
out with our hearts over and over again, even when the responses seem to
be empty by another. We still know that God answers our attempts to reach
out. Truly no greater love has any man for man than God has demonstrated
for man.
He has given repeatedly and been unanswered through the ages. He gave
His Son upon a tree and even brought Him forth from the grave, and yet God
in His reaching out largely goes unheard and unseen.
What a vile people we are to ignore the yearning of a God who wants
nothing but the best for us and has been willing to go to the most extreme
lengths to accommodate us returning to a life full of His glorious presence.
If in my fallen state I went unheard like the tree in the forest, had not by
God's reason been heard, I would be lost and doomed for eternity to lie and
rot at the base of an empty forest.
If God in His omnipotence had not seen the beauty in me as the unseen
sunset and determined that I was worth saving and savoring for eternity,
what a lost and useless thing I would have become.
For as the tree falls and the sun sets, in Jesus Christ I, like the tree, may
still be rooted and continue to grow; and like the sunset, instead of
darkness following, there is forever a sunrise.
| The Morning Sun The effervescence of the morning sun Surreally breaking upon the land With an incandescence of colors supreme Well awakening creatures of nature briskly Upon the scene With such command over all the land This morning sun does remand the darkness Of the night Ending once more fearful recollections Replaced by light As the trail which is laying before And the path behind with the past Remembered no more I travel this trail of fore-destined respite In hopes of finding God's will before night His path I do trod with trepidity of step as faith Often fades But never without the ever present thought That without God about I would be ought |
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All poems are copyrighted and property of Directions in Christ Ministries and D.G.
Isch. Please credit the author, D.G. Isch, if using any poem for non-commercial use.
Isch. Please credit the author, D.G. Isch, if using any poem for non-commercial use.