Poetry, writing, drawing, painting and more.
The chicken or the egg?
Dance or music?
Poetry or song?
*Ballet with no music can be ridiculous.
~
Which came first?
The tear or duck tape?
The rubber or the road?
The flat tire or the fix-a-flat?
Eggs without bacon can be ridiculous.
~
Which came first?
Honey or the bee?
The moon or the stars?
Love or a broken heart?
*Emperor Joseph II – Amadeus
Bois d’ arc aka Lions Mane, A poetic conversation, 2024.
Lent
Oscar stood in the teacher’s lounge staring out the window. Instead of eating lunch, he gave serious consideration to taking a nap. He calculated in his head how long it would take to walk out to his SUV, and the time it would take to get back. What a day. His phone chimed. It was Esther.
“Hi,” he answered.
“Hey honey, what’s wrong?”
“Just tired.”
“I honestly thought I would get your voice mail. Today is Fat Tuesday and I was wondering if there was anything special you wanted for dinner?”
He was confused, “why?”
“Well, Fat Tuesday is the day before Lent starts. I have always pigged out on Fat Tuesday.”
“Really, why?”
“I always do something for Lent.”
“I thought that was a Catholic tradition.”
“It is. But what could be wrong with me practicing something that isn’t going to hurt anyone and has the potential of improving my relationship with God?”
“Point taken.”
“There must be people around.” He could hear her smile.
“Yes.”
She giggled, “Oh, I could do all kinds of mean things to you.”
“You are familiar with that old saying about payback?”
As she laughed, he couldn’t contain his smile. “What about a pot roast if I don’t use any savory seasoning?
“That’s what makes them good.” There was a pause.
“What are you eating for lunch?”
“Nothing.”
“I think that deserves a spankin’.” He got all choked up over that one. “I can just picture it now, all the people that are around you are lookin’ at you wondering what this conversation is all about.”
“I’m not even going to find out.”
“Do you love them that much?”
“Indeed.”
“Oh, you’re so cryptic.”
A bell rang in the background, “I’ve gotta go.”
“What about dinner?”
“Your idea sounds terrific.”
“Which one she giggled?”
“Both.”
“Oscar?”
“Hmm.”
“I hope you have a better afternoon than you did morning.”
“I love you.”
She giggled, “that raised a few eyebrows. I love you.”
She was right about that, he could feel people staring at him as he walked from the room.
What’s the thing you’re most scared to do? What would it take to get you to do it?
I have discovered I have a fear of failure: atelophobia.
Cast the first stone
Esther threw her head back laughing, “let he that is without sin cast the first stone.”
“I beg your pardon.” Brother Evan looked shocked.
“Beg all you want. So tell me how’s Brother Joel?” Brother Evan turned pale at the mention of the man’s name.
“I’m afraid I don’t know whom you are referring too.”
“Oh no, does the name Clair Morrison ring a bell?”
With a forced cough, he cleared his throat. “God has forgiven me for that.”
“Well God be praised. He may have but did you ever ask her for forgiveness? Did you ever ask my grandpa for forgiveness? He went to his grave wanting to kill you.” Brother Evan’s eyes grew wide. “Did you know I was playing under the sink?”
Oscar was in awe of the transformation that was taking place in Brother Evan’s body language. When he first walked through the door, he was so sure he had arrived at this house to bust a sinner. But he wasn’t so confident now that his sins had followed him.
His face turned bright red, “it’s a sin. There was no one there to witness to. No one there to forgive him. He is rotting in hell.”
“Who are you to judge?! How do you know the conversation that he had with God before or maybe even after? Do you know if he was able to live thirty seconds, a minute after he pulled the trigger? You know nothing!”
Brother Evan said not a word. “It is a sin,” he whispered.
“No one is disputing that.” Esther screamed. “But what authority gives you the unmediated gol to say that he is going to hell?!”
“God.”
“Did God whisper in your ear and tell you point blank that my dad is in hell washing the feet of Satan?”
“Well no, but the Bible is our guide to what is right and wrong?”
“You bastard. How dare you? My gram and pap went to their graves grieving over their son. Where were you? Their spiritual leader. Where were you?”
Oscar stood, “you need to leave.”
Brother Evan left the house, jumped in his truck, and squealed his tires as he peeled out of Oscar’s drive way.
“What just happened here?” Oscar asked.
“Piece of trash,” Esther said flatly.
He rubbed her shoulders, she was shaking. He held her as long as she needed him to.
As they sat at the table, Oscar was dying to ask her. So he finally did, “Esther, finish the story.”
She looked up from her picked at plate. He reached for her hand and she took it. “Brother Evan came over to the house one Saturday afternoon. He made sure Pap was gone when he came over. He talked to my Gram like a dog, telling her that what dad did was a sin and that he was going to hell; not only for killing himself but because he placed the burden of raising me on them. I found out in my later years how much guilt Gram and Pap felt for not being able to reach out to their son or try to help him get the help that he needed. But then to have a man of God tell them that the son they loved and cared about had no hope was just cruel. Even if it is true, and he can’t go to heaven, why would you tell grieving parents that?”
“And you were playing under the sink?”
“Yeah, I liked being in the dark. It was calming to me. Still is at times.” She smiled.
“Haven’t you noticed how dark my bedroom is?” She cleared her throat. “I snuck out and went to find Pap, he wasn’t far.”
“Who was Brother Joel?”
“Oh, he was a deacon at the church who fought tooth and nail for Evan. He had done no wrong. There could be no wrong in doing the will of God, for telling the holy truth.”
“This is why you don’t like organized religion?”
“In a nut shell.”
“Wow. I’m so sorry, Ess.” He guided her onto his lap and held her.
“We lived in a small town and my grandparents were well liked. Everyone knew what had happened to my dad and grieved with them.”
What do you complain about the most?
Work and the weather.
Brother Evan
Esther was setting the table for dinner. Oscar was so looking forward to a quiet dinner and hugging up on the couch for a movie. He heard a horn blow.
“Well,” Esther smiled, “that isn’t your brother.”
To his amazement it was Brother Evan, the pastor at his church.
Brother Evan was an older man, maybe in his late sixties or early seventies. Oscar was horrible at guessing peoples ages. His hair was turning gray but his voice during his sermons commanded even the most unruly crowds.
“Come over.” He extended an invitation to his pastor. “What brings you my way? Come to think of it, you have never been here.”
“Well, an error I’m correctin’.” Came his reply with a very heavy southern drawl.
Oscar went into the kitchen to get himself a chair. He looked at Brother Evan with bewilderment. He kinda remembered his manners, “could I get you something to drink?”
“No,” Brother Evan smiled. “I won’t keep you long. Smells like dinner.”
Oscar wasn’t about to invite the man to stay. Something about him being here made him very uneasy.
“The reason I’m here this evenin’ Oscar,” he cupped his hands. “May I call you Oscar?”
“Sure.”
“I got a call from your mother.”
Oscar knew where this conversation was going.
“She thinks that you’re livin’ a life unpleasing to God and are havin’ relations with a lady outside of wedlock,” he cleared his throat.
“Those aren’t my mother’s words.” Oscar growled.
“No, I’m cleanin’ the conversation up.”
“Why bother?”
Esther was in the kitchen listening. The more this man talked the more she thought she knew that voice.
“The point is Oscar.”
Oscar cut him off, “do call me Mr. Patterson.”
“Hmm, okay.” Brother Evan raised an eyebrow. “Well, Mr. Patterson, I’m sure I don’t have to tell you how displeasin’ it is to God when you have sexual relations outside of marriage.”
“And please tell me how you or my mother would know about my relations?”
Brother Evan cleared his throat again, “well, your mother thinks dancin’ is a sin. And, that the dance itself is a vertical expression of what you would like to be doin’ horizontally.”
“Dancing is an expression. But I highly think it’s a sin.”
It hit Esther like a bolt of lightning. She knew that voice. She stepped from the kitchen and stood behind Oscar. She made sure Brother Evan saw her rub Oscar’s shoulder he even reached up placing his hand over hers. “There are many examples of dancin’ in the Bible both good and bad. If you are referring’ to the dancin’ at the Christmas party, we did nothing that was shameful or would be displeasing to God.” She put her other hand on her chest, “Where are my manners?” She giggled, “allow me to introduce myself, I am the Whore of Babylon that dethroned little Doris. Did Ms. Patterson tell you about Doris? And mind you, you are in my house.”
Brother Evan looked stunned, “hmm, no. Hum-kay.”
“Well shall I? Doris is this lady that Pam would like for Oscar to marry; because she is younger than he and is just right for child bearing. Apparently she is dyin’ to have her vagina stroked and her uterus stretched.”
Oscar hand wasn’t its usual cold and clamminess; which thrilled Esther.
“So are you the reason Oscar hasn’t been coming to church?”
“Excuse me.” She questioned.
“Mr. Patterson, you haven’t been to church in over a month.”
“If I may refresh your memory, church was canceled for most of December. And instead of having Christmas Eve service you had church on Christmas Day. Which; I understand but was unable to attend.”
Brother Evan shrugged his shoulders.
“We are well into January.”
“Indeed we are.”
“Where are you from? That’s an amazing southern drawl you have.” Esther asked.
He smiled, “Georgia.”
“Really?” She hissed, “Brother Evan, just so we understand each other, are you calling us sin bags because we like to have meals together; we like to talk to each other; we have massive amounts of things in common; and we have declared our love to each other. Not publicly mind you.”
“Well good for you two. But let me just remind you that sex outside marriage is a sin.”
What are your favorite sports to watch and play?
The university of Kentucky football and basketball. That’s about it.
From our Monday School lesson:
Have you ever had an ear-worm? What’s the best way to get rid of an ear-worm? Listen to the song. 90% of the time that will do it for me. If we use this logic for everything that we obsess about, can you think of what a mess we’d be in? Look at everything that’s going on in our world right now before you answer that question.
Obsess is defined as preoccupy or fill the mind of (someone) continually, intrusively, and to a troubling extent.
1 John 2:15-17 ESV
Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.
Matthew 6:24 ESV
“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.
Colossians 3:2 ESV
Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.
Let’s take a look at the world around us again. An ear- worm is tame compared to:
44.2 million people lived in households that had difficulty getting enough food to feed everyone in 2022.
Last year, federal data showed 582,462 people experienced homelessness.
In 2020, there were just over one million clients at substance abuse treatment facilities in the United States. Of this total, around 39 thousand were under 18 years of age.
The CDC says there were 620,327 abortions nationally in 2020 in the District of Columbia and 47 states. Data not available in some states.
Roughly two out of three U.S. adults are overweight or obese (69 percent) and one out of three are obese (36 percent).
What’s your obsession? Do you have one? Or two? Or three?
Sex, drugs, social media, work, spouse, relationships, vehicle, money, child, house, personal circumstances, the weather, the news, loosing weight, wanting a relationship. This is the short list.
What is occupying your mind instead of God?
Abortion in the U.S.: What the data says | Pew Research Center
What would you do if you won the lottery?
Daydreaming is bad for me. I try not to do it.
A nudge in the brain.
An intertwined mind.
A strain.
A whisp of air.
A spark
to start.
A glimpse of a memory.
A tranquil breach.
A hint of longing.
A desperate glance.
Tingling dance.
Mingling declared.
Essence faint –
precious and divine.
A scent that stirs.
Symphonies past.
A string.
A ping.
An intoxicating trance.
A touch of softness.
Gentle.
A hint of longing –
delicate and fair.
Toes reaching.
Body aching.
Tears, just ‘cause.
A hint of longing.
Sun warmed skin.
Drops of rain caressing.
Moons glow bare.
Stars twinkle.
Lingering thoughts.
A hint of longing.
Teased into being.
A single beat.
A cosmic treat.
Pounding muffled.
Rhythmic eruption.
Breathing quieted.
A hint of longing.
Definition necessary?
Submerge, if you dare.
A hint of longing, rare.
~
*Bois d’ arc aka Lions Mane, A poetic conversation, 2024.
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