Our Window to the Afterlife

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“Seeing through a glass darkly,”

seems to be our view of the soul’s afterlife.

Like the Hubble with out-of-focus mirrors

we gaze. straining for a clear view,

Yet, the window remains clouded it seems,

leaving us to imagine what might exist

beyond the smokey glass of eternity.

Some claim to know from visions and revelations.

Others say they have been there, while paused,

only to return again to tell us what they saw.

It is so interesting, to me, the way we try to carry

this life into the next, thinking that

the Spirit World will be a physical transition,

rather than a Spiritual paradigm shift.

We want so badly to believe what our finite

minds can’t comprehend, so we embellish

our view, or throw it all out completely.

Either way it seems we are still in the dark…

*

Photo: Dwight L. Roth

Posting this for Merril’s window prompt on d’Verse Poets Pub.

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Quote from; I Corinthian 13:12 KJV

“…For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.”

When My Spirit Rises

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When My Spirit Rises

When my spirit rises

Unencumbered and free

No weight or worry accompanies me

Interesting that I value things

When in the end the spirit flies

Leaving them all behind

How much I worry and fret

But this too shall pass when I am gone

My spirit rises out of this shell

A virtual butterfly reborn

From caterpillar to chrysalis

Reborn in the image of God

Spirit Creator Redeemer Savior

Knowing there is no place for the earthly

In the spirit world beyond

I can’t take it with me

But then again… Why would I want to

When my spirit rises

Leaving it all behind

Photo: Dwight L. Roth

Posting for d’Verse open link night, in memory of our fellow blogger, Glenn Buttkus who passed away. This is one of my favorite poems that I wrote back in 2018.

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A Child is Born…

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No Room at the Inn

Travelers came knocking on the door of the inn

After traveling all day tired, hungry, and thirsty

The donkey needed fed and they needed a bed

A full inn afforded them nowhere to lay their heads

Pregnant Mary needed a place to deliver

Water broke and waves were coming on strong

No time to look elsewhere for a private room

The inn was no place for a delivery room

Travelers standing around gawking at the sight

Of a newborn baby coming ready or not

The kind Inn Keeper suggested, “Perhaps the stable…

A private place to deliver away from prying eyes?”

The animals provided warmth from their exhales

He did what he could to make them comfortable

Brought water and a blanket as Mary screamed in pain

He was not the villain in this story as portrayed

Rather a compassionate keeper avoiding gossip’s scandal

Why do we think they should have been entitled

Unknown travelers from afar, they had no reservations.

Thankful for a private spot it all came about

A child was born in private who would soon

In the course of time change the world

A Savior who is Christ the Lord!

***

I am reposting some of my Christmas poems from other years!

Love, Loaves, and Fishes

Loaves and fishes

Love, Loaves & Fishes

Love is a basket with five loaves of bread and two fishes

It is never enough until you start to give it away.

~source unknown

This past couple of weeks my wife has been going through old letters she saved that her parents wrote to us from many years ago. Her father always loved quotes and often put one at the top of his letters. The quote above was one she found today.

Most of you might be familiar with the Bible Story of the little boy giving his lunch to Jesus, and how it multiplied to feed thousands who were there. There is much wisdom in the act of giving and sharing what we have with other. I hope you enjoy this quote as much as I did.

Tadpoles or Frogs

My little green frog that lives under my deck seems to have laid her eggs in my rain barrel. A couple of weeks ago, I noticed tadpoles swimming when I opened the lid to get some water for my geraniums.

A day or two later I emptied most of the fifty gallons of water on my garden, leaving about a foot of water in the bottom. I could not imagine they would survive in the hot 94 F temps we were having at the time. When we got a light rain a few days later, there they were swimming around in the barrel. I decided to leave them there and watch them for a while.

Yesterday I noticed they were growing hind legs. I can’t imagine that they are still alive and thriving. So, what do I do now? Leave them there to mature or dump them on my garden? Not an easy question to answer.

Tiny tadpoles swim

Growing in my rain barrel

Frogs or tadpoles

***

Life’s unexpected challenge

Leaving choices to be made

**

Who should decide?

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Photos: Dwight L. Roth

Update: 7-9-2022

The tadpoles have been growing legs; first hind legs and then front ones. We had a couple of heavy thunderstorms this week. I thought I would scoop some of them out and put them in the ditch/stream which now has standing water in it. When I opened the lid, I was surprised to find only three of the thirty plus tadpoles still swimming there. Apparently, they all floated out the overflow notch I had cut in the top of the barrel.  Not sure how they survived, but they must have figured it was time to make their escape!

We are of One Blood

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When self-preservation

at all cost

overrides our understanding

of humanity,

Ideologies arise

blinding us to the truth

that we are all of

One Blood

that pumps

through our veins

interchangeable

with you or me

regardless of color

race or ethnicity,

Life-saving blood

revealing

that we are all one

in the midst of

our diversity,

but not exclusive

in value

or superior in

entitlement.

We are humanity

created in the image

of our creator

Spiritual channels

of light

in the darkness

We are hope and comfort…

not death and destruction.

*

My sad condolences to the people of Buffalo whose family members were attacked and killed yesterday by a raving lunatic who thought his humanity was greater in value than the lives of others who were different from him.

Photo: Dwight L. Roth

Job’s Cry for Ukraine

Our Cry to God

Where are you God when we need you the most

as bombs explode and buildings crumble

Where are you as little men who desire power

send other men to the slaughter in their place

And where are you as mother’s weep

for their husbands… their sons… and their children

Where were you when refugees fled their homes

for destinations unknown and unforeseen just weeks ago

Where were you as bullets fly and old men are murdered

left shot, lying in the street like human refuse

Where are you as women were raped and children cry

from a lifetime of the despicable happening overnight

Where are you God as the Nations rage

seemingly out of control

God’s Response

I Am… not the chess-master controlling the board

As pawns are discarded and Queens attempt to capture kings

The affairs of men go on as they have since the beginning

Nation against nation and Kingdom against kingdom

Some think I Am a genie in the bottle

that when correct prayers are given, rubbed the right way,

will bring the three wishes of fantasy and dreams

My kingdom is not one of the physical realms

But of the spiritual, not of this world but of the eternal

I Am the God who gives you strength from within

Power of unequal measure coming up from the depths

When faced with crisis, or the enemy, or the forces of evil

I Am the God who reveals himself through the human spirit

bringing comfort to the grieving and strength to the dying

I Am the God who removes physical blinders revealing

chariots of fire moving you forward to face whatever lies ahead

I Am the Lion roaring through you to confront evil in the world

Those who look to me will find renewed strength

And like the Phoenix rising from the ashes, you too will rise

I AM the God of peace…      which will come in time

as Love is shown and Grace, Mercy, and Forgiveness

are extended to all

***

This is not intended to be a theological study although it is inspired from the Biblical account of Job questioning of God as he lay suffering in sack cloth and ashes. This is simply a poetic rendering of questions we might be asking ourselves, as we watch the death and destruction in Ukraine, and how I imagine God might answer.

Paintings of Sunflowers: Dwight L. Roth

Sharing this on d’Verse Poets Pub open link night… Join us at: https://dversepoets.com