Four Unpublished Poems

Had enough of my brilliant prose? (Okay...brilliant is a very relativistic term here.) The following four poems I've not published before today.


Angels not Required
By - Thomas Shepherd

I lay by the pool in the afternoon sun
Thinking my life was, for all intents, done,
When Jesus strolled by with His teaching parade
And asked if I wanted to end the charade.

His followers murmured as I tried to say,
“I’ve come to accept this, my invalid way.
For only an angel can trouble this pool,
And cure all afflictions— Sir, this is the rule:
The one who’s the fastest can dunk and get well,
But I’m so disabled, my chances are nil.”

Yet, Jesus ignored my confession of lack
And ordered me bluntly to get off my back,
To rise up and walk, abandon my mat,
And that’s what I did—as quickly as that!

I learned something basic when He called to me:
That life is a choice, so I choose to be free.
No matter the circumstance faith is my guide,
I don't need the angels to stir up a tide,
And I’m walking boldly since He passed that day;
I’ll spend no more time on the invalid way.


[The next two in memory of the season just past.]


Winter Sundae
by - Thomas Shepherd

Cold sunsets are the best,
When winter sun lingers at the horizon
Like the last bite of an orange popsickle.
Frozen night, come quickly;
Sprinkle stars and dip the moon in
Whipped cream clouds
To light a vanilla countryside.
Some look at bitter winter and see
Barren trees and sullen skies;
I see God’s sweetness topping every hillside,
Marking each cold season
Like a visit to the ice cream store.


If We Kept Christmas All the Year
by - Thomas Shepherd

If we kept Christmas all the year
There’s be no time for hate or fear,
We’d be too busy, meeting friends,
And touching candles, end to ends;
The nations end their endless strife
To celebrate the gift of life;
At temples, mosques and churches throngs
With joy-filled voices singing songs
Will every evening pause to pray
And vow that peace begins today,
And every day the prayer repeats
Until we are a world at peace;
God’s kingdom would at last be here,
If we kept Christmas all the year.


[And, just for fun...]


Mysterious Woman: Memories from an Alternative Universe
by Thomas Shepherd

Mysterious woman--exotic, bewitching--
Are you the reason my kneecaps keep itching?
Was it neglecting to meet you at noon?
I wasn’t expecting this hair loss so soon.

Or was it a lapse in my fervent attention?
A minor mishap—surely not my intention!
Maybe you saw me with Claire or Suzanne
Or found that hot letter I wrote to LeAnn.

Yet, was that a reason to gather your group
And chant evil curses to poison my soup?
You know that I love you, and I’d never lie,
So please take the pins out, before I shall die…

If you’ll stop enchanting and turn love to hate,
I’ll stop romancing that bimbo named Kate,
If we cannot settle, I must hit the road,
Or you’re to your kettle, and I am a toad.

Mysterious woman--exotic, bewitching,
Are you the reason my kneecaps keep itching?

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