"For years i bowed before you, but never understanding why.
You were a man we all spoke of, but a part of me would run , and hide.
You've given me years of thought.
You planted me in your soil.
I began to grow. You nurtured me so.
It's never to late to eat from your plate, iv'e learned that from you.
Your teachings made me a better man, i now hold your hand.
"I Bow Before You Now."
Thinking of you always, and what you have done.
To have died for me, and my loved one's, to give up your only son.
I give my respect, and give you what you expect.
"I Bow Before You Now."....

~

irreverent place
on a laundry room shelf,
his is a figure serene.
source of comfort?
source of peace?
perhaps...
but oh, so much
more than that...
this is a crossroads
where absolution meets  
the gritty mundane,
where he became
her source of familiarity.
"good morning, Sweet Jesus,
i'm just here to wash
my ***** laundry."
no sacrilege here,
no... nothing profane.
from the hand outstretched
held out for the taking
who is this really,
this chalk figurine?
in tranquility certain,
a doorway between
human fragility and
perfection divine.
in life’s messy journey
our ***** laundry aside
how could one not feel,
more rinsed of life's stains?
Sweet Jesus, of course
divine cleanser, unseen
now, here on my mantle
my house feels more clean!

~

post script.

when a fellow treasure-hunter shared not only the story of  "Sweet Jesus" (a hand painted, european, chalk sculpture of a early-last-century, bleeding-heart Christ who was the long-time occupant of her laundry room closet shelf), but also an offer to bring him out of the closet and sell him to me (yes, it's true... i bought him for a few pieces of silver), i jumped at the chance to bring him to my mantle and determined to construct a fitting poem as a way to say, "thank you, Elaine!”  and to say unabashedly to anyone else, “i love my Sweet Jesus!  you are out of the closet... forever!!”

no sacrilege whatsoever intended
i dearly hope you'll not be offended!
:-) Steve

I wish I wish
Upon a star
I had a magic cookie jar

Inside the jar would contain
Peace and love and happiness
No war, no crime and no more pain

I’d open the jar and let the rays out
To cross the earth, flutter all about

Touch everyone and everything
From the smallest grain of sand
to the Majestic Eagle’s wing

Until I find that special jar, I’ll bend down on one knee
And pray for that day
When all our troubles go away

What a wonderful world it would be
When I close my eyes, this is the world I see

I used to hope you'd bring me flowers
But now I grow my own
I've grown a whole garden now
Waiting for you to come back home
I used to hope you'd bring me flowers
But I'm no longer naive
My garden has since died
You're no longer someone I believe
I used to hope you'd bring me flowers
But my dear I should've known
That all my hoping would do
Is make me realize I'm alone
I used to hope you'd bring me flowers
I'd hoped you'd love me too
But those flowers never came
And my dear neither did you

there goes
a                                  tock
tick       brief     moment
seconds into hours
               days
weeks          weak    months
years              decades
lives             births
death

eternity.