What sparkles at night is not seen
In the full light of day- the knowing
Of mystery is more wonder ever than
Solution.  How can two mutually ex-
Simultaneously occur yet this is the
Comm0n substance of reality-this
This...This is the wisdom i seek knowing
That with much wisdom comes much
Sorrow.  But in it is an honest work
Even the contemplation of God; and
One does not so much abandon the
Quest for knowledge but falls at last
Into the sleep of the just even unto the
Peace of acceptance of the unknowing
To awake again in the morning to that
to that new heaven and new earth
that makes glad the heart of the child

When all history comes and goes
In the blink of an eye all is unknow
Able.  From dream to dream with
out beginning or end, and all would
Be well but the mad men who tell
Us what is and is not positing more
And more complexity proclaiming all
The while they are the saviors of
Mankind.  It is a great burden, a
Travesty of truth; unbelievably
Cunning.  So the dream ends in
A crucifixion.  Love is dead.  God
Is no more.  On the bright side
Thank God it is finished and you
Return with  no remembrance of
Things past to make you smarter.

I would not tell you of the
Long ago it is too beautiful
And would only make you
Sad that it is gone-It was
Sad then but we knew not
Its beauty but a little.  You
Say time is like the smoke
That gets in your eyes and
Makes you cry  then it gets
In your eyes again.  Long
Ago when it was new it
Ending even then and
Some saw it like it as
It was.  Still smoke gets
In your eyes like it was
Only yesterday All that
Was True of long ago.

Fearing death;loving life;saying goodby;
Eating or sleeping; when you are ready
When you are not ready; when you are
Lonely; when you are sick; when your
Home or when you are away; when
God calls you...When not before not
After; not once not twice not when
You are alive you will not die.  Not
Because you are important; not be
Cause you are not; not while you
Are seeking God; not seeking death
Not while waiting; not rushing to;
Not while knowing; not while not
Not knowing.  Not because
It is in the news paper;not because
People came to your funeral; not
Because you cannot find those you
Love; not because you cannot be
Found.  You will not die for any
Reason nor by any accident.  But
Someday you may laugh with the
Old Jewish woman who said: "you
Call this living-Ausshwitz with
Out a Paddle  is more like it"
Mom you always played the
Straight man I sure miss you..

...hope



uncertain debating with itself
seeing defeat around every
corner but then again its
counterpoint again the theme
with variations but not purely
this but with questions of
what to wear to Milly's party
and what to feed the kids
then weariness restless so
much left to do to find
resolve a wish for quietness
that will not come until:
Love until love is forgot...

The first place people were
Ever called Christians but
That Antioch was in Syria
My Antioch was in Yellow
Springs Ohio.  It was founded
By Horace Mann who has
Been given the title Father of
American  publiceducation.  He is
Best known to many for saying
"Be ashamed
To die until you have won
Some victory for humanity"  
It does seem to me that if
shame alone could keep one
From dying it would be highly
Prized and nobody would have
To die any more so that they we
As allll probably can truthfully
Summon up an adequate supply
of the product  in our biography
But come to think of it I believe
Horace Mann was a Christian
Of some type and He probably
Knew it-was way to keep us alive
In default of the great act which
May prove to be beyond our
Capacities, a perverse blessing
You might say but Antioch is a
Special place-A few years ago
It got resurrected and who can
Say that Horace Mann and may-
Be even shame had no part.  Any-
Way I can claim it as my alma
Mater, a still living place and
I did meet Billy Graham there
Well actually it was on an ex-
cursion to Indiana but that is
Another story I'll leave for later.

When I was a young man
A long time ago I was a
Student intern sent to
Brooklyn Methodist Home
For the aged to learn what
Ever I could.  A guest with
No specific mission I set
Out to learn what it was
Old folks had to say their
Lives had gained specially
Wisdom-a brazen quest.
Among the old I visited
Two ladies stand out in my
Memory.  One was a lady
in her eighties and bed-
Ridden.  She talked to
People and in places I
I could not see or hear
They had lived with her
In a New York that was no
More; had passed away
More than seventy years
Ago.  She looked out upon
Streets of playing children
Was one of them laughing
and shouting.  She saw and
Heard all clearly  and to
Her her childhood friends
Were as real to her as she
To them.  The other woman
Was a widow of a minister
In her eighties as well.  She
Was alert and most proper.
She played the piano for the
Able residents before dinner-
A hymnal piecece no doubt
The dining room was quite
Elegant with linnen table-
Cloths and proper silver
And crystal, it was that sort
Of place   I called upon her
With my subject saying
Can you tell me what you
learned about life by be
Coming old.  She hesitated
but only a moment taken
aback by frowardness I
Suppose then she said:
"Lean not to your own
Understanding but trust
In the Lord with your whole
Heart, Mind and soul"  A
Quote from the Book of
Proverbs she said but she
Had made it her own.  I
Can see her yet in her dignity
Her firm  hold in our life.
The other lady I cannot see
But it seems I can see and
Hear those children playing
On those streets of long ago
And I know each gave me some-
Thing more precious than gold
God can make all things new
Beyond our understanding
Wonderful  to the wisest.