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449 · Jan 2015
The Charm of a Rose
Oh, how sweet the rose.
On and on its fragrance goes,
With a heavenly scent.
And when the heart is sore
(Pain, sorrow and more) ,
Causing one to lament—

Like a magic wand,
The rose lends a hand;
For it is such a mint.
Its beauty inspires,
(Of which one ne'er tires)
Leaving the heart content.

Its petals are gorgeous.
They subtly forge us
With their bold accent,
To embrace such presence
With a sense of reverence
And that, in any event.

The rose is for ages,
And yet engages—
Like a perfect gent.
It brightens the day
In such a way—
As if an 'agent' sent.

-Walterrean Salley
440 · Jan 2015
My Incredible Friends
My friends are so kind to me
Much more than I could ever be.
I’m blessed to have their friendship
So full, and rich, and free.  

When life is rough, they lift me up
And carry me ‘pon their shoulder.
How can I ever thank them
For being the torch holder.    

For me they hold a candle
When the path is dark or gray,
They hold the candle of pure love
To brighten up the way.
438 · Jan 2015
A Diamond
saw a diamond
In the sky.
There to sparkle
Way up high.
I pulled it down
Into my heart,
Perhaps some wisdom
To impart.

© 2009 WW. Salley
437 · Jan 2015
Christmas— A Magical Time
Christmas is but once a year
And what a magical time.
Hymns and kind wishes
As bells begin to chime.

A warm and cozy fire.
Pine scent in the air.
Billowing-chimney smoke,
Sending friendly flares.

Family and friends
Exchanging gifts and cards.
Cooking and Caroling.
Embellished house and yard.

Like the bulbs on Christmas trees,
Spirits are so bright.
‘Tis a time of miracles
As hearts change overnight.

Ballerinas dancing
And twirling all around.
Folk so amused
By the festive sights and sounds.

Then the snowman melts.
And '****! ' All is gone.
Ornaments rest on shelves
As life reverts to norm.

But the hymns and carols
Continue to chime on
With a message that's yet powerful
When the season is long gone.

Walterrean Salley
437 · Feb 2018
Throwback Cold-Cuts
During element’ry school
Lunchtime was a drag
For the bologna sandwich
In my little brown lunch bag.

My favorite? The spice ham
I loved on grilled cheese.
Made bologna mediocre…
A cold cut for the breeze.

Now, turkey’s my favorite
Amongst the cold cuts.
It is healthy and tasteful—
No ifs, ands or buts.

Cold cuts, an old sidekick
Are convenient—take your pick.
(Revised 2/2018.)
433 · Jan 2015
The Trade Off
Empty Yet Full
Empty of worldly goods,
Yet filled with inner peace.
It’s a grand trade off.
410 · Jan 2015
A Bird’s Devotion
Each year a bird
Nested in my eves.
At times, I’d watch her
Through the leaves.
And to her young ones
She did cleave,
Until the time
When they should leave.
405 · Feb 2018
Thank You Dear Sir
A kind and simple thank you Sir
Is all I have to give.
Tho I owe you so much more
In the affirmative.

For those who’ve lost their life,
A leg, an eye, or a hand,
If only we could give it back—
But there's no way we can.

So I'll just light a candle here
With wishes bright and fair
Knowing you will be just fine
Within the Father's care.
And never are you far away
But in my daily prayer.
400 · Jan 2015
A Cup of Warm Tea
In life’s cold winter
We’ve all felt the chill
And shivered beneath
Its  sway.

And now and then,
We‘re prone to wonder
How long shall it be
This way.

But how welcoming
The kind words that be.
And often a cup of warm tea
Is as a gentle hug, you see.
397 · Mar 2018
Security Blanket
A Christmas gift of
Decades has, many a night,
Kept me warm… cushioned
My arm rest… formed a pillow.
My security blanket.
A beautiful blanket gifted me by a friend, so many years ago, during an illness.  It has kept me comfortable and warm for all these years and still does.
392 · Mar 2018
Psalm-46
(A Psalm of Expectation.)

Seeking deliverance,
Day and night I cry unto God
And would not be satisfied.
How long, O Lord,
Until my deliverance is come?

My heart securely
Trusts your word.
You are my salvation
And the anchor of my soul.

Protector from all harm,
And a refuge from the storm.
My battle-axe and shield
In the war of life.
Stronghold, high tower,
And a shield from strife.

O God my Strength,
My helper and guide—
The cleft of the rock
In which I can hide.
I will trust in you.
Intoxicated by the inspiration
Of his trade—
With mental powers at work,
A true poet rarely sleeps.
His mind ever churning
With powerful imagery
That produces thought,
Sound, rhythm and gesture.
He molds with metaphor,
Shapes with simile,
And paints with irony—
To produce a beautiful symphony
(Like some great maestro) ,
For himself and all who would enjoy.
Little wonder he rarely sleeps.

© 2009  W. Salley
382 · Apr 2018
Psalm-73
(A Psalm for Protection: God is apt to keep.)

My soul, rest comfortably in the Lord;
No harm shall come nor evil befall.

The watchman watches to protect;
The burden of security rests upon him.
Always alert, he does not sleep
Because he is the watchman,
And the goods are left to his charge.

God, the faithful keeper,
Mightily shielding those in his care.
He neither slumbers nor sleeps,
But his eyes faithfully watch everywhere.
381 · Feb 2018
‘Tornado’ Haiku
Tornado churning.
Twirling against peaceful skies -
Destructive touchdown.
371 · Mar 2018
Psalm-22
(A Psalm of Exaltation.)

The angels worship and cry holy,
Covering their face before him
Whose throne is of jasper
And the sardine stone.

His presence is brighter
Than the sun at its brightest.
He is more glorious
Than ten-thousand-noonday suns.

His beauty exceeds the topaz, ruby,
Onyx and beryl stones.

My head bows,
And my heart is humbled.
My hands rise in submission
To his will.

Elohim! Elohim! Most high God,
Unto you, I give praise.
Poem written for my book of original psalms.
368 · Jan 2015
A Fall Profile
Shadows
Stretched across the
Field—cast by the evening
Sun’s glowing backdropp against the
Clear skies.

-W. Salley
366 · Mar 2018
Psalm-49
(Meditative Psalm: quest for total surrender.)

I beheld the wind, blowing upon
The grass of the field.
Leaves swayed under the power
Of its influence.

The flowers danced
As the grass dazzled—
Its blades shimmering in the light.
That which was dormant
Had suddenly come to life.

O Lord, breathe upon me
The breath of your holy Spirit.
Quicken me, and possess my being
That, in harmony, I might sway
To the power of your perfect will.
365 · Mar 2018
Psalm-50
(A Psalm of Worship.)

My heart is prepared
To worship God:
I will kiss the Lord
And sing unto him.

I will speak of his goodness
From dawn to twilight
And follow his excellent way.
I will meditate
Throughout the night
And seek him at midday.
My longing heart shall,
Reverently and humbly,
Bask in his presence.
Upon my Lord,
I will pour praise.
358 · Apr 2018
Psalm-113
A helpless dove
Sleeps through the storm.
Thunder. Lightening. Wind gust.
And yet he sleeps—
Even through the flood watch.

Peace. God is peace.
He speaks to my storm
And by the authority of his voice
Calm be my life.
I rest in him.
357 · Jan 2015
Christmas Prayer
Thank you Lord for Christmastime
A season of love and cheer
A time to give and forgive
And hold one’s family dear.

Thank you Lord for Christmastime
A lovely time of the year.
A time to  sing and worship
And to cast away all fear.

Thank you Lord for Christmastime
When hope is made so clear.
And faith lights the path anew
With a message for all to hear.

Thank you Lord for Christmastime
And may its truth forever chime.
355 · Mar 2018
Psalm-38
(A Psalm for Meditation: godly devotion and commitment.)

Lord, I live to worship you,
And breathe to sing your praise.

Daily, my soul arises in your presence
With eager longing and expectation.

Oh life-giving One, draw me
With your wondrous love
And sweet words of comfort.

Don't be far from me,
But take my feeble hand
As I reach out to you.
Come closer as I draw nearer to you,
Oh my God, that I may forever
Know your abiding presence.
354 · Jan 2015
Home Belongs to Me
Wherever I am at the end of the day,
Home calls out to me.
For there, I am most comfortable,
Happy and carefree.

It might not be so fabulous
Like the many that I see.
But there’s no place like home;
And it belongs to me.
353 · Mar 2018
Life in Waves
Life is
As the sea with
Events, and matters, and
Times and circumstances that come
In waves...

Unless
We be flooded.
Overwhelmed by all that
Is heaped ‘pon us. And crushed by the
Vast tides.

He lets
Them come in waves
That we should not be swept
Into oblivion. What great
Mercy.
350 · Mar 2018
Conscience Guides
Conscience
Guides, teaching the
Heart right from wrong. If defiled,
The conscience malfunctions. So, keep
It good.

(9/16 Revised)
350 · Mar 2018
Psalm-48
(Ballad: exhortation to praise God.)

Extol the Lord Most High,
Let his praises ring.
Throughout all the earth,
Exalt his lovely name.
Embrace His purity,
And testify his fame
From the rising of the sun
To the setting of the same.
348 · Apr 2018
Psalm-115
A bruised reed,
I lean ‘pon him.
Broken, I limp on.
He is my support—
A strong crutch.
My helper;
A shoulder to lean on.
Oh how I trust in him
And am secure.
348 · Jan 2015
Natural Instinct
A flock of birds
Feeding  at a bath.
Just one faint sound
And they all fly away.
Natural instinct.

-W. Salley
344 · Mar 2018
Psalm-35
(A Psalm of Exhortation to godly fear.)

Bow the knee to the holy One.
Worship with standing ovation:
Rivers, grass, sun and stars.
And man the crown of creation.

Let the kingdoms fear the Lord,
And all the people make haste.
He is head of the universe;
His eyes are in every place.

The sovereign King ‘pon his throne
Shall judge the world and the nations.
One clasp of his powerful hands
Would terrify creation.

Sing, O winds. Sing praises to him;
Bow you mountains and trees.
Let every beast do obeisance to God,
And all men fall to their knees
339 · Feb 2015
God’s Perfect Love
God’s love is
Pure and perfect.
He loves you,
And He loves me.
My heart’s smitten
With His love.
Now how idyllic
This should be.
336 · Jan 2015
First Light
Early dawn has opened
her sleepy eyes with the
bright promise of a beautiful
new day.  She peeps over
the hills and touches the sea.  
She kisses the flowers with
her sacred light.  She forms
shadows.  And touches the
birds as they awake to sing
a new song.  The first light,
She is dawn.
334 · Jan 2015
Let Go
The only way to
Fully embrace today
Is to let go of yesterday.
Just like one cannot,
Simultaneously, look back
And successfully move forward.
Even so, one cannot, both,
Dwell in the past and
Fully be in the present.
Let go of the past;
Take hold of today.
332 · Mar 2018
Orthodox Skies
Endless
Vault of steel blue.
Clouds of gray hang low. Grave
Look. No smiling sun to brighten
The day.
330 · Feb 2015
Month of Beginnings
January is a month
Of beginnings.

The beginning
Of the end
Of the old year
And all that goes.

And the beginning
Of the launching
Of a new year
With all it brings.
321 · Jan 2015
Door of Opportunity
An opened door is before you
You have only to walk in
And discover your potentials—
All success to win.

An opened door is before you,
Which no one else can close.
Only you can shut it—
Despite the hindrance posed.

An opened door is before you,
So pick up your stride.
Arise and go forward,
Don’t stop till you’re inside.

-2012 Walterrean Salley
320 · Mar 2018
Psalm-47
(A Nostalgic Psalm: the power of God.)

O God, manifest yourself
That men might see,
And marvel, and wonder.
You spoke the worlds into existence,
And separated night from day.
Placed the elements in the skies
And created man in a wonderful way.
Bring back the ancient miracles
Like when you parted the sea
And delivered Israel en masse—
Mightily setting them free.

You provided in the wilderness,
Filled the temple with your glory,
And spoke from the darkness of Sinai;
What an awesome story.

Show, again, your sovereign power
That your strength be known,
And men might truly realize
That you are God alone.
317 · Jan 2015
Songs Are…
Songs are
A balm for the
Soul.  Each has a message
For the weary listener in his
Lone plight.
316 · Mar 2018
A Wish for the Wishing Well
Many a coin laid at the bottom–
Resting pon the fountain’s floor.
Large, small.  Bronze, silver,
I couldn’t tell, but there were more.
Gazing down into the water,
A longing face stared back at me.
I made a wish right from the heart.
Please, dear Lord, now, let it be.
I cast my coin into the fountain,
’ Mongst all the other wishes there.
It slowly settled pon the floor,
Quiet and still, within its sphere.
(4/7/18 revised)
316 · Mar 2018
A Time of Healing
Losing Granny
Was the end of an era
In my life.
But it's been
Many a year now,
With lots of
Fond memories
To help bridge the gap.
Remembering her love,
Strength, patience
And courage,
Helps me to go on.
What a joy it is
To think of her.
313 · Mar 2018
Green 'Gecko' Haiku
Green gecko resting
Sunning ‘pon a sago frond -
Humanity reels.
311 · Jan 2015
Birds in Flight
A flock of birds in flight,
Which had suddenly flown
From a number of trees,
Rose higher and higher
Like departed souls
Borne by gentle breeze—
Transcending the earth
And ever ascending toward
A place of eternal berth.
311 · Mar 2018
Time Flies
I’ve seen
Time fly as if
A bird with wings.  Seldom
Does it perch anymore, like it
Once did.
306 · Jan 2015
Beauty of the Cosmos
I cast my gaze ‘pon the moon at night,
The heavenly stars are like birds in flight.
Ordained to shine in its orbit there—
It lends its light to the atmosphere
And brightens the skies in a fervent way
As the stars twinkle in fair display.
There are no clouds to hide the stars.
I can see Jupiter, and I can see Mars.
But Venus is the fairest of all;
Her brightness shines without a squall.
Poor Pluto is somewhere in the dark.
It bears no light—not even a spark.

Oh the tales the heavens could tell.
And that, the heart knows quite well.

© 2009 W. Salley
305 · Mar 2018
Friends and Friendship
Friends and
Friendship. Sometimes,
They are diamonds in the
Rough. And, simply, sometimes they are
Diamonds.
305 · Jan 2015
For Love’s Sake
Let love
Be for love’s sake
And naught else.  Not riches
Not fame or hidden agendas.  
But love.
297 · Jan 2015
Life’s Tide
What will life’s tide
Bring today?  
What will it bring,
And in its wake,
What will it carry away?
294 · Mar 2018
The Daily Challenge
Facing
Life's worries and
Fears—conquering them for
The day. Tomorrow will care for
Itself.
286 · Feb 2018
A Cheese-Lover's Delight
It’s been for many a decade
Part of the daily diet.
The mold, and mice, and men love it;
The mice eat it in quiet.

The Provolone and Parmesan.
And the Cheddar, mild or sharp,
Can cause food glands to salivate—
Making the taste buds to harp.

The famed macaroni and cheese.
Cheeseburger and grilled cheese too.
Cheese cake, and more recipes
That've all with cheese to do.

Cheez Doodles, Cheese Sticks, and Cheez-It.
Cottage Cheese, and cream cheese too.
A favorite meat substitute—
Mozzarella, or the Bleu.

So much to share. Too much to say
On this ‘National Cheese Day.’
FOOTNOTE: January 19 is annual National Cheese Day.

Some Interesting Facts:
There are many (well over 1,000) kinds of cheeses. Consider the following brands: Acapella, American Blue (Bleu), American Cheese, Baby, Blue Vein Cheese, Brick, Brie, Camembert, Cashel Blue, Cheddar, Cheshire, Colby, Crottin de Chavignol, Farmer's, Feta, Gouda, Gruyere, Manchego, Monterey Jack, Moon, Mozzarella, Parmesan, Provolone, Ricotta, Romano, Sorrento Mozzarella, Stilton, String, Swiss Cheese, and Yogurt Cheese. The list is endless.

Sources for this information includes: cheese.com. It’s the ‘World’s Greatest Cheese Source.’

The cheese.com database includes information on the most famous cheeses such as Cheddar, Camembert, Stilton or Parmesan, as well as rarities, like Crottin de Chavignol, Gouda, Brie, American Cheese, Pecorino Romano, Cheddar, Manchego, Smoked Gouda and Camembert.
© 2017 Walterrean Salley
280 · Jan 2015
Where Has the Time Gone?
Where has the time gone?
The years have slipped away.
Every time you look around,
There is a brand “new” day.

The old passes on—
Making way for the new.
The new becomes many,
And the old becomes few.

Where has the time gone?
For, longing are the years,
Which brought joy and laughter
And sometimes even tears.

-Walterrean salley
279 · Mar 2018
Just in Time
Often,
Life is like a
Falling object.  But He
Caches us just in time--that we
Are safe.
278 · Mar 2018
Psalm-44 (Original)
(A Psalm of Affirmation, reaffirming
my faith in God.)

I have faith in God
Who gives me the strength
To climb mountains
And leap over walls.

He leads, guides
And protects me each day,
And restores all
That was taken away.
My heart safely rests in him.

The Lord is my life,
Health and strength.
He is the breath of my being.
My soul is happy in God.
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