Category Archives: Spiritual practices

Understanding

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The fitness of a marriage, who can judge?
For even those within are set apart.
A see-saw keeping balance with a nudge,
Two individuals before the start.

One partner is the giver, so it seems;
I hate to say, but one can give too much
And end up taking all the others’ dreams
With hands that, though well-meaning, ever clutch.

The understanding needed can’t be bought
Nor traded, compromised, discussed, or sold.
Lip service leads to battles that are fought,
Resentments, sharpest angles, tempers cold.

Give grateful understanding, showing love,
A Spirit-driven blessing from above.

—
A sonnet of 95 words, including “judge” for
Weekend Writing Prompt #115,
#RDP #Ragtag Daily Prompt, #angle,
FOWC: Grateful.

My Guiding Light

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A poem is my guide lamp out,
A light in darkest hour.
It nourishes my mind and heart;
It grows the Lotus flower.

When pain engulfs me, poems touch
The center of my soul,
Reminding me that after rain,
The sunshine makes me whole.

—
My response to
dVerse Quadrille #83: Sun.

Happy Eighth Anniversary to dVerse Poets Pub, and a huge thank you to everyone who contributes, hosts and participants alike! You have certainly inspired the light of poetry for me! ❤

What Peace Means to Me

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A morning cup of coffee,
Hot and strong and sweet.
A comfy pair of jeans
With sneakers on my feet.

Thanking my Creator
Before I start this day.
Affirming I can make it through
When things don’t go my way.

A hug, a laugh, a smile
From one who understands
That it’s OK to deviate
From all our best laid plans.

Just knowing that the hard times
Cannot last too long.
And hearing unexpectedly
A joke, a poem, a song.

Peace is doing better
Than I did the day before.
It’s never all the big things,
But the small that mean much more.

—
For today’s
#Ragtag Daily Prompt #RDP #Peace.

Music is Poetry

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I’m a songwriter and poet, and my husband writes poetry and inspirational stories. He is also the only person who has read my lyrics before hearing the accompanying music; that means a lot to me. We collaborated on the following poem to bridge the gap between music/songwriting and poetry. –C. G.

Music is Poetry

by Frederick Douglass Grimes, III
and Dr. Crystal L. Grimes

Music Is Poetry. There Is no doubt.
Some hear a song, not knowing what It’s all about.

Songs tell stories of love, life or pain,
Passing on a message for listeners to gain.

So many forms of storytelling, personal and true;
Music and Poetry get us through.

Sweet melodies of songs, special word’s in a poem
Capture the heart and lead the mind to roam.

No music or poems? What a sad world indeed!
With nothing for the mind and spirit to feed.

A blessed combination and a treasure to behold,
More valuable than riches, more precious than gold.

Some people fear what they don’t understand,
But our stories live on, connecting our hands.

Fretboards of Joy

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A shiny chest of wonderment,
Of wishes and of dreams;
A brilliant box of hopefulness
And possibilities!

When soft inspiring breezes
Flutter magic strings,
They carry off my spirit
On clouds of melodies!

So thank you, bless-ed builders
For the joy your fretboards bring!

—
My response to Kim’s very interesting “Fretboard of Poetry” Quadrille prompt at
dVerse
and today’s
#Ragtag Daily Prompt #RDP #Breeze.

Other Musical Poems

First, because Kim lives near the coast:
Song of the Sea

Spirit of Music

The Music Inside

And, of course, the theme song of Mystical Strings ❤

Delayed

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I’m getting better every day!
Yes, even when it seems delayed.
I’ve paid my dues and born my pain,
And now I take a brighter way.

It’s not all hearts and flowers, no.
My progress many times is slow.
When one foot stays, the other goes.
But one thing is for sure: I grow!

The darkest hour before the day
Is when I falter, lose my way.
The Light of hope returns to say:
Lost? Surely not! I’m just delayed!

—
Today’s word is
#Delay #RDP #Ragtag Daily Prompt.

From the Inside Looking Out: A Blind Journey

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From the Inside Looking Out: A Blind Journey

by Frederick Douglass Grimes, III

Morning come’s but none too soon,
For it’s always night in the mind of the blind.

Morning come’s but none too soon,
Just a bit of light is all one need’s to find.

Sometimes sound’s are merely enough to start the day.
First thought that come’s to mind is surely to kneel down and pray.
For the Lord has blessed you with one more day.
What’s the purpose of this extended stay?

The city wake’s with entirely too much noise.
The fact that God has granted one more breath
Fill’s the heart with so much joy.

Should it really matter what we can or cannot see?
Life’s destiny is not up to you or to me.

To overcome the bad day’s along with the good
Show’s the true strength of a man or a woman,
Even if you never thought you could.

Find that special inner strength
That we all possess;
Never let yourself get down
Or feel depressed.

The Light of the Lord is all we need to survive.
He’s kept us here this long
To live life to the fullest,
To love and continue to strive.

No matter your religious or spiritual affiliation,
Do whatever it takes to make it through the day!

May the Lord bless us all and keep us all safe!
–The Blind Poet, Freddy G.

Shared for
dVerse OpenLinkNight – Faces to Ponder.

Submitted for
#RDP #Ragtag Daily Prompt #Night.

Raining Change

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It doesn’t really matter what I think about the past,
Or if my thoughts and words and actions hurt me looking back.

For only with a downpour, not a shower or a drizzle,
Can the tears within my heart bring on a change more than a little.

‘Cause the past is done and over, and the present is right now.
All the healing that I’m seeking, I can find by asking how.

When I’m living by the answer, it’s real changes that will last,
So the only thing that matters is to let the past be past!

—
My response to today’s
#RDP #Ragtag Daily Prompt, #Drizzle.

What I Need

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After all this time, though it’s only been 2 years, I’m not sure I can say I chose him. Instead, I believe he was chosen for me. The old saying is true: “You don’t always get what you want. But you always get what you need.”

On my crazy days, he says I’ve lost my mind. On bad days, he says everything will be OK. On days when I can’t take on the world, he reminds me I don’t have to take it on alone.

No, I didn’t choose him. But I am choosing to stay with him. When far away an interrupted cry says LEAVE! ABANDON SHIP! I smile and remember that’s the crazy, the bad, the frustrated talking.

Then, I remember my promise of friendship, love, and loyalty. I choose to keep this promise to my husband, whom I love and need.

—
My response to Sue Vincent’s
#writephoto prompt, choices,
Lost for #RDP #Ragtag Daily Prompt,
and “Prosery #1” at
dVerse.

I’ve been wanting to explore flash fiction for some time now. This is not fiction, but it’s a start. 🙂

Balm #RDP #Ragtag Daily Prompt

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Life is stressful, we all know.
Mine’s no different, winds that blow
Come bursting out of skies of gray
And blow debris every which way.

I try and try to keep my head
From spinning, spinning full of dread…
The stress keeps me from keeping peace,
But love’s a precious balm to me.

It makes me think and cry in pain,
But never ever ends the same.
For love that changes everything
In healing hands is holding me.

I must remember as I go
Through life so fast and winds that blow,
That all is well and all is sure
In love that heals forevermore.

—
My response to today’s
#Ragtag Daily Prompt #RDP #Balm