STONES

STONES

BY

FRANK A VOLLMER

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WHEN GROWNUPS DIE

WHEN GROWNUPS DIE  IT'S NOT SO BAD  ONE THINKS OF FLOWERS  READY TO BE PICKED    BUT CHILDREN  CHILDREN ARE ANOTHER THING   TO SEE THEIR GRAVE SITES  WET  AS IF THE SKY WAS CRYING    ALL STRUCK DOWN  SAME HOUR AND SAME PLACE    IN A SCHOOL  A PLACE OF REFUGE   LEAVING PARENTS  EMPTY  DREAMS BROKEN    CRYING WHY  WITH NO ANSWER    BUT ONLY LEFT TO GRIEVE  UNDER THE DISMAL WINTER RAIN  FALLING FROM DECEMBER SKY  ON THE LIFELESS TOMBSTONES WET  WHILE RACHAEL’S SISTERS WAIL WHY   HOW QUICKLY WILL THE GRASS  CLAIM THE GRAVES    AUTUMN LEAVES WILL CLING TO THE STONES  UNTIL THE WIND BLOWS THEM AWAY  AS IF THEY WANTED TO KISS THE CHILDREN IN PASSING   HOW MANY POEMS UNBEGUN ARE BURIED HERE  HOW MUCH LAUGHTER, TEARS AND JOY HOW MUCH SORROW IS ENTOMBED    THE CHILDREN NOT COMING HOME FROM SCHOOL SPLASHING THROUGH EACH PUDDLE FOUND   THE PARENTS BUNDLED AGAINST THE RAIN  MAKE QUICK THE TRIP FROM WORK TO HOME TO FIND AN EMPTY NEST  LAUGHTER GONE    THEY SHED TEARS LIKE RAIN ON THE GRAVESITES AS IF THE SKY WAS CRYING    @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

Zen Garden

FIVE ROCKS THERE ARE

THOUGH IT SEES LIKE MORE

GRAVEL AND SOME MOSS

THE ROCKS ARE SMALL

THE GRAVEL RAKED

THE MOSS GROWS WHERE IT WILL

AT FIRST

I TRIED TO FIND THE MEANING OF THE STONES

WERE THEY SHIPS OR MOUNTAINS

PERHAPS A TIGER AND ITS PREY

I TRIED TO MEASURE IN MY MIND

THE SPACING OF THE ROCK

TO MAKE THEM FIT A SCIENCE

SO MUCH HERE

SO MUCH THERE

BUT IT WOULDN'T WORK

IT WOULDN'T FIT

I STARTED TO GET UP

TO GO AWAY

TO LEAVE THE GARDEN

THAT WOULDN'T FIT MY SCIENCE

BUT HESITATED

DISTURBED BY FAILURE

SAT BACK DOWN

BE QUIET AND UNKNOWING

SEEMED TO SAY THE WIND

BE QUIET AND STILL

LIKE A POOL OF WATER

BE STILL AND DEEP

GIVE BACK TO THE SKY ITS BRIGHTNESS 

IN THE DEPTHS OF YOUR BEING

BE STILL

THE WIND'S RIPPLES CANNOT DISTURB YOU

BE STILL

BE STILL

 QUIET

YET KNOWING

 

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Tombstone Reader 

I WANDERED THROUGH THE HILLSIDE CEMETERY

TRYING TO READ

THE WEATHERED MARKINGS ON THE STONES

 SOME STALWART ONES

STILL LEANED AGAINST THE HILL

 WHILE OTHERS

TIRED

HAD FALLEN AND SETTLED

 ON THE GROUND

IT WAS AN ANCIENT CEMETERY

WEATHER-WORN AND OVERGROWN

YET HERE I FOUND ONE PLOT

THOUGH OVERGROWN AS WERE THE REST

BORE ON ITS BOSOM A ROSE BUSH

THE STONE STILL STANDING

ETCHED UPON IT VERY DEEP

AS IF TO SHOW THE CARVER'S SORROW

WAS WRITTEN ANNIE

 NOTHING MORE

HOW PRETTY THE BUSH

IN THIS SO DESOLATE SPOT

I WONDERED WHO HAD PLANTED IT

SOME LOVER OR A HUSBAND

HAD DUG AWAY THE DIRT

THEN STANDING

 LOOKING AT IT

 HAD RECALLED LAUGHTER

 SOME SISTER OR A BROTHER

 HAD LOOKING AT THE STONE

 REMEMBERED THE BITTER THINGS

 THAT CHILDREN SOMETIMES SAY

 SOME CHILD

 HAD LOVINGLY PATTED DOWN THE EARTH

 GAVE IT

 ITS FIRST WATERING

 TEARS

 SOME MOTHER

OR A FATHER

 LOOKING AT IT BLOOMING

 HAD CAUGHT THEMSELVES REPEATING

ANNIE ANNIE ANNIE

 WHAT WAS ANNIE REALLY LIKE

 I THOUGHT

 IT HAD GROWN DARK

THE SUN WAS COLD

 SLOWLY SETTING

 WHAT WAS ANNIE REALLY LIKE

 I THOUGHT

 I PLUCKED A ROSE

 FROM OFF THE BUSH

 THEN SLOWLY WALKED THE HILLSIDE DOWN

CRADLING IT IN MY HAND

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OUR TOWN

YOU MIGHT HAVE CALLED IT

THE LAS VEGAS OF THE EAST

OR A LIBERTY TOWN FOR THE FLEET

OR SAN FRANCISCO

DURING THE GOLD RUSH

IT LIVED UP TO ITS REPUTATION

OF ANYTHING GOES

THE TOWN OF CAESAREA PHILLIPI

MOST JEWS WOULD AVOID THE CITY

FOR ITS PAGAN TEMPLES

ITS PAGAN CONDUCT

PAN

WHO WAS WORSHIPPED THERE

WAS A FERTILITY GOD

WITH ALL ITS RITUALISTIC SEXUAL CONDUCT

ALSO IT WAS A SITE FOR EMPEROR WORSHIP

 ALSO THERE WAS A SHRINE

FOR DANCING GOATS

FOR PAN COULD SET GOATS A DANCING

BY PLAYING ON HIS SYRINX

HIS PAN PIPES

IT WAS ALSO A BURIAL PLACE FOR THOSE SACRED GOATS

THERE WAS ALSO A GROTTO

WITH A DEEP POOL

INTO WHICH SACRIFICES WERE THROWN

 THE ENTRANCE TO THE CAVE

WAS CALLED

THE GATES OF HADES

 IT WAS HERE THAT CHRIST CALLED PETER ROCK

MUCH HAS BEEN MADE

THAT CHRIST MEANT PETER TO BE THE FIRST IN SUCCESSION

THERE ARE GOOD ARGUMENTS

FOR BOTH POSITIONS

POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE

 I THINK CHRIST WAS ONLY THINKING

OF HIS FRIEND PETER

HOW HE MATCHED THE MOLD

OF SO MANY TESTAMENT HEROES

HE WAS A FLAWED INDIVIDUAL

 HE STARTS HIS CHURCH

IN A BAD NEIGHBORHOOD

WHERE GOOD PEOPLE DON’T GO

HE SENT A SINNER

SO SINNERS COULD IDENTIFY

HE SENT A WORKER

WITH CALLOUSED HANDS

SO THAT THE POOR COULD IDENTIFY

PETER FELT INFERIOR TO THE TASK

BUT CHRIST SAID

WITH ME ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE

 CAESAREA PHILLIPI IS NO MORE

THE TEMPLES ARE IN RUINS

THE CAVE COLLAPSED

BUT CHRIST LOOKS DOWN THE AGES

SAYS

YOU ARE MY ROCKS

ON YOU I BUILD MY CHURCH

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THE SOWER (Matt 13:3-23; Mk 4:2-20; Lk 8:4-15 )

 

THE SOWER WENT OUT TO SOW HIS SEEDS

TRA-LA

THE SOWER WENT OUT TO SOW HIS SEEDS

HE FLUNG THEM HIGH

HE FLUNG THEM LOW

HE FLUNG THEM WIDE

HE FLUNG THEM NEAR

TRA-LA

 SOME FELL ON HARD GROUND

LIKE A TAMPED DOWN PATH

COULD NOT ROOT AND DIED

 WHOSE FAULT

TO CREATE AN ENVIRONMENT

IN WHICH NOTHING THRIVES

LIKE KEEPING A CHILD ALIVE IN THE WOMB

IGNORING IT THE REST OF ITS LIFE

WHILE BIRDS DEVOURED ITS SUBSTANCE

 THE SOWER WENT OUT TO SOW HIS SEED

PRODIGAL IN HIS SOWING

THOSE WHO FAILED TO THRIVE

BECAUSE OF PERSONAL FAULTS

DESERVE THEIR FATE

 BUT THOSE WHO FAILED TO THRIVE

BECAUSE OTHERS FAILED TO PREPARE THE FIELD

OR MADE THE FIELD UNFRUITFUL

WITH ROCKS AND THORNS NOT REMOVED

WHO SINS FOR NOT THRIVING

THE SEED

OR THOSE WHO ILL PREPARED THE FIELD

BY EITHER NEGLIGENCE

OR DELIBERATE

 LIKE A CHILD

BORN POOR

WHO DIES HUNGRY

DO WE BLAME THE CHILD

FOR FAILING TO THRIVE

 LIKE A CHILD BORN

TO A RACE THAT IS HATED

WHO NEVER BLOOMS

FOR LACK OF LIGHT

 WHO’S TO BLAME

FOR SEED FAILURE

IN EVEN GOOD LAND

WHEN A  FEW CONTROL MOISTURE

LET FIELDS GO DRY

 

WE’RE TOLD

THERE WILL BE A RECKONING

WHY NOT NOW

 THE SOWER WENT OUT TO SOW HIS SEEDS

TRA-LA

 THE SOWER WENT OUT TO SOW HIS SEEDS

HE FLUNG THEM HIGH

HE FLUNG THEM LOW

HE FLUNG THEM WIDE

HE FLUNG THEM NEAR

TRA-LA

 

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Elijah

I LOOKED FOR THE LORD

WALKING THE HIGH RIDGE BUFFETED BY STORM

WATCHING THE AVALANCHE COME CRASHING DOWN

 

CRIED OUT

WHERE ARE YOU LORD

BUT HEARD ONLY THE WIND

 I STOOD BEFORE A WATERFALL

 WATCHED THE MAGNIFICENT PLUNGE OF WATER

DEAFENED BY ITS ROAR

CRIED OUT

WHERE ARE YOU LORD

THE WOODS CAUGHT FIRE THE FLAME RAGED FIERCE

THE HEAT BROKE ROCKS

RELENTLESS WAS THE FLAME 

IT COULD NOT BE CONTAINED

 I CRIED OUT

WHERE ARE YOU GOD

 THEN ONE FALL DAY

BY A LITTLE BROOK

WITH BUT THE SUN TO WARM ME

A BIT OF A BREEZE SPUN SOME LEAVES

SAID

HERE

 

 

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