A BOOK OF SOLILOQUIES

A BOOK OF SOLILOQUIES

By

Frank A Vollmer

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SOLILOQUY - O COME EMMANUEL

O COME O COME EMMANUEL

TO MY LONELY BED

WHERE THE HOURS GO SLOWLY

 SLEEP ESCAPES ME

COME EMMANUEL

COME EMMANUEL

COME DAY STAR

 HELP ME FIND MORNING

COME

ROD OF JESSE COME

 GIVE ME VICTORY OVER THE GRAVE

FOR DEATH AND I

HAVE BECOME FRIENDS

COME O COME O MIGHTY GOD

WHO DWELT ONCE ON HIGH

WHO DWELT ONCE AMONG US

WHO DWELLS NOW WITHIN US

COME

COME GOD OF FORGIVENESS

 OF PEACE

LET YOUR WAYS BE MINE

COME O COME

DESIRE OF ALL NATIONS COME

COME AS SLEEP COMES TO MY EYES

COME

AS I LET YOU RULE YOUR WORLD

COME

 GIVE ME REST

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SOLILOQUY #1

IN A DARKENED BEDROOM

WHEN I WAS YOUNG LAD

AND ON MY COT

THE CARS GOING BY

MADE MONSTERS

RUN ACROSS THE WALLS

TO HIDE IN CLOSETS

 BENEATH MY BED

DARE ME TO MAKE A BATHROOM CALL

I HAVE NEW MONSTERS NOW

OF WHOM I’M NOT AFRAID

I DON’T MEAN TO SOUND SO BRAVE

BUT I’VE LIVED WITH THEM AWHILE

THEY ARE COMPANIONS OF MY OLD AGE

A READING FROM 4 ESDRAS

ETERNAL REST GRANT TO THEM OH LORD

AND LET PERPETUAL LIGHT SHINE UPON THEM.

MAY THEY REST IN PEACE. AMEN.

A COMMON QUOTE IN EARLY CHRISTIAN TIMES

A BEAUTIFUL QUOTE

BUT WHAT DOES IT MEAN

IS IT THAT GOD WILL LEAVE THE LIGHT ON

SO THAT THE MONSTERS WILL BE KEPT AT BAY

IT NEVER MADE THE BIBLE

BUT WAS WIDELY CITED

AMONG THE EARLY DOCTORS OF THE CHURCH

WAS MADE PART OF THE SERVICE FOR THE DEAD

ETERNAL REST

A THING TO BE CRAVED

PERPETUAL LIGHT

NO DEMONS WILL COME NEAR

ODD THOUGHTS

BROUGHT ON BY PROLONGED BED REST

THE MEDICINE

THAT KEEPS ME IN A CONTINUAL STATE OF OVERDRIVE

AND LET’S MY IMAGINATION SOAR

AS SHADOWS FLY ACROSS MY ROOM

WHISPERING

WHY DO GOOD PEOPLE GIVES CHURCH’S A BAD NAME

WHY

TO QUOTE JONATHAN SWIFT

DO WE HAVE ENOUGH RELIGION TO HATE

BUT NOT ENOUGH TO LOVE

WHY SHOULD THERE BE A DRESS CODE AT CHURCH

SO HIGH

THAT A POOR MAN

WOULD NOT FEEL WELCOME

WHY SHOULD A CONVERSION TO CHRISTIANITY

CARRY WITH IT AN APPRECIATION

OF EUROPEAN CULTURE

OR HYMNODY

WHY DO MEN SUFFER

KIND OF LATE AT NIGHT FOR THAT

NOT MUCH ELSE HAPPENING

I NEVER REALLY THOUGHT GOD GAVE JOB

A SUITABLE ANSWER

OH I WAS PROPERLY IMPRESSED

AWED

SCARED EVEN

BUT NOT IMPRESSED

WE MUST BE QUIET

SHE

WHO WATCHES OVER ME IN THE NIGHT

WILL CHECK ON ME

IF SHE HEARS A NOISE

GOD IS REALLY HER ASSISTANT

BUT HE DOESN’T KNOW IT

WE ARE MINDED THAT THE POPE

WAS COMMENDED

FOR HOW GRACEFULLY HE SUFFERED

 HE DID

BUT IN THAT BELIEF SYSTEM

SUFFERING

CAN BE USED TO MERIT

TO ALLEVIATE

THE SPIRITUAL CONDITION

OF A SOUL IN PURGATORY

ONE CAN SUFFER THEIR MOTHER

INTO HEAVEN

OH STOP FLYING AROUND THE ROOM MARTIN

THIS IS MY ARGUMENT WITH MY SELF

NOT YOURS

I WAS ASKED ONCE WHEN I SAID THESE THINGS

HAD I FOUND GOD

I TOLD THEM I DIDN’T THINK HE WAS LOST

WHY DOES GOD ADVOCATE GENOCIDE IN THE BIBLE

IS THIS GOD’S VOICE

OR THAT OF THE AUTHOR

I WANT A GOD WHO HOLDS ME IN THE PALM OF HIS HAND

A PALM INSCRIBED WITH MY NAME

A GOD WHO LOVES ME PERSONALLY

I DO NOT THINK THAT A GOD WHO LOVES US

WOULD SPEAK TO US IN RIDDLES OR CODE

HOW MANY PARENTS

HAVE WE TORTURED AS IN HELL

BECAUSE THEIR BABIES WERE NOT BAPTIZED

IF GOD SAYS LOVE

CAN WE EXPECT HIM TO DO OTHERWISE

CAN WE DEMAND OF HIM

THE SAME HE DEMANDS OF US

THE SHADOWS FLY ACROSS THE ROOM

LESS NOW THAT DAY COMES

LIKE A WATCHMAN I WAIT FOR DAWN

MY EYES ARE GROWING WEARY

THE LIGHT COMES ON

THE MONSTERS GO TO SLEEP

I AM SHELTERED IN GOD’S HAND

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SOLILOQUY #2

ANOTHER SLEEPLESS NIGHT

BROUGHT ON BY MEDICINE

NOT BY WORRY

ANOTHER SLEEPLESS NIGHT

WATCHING SHADOWS RUN ACROSS THE ROOM

AS CARS GO BY

TIME WAS WHEN THEY WERE MONSTERS

BUT I’VE OUT GROWN THEM

NOW THEY LISTEN TO ME

AS I TALK TO THEM

ABOUT QUESTIONS THAT HAVE NO ANSWERS

OR AT LEAST SATISFACTORY ANSWERS

LIKE WHY ARE CHRISTIANS

KNOWN MORE FOR HATE

THAN LOVE

SO VOLTAIRE CAN SAY

OF ALL RELIGIONS,

CHRISTIANITY IS WITHOUT A DOUBT

THE ONE THAT SHOULD INSPIRE TOLERANCE MOST,

ALTHOUGH, UP TO NOW,

THE CHRISTIANS HAVE BEEN

THE MOST INTOLERANT OF ALL MEN

OR AS JOHN ADAMS OUR SECOND PRESIDENT SAID

THIS WOULD BE THE BEST

OF ALL POSSIBLE WORLDS,

IF THERE WERE NO RELIGION IN IT

IF WE ARE MADE IN GOD’S IMAGE

SHOULD WE NOT BE GOD-LIKE

AND BE LOVING

FOR GOD IS LOVE

IT SHOULD BE THE MEASURE

BY WHICH WE MEASURE

ALL THINGS

BIBLE VERSES

PERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS

RELIGIONS

ANYTHING WHICH DIMINISHES MAN

GOD’S SPECIAL CREATION

 

WHY ARE RELIGIOUS PEOPLE

OFTEN GLOOMY

WHY DO GOOD PEOPLE

OFTEN GIVE CHURCHES

A BAD NAME

PLACES

WHERE A SINNER

WOULD NOT FEEL WELCOME

FOR IF WE EXCLUDE HIM

HOW WILL HE HEAR THE WORD

BUT AS FOR ME

I KNOW THE SUN WILL NEVER SET

NOR THE MOON CHANGE ITS SIZE

THE LORD WILL SHINE ETERNAL LIGHT UPON ME

AND MY DAYS OF SORROW WILL END

I SHALL WAIT FOR THAT MOMENT

MORE THAN WATCHMAN WAIT

FOR THE DAWN

BUT AS FOR ME

IT IS NOT ENOUGH TO FIND FAULT

BUT TO LIVE EACH DAY

EACH PRECIOUS DAY

AS A PERSON MOTIVATED BY LOVE

TO KEEP MY LAMP TRIMMED

AND BE WAITING WHEN THE LORD COMES FOR ME

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SOLILOQUY #3

ANOTHER SLEEPLESS NIGHT

BROUGHT ON BY MEDICINE

AND THOUGHTS OF KATRINA

I WILL RESTORE ORDER

THE GREAT MAN SAID

TO THE HUNGRY AND THIRSTY

I WILL RESTORE ORDER

NO THOUGHT OF USING

THE MIGHTY MACHINES OF WAR

TO DELIVER FOOD

LIKE THEY BUILD A BRIDGE IN IRAQ

INSTANTLY

IS THIS THE WAY WE HANDLE OUR POOR

RESTORE ORDER
 THE CRY OF THE POOR

BECOMES LIKE THE RUMBLE OF DISTANT THUNDER

SO POOR BLACK MEN LOOTED

 POOR WHITE MEN STOLE BREAD

ANOTED PUNDITS SAID

WE ARE SEVEN MEALS AWAY FROM ANARCHY

BUT I WILL RESTORE ORDER

 WHEN WE GET AROUND TO IT

FOOD

WHEN JESUS

WANTED TO SHOW JOHN WHO HE WAS

HE SAID

TELL HIM THE POOR HAVE THE GOSPEL

PREACHED TO THEM

FIRST WE MAKE THEM POOR

THEN COMPLAIN ABOUT THEIR POVERTY

WE HAVE NO DARK AGES

BUT MANY DARK PAGES

LIKE SEPARATE DRINKING FOUNTAINS

BATHROOMS

SCHOOLS

CHURCHES

PLACES ON A BUS

LITTLE CHILDREN

LOVE ONE ANOTHER

REMOVE THE CAUSE OF THE PAIN

GRADUALLY

THE SITUATION BETTERS

BUT THE POOR

ARE STILL LOOKING FOR

THOSE WHO PRACTICE

WHAT THEY PREACH

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SOLILOQUY #4

HE NEITHER SLUMBERS

NOR SLEEPS

WHO WATCHES OVER ISRAEL

HE NEITHER SLUMBERS

NOR SLEEPS

WHO WATCHES OVER ME

I’M GLAD FOR THE COMPANY

WATCHING SHADOWS

RUN ACROSS THE CEILING

ANOTHER SLEEPLESS NIGHT

THANKFULLY

THERE ARE NO MORE NIGHTMARES

THERE WERE TIMES

THAT DEMONS DANCED

AROUND MY BED

 LAUGHED AT MY CONFUSION

BUT I AM BETTER NOW

I REST CONTENT

NOT SLEEPING

BUT CONTENT

THAT HE THAT WATCHES OVER ME

WILL STAY TILL DAWN

AND BEYOND

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