September 15, 2014
Vol. 17, Issue 3
Vol. 17, Issue 3
It’s all about…The Lamb
Maude Carolan Pych/Quarterly Poetry Letter
“Worthy is
the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches
and
wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing.” Rev 5:12 NASB
It’s all about…The Lamb is a quarterly publication for lovers of the Holy Lamb of
God, who also enjoy poetry. The purpose is to magnify our Lord and Savior Jesus
Christ, and inspire an ever-deepening relationship with Him, the lover of our
souls…
FELLOWSHIP LUNCHEON…
Saturday
afternoon it was raining outside, but the sun shone brightly inside (and I
don’t mean from the bowl of radiant sunflowers on my dining room table). I
invited the women from Beth Israel Worship Center who are on my deaconess call
list. A couple of the women, I have been calling for years, but never met face
to face until Saturday. What a blessing! We shared, we prayed, we enjoyed lunch
and then I took the opportunity to read selected worshipful poems. It was a
perfect way to spend a rainy afternoon.
WOOSTER STREET
TROLLEY JAZZ BAND…
Then
on Sunday afternoon Bob and I ventured to the Ringwood (NJ) Library to attend a
Dixieland concert by the Wooster Street Trolley Jazz Band, led by Ringwood
icon, Bob Leive, former music director of Lakeland Regional High School. The
band performed many old favorites including “When the Saints Go Marchin’ In”. I
happen to have a poem about that song and will include it in this publication. The poem won second prize in the St. Catherine of Bologna Art, Photography & Poetry Exhibition in Ringwood, in 2006.
REMEMBERING THE DAY
THE TOWERS FELL…
September
11, 2001…For as long as we live, the memory of what happened that terrible day
will never wash from our minds…like the attack on Pearl Harbor, like the day
President Kennedy was shot and Martin Luther King. Each jolting event, each
shock is forever etched upon our memory banks. 9/11. We’ll never forget. Never.
I
recently self-published another chapbook titled, “God’s Square Mile—Poems about
Ocean Grove”. Amid a stream of poetry about this serene Christian community at
the Jersey Shore, the little book has two poems about 9/11/01 that I’ll share
in today’s edition.
Speaking
of 9/11 and books and publishing, Jonathan Cahn, pastor/rabbi of my
congregation, Beth Israel Worship Center at the Jerusalem Center, Wayne, NJ,
and author of the bestseller, “The Harbinger,” has written a second book, “The
Mystery of the Shemitah”. It was released September 2nd and is already
well on the way to becoming another major best seller. The enticing cover promises
to reveal the 3000 year old secret of “America’s Future, the World’s Future and
Your Future”. I picked up a few copies at church this weekend. It is also
available at amazon.com, www.christianbook.com and wherever books
are sold.
MODPO 2014…
Last
year I took the free online Coursera class in Modern & Contemporary Poetry
out of Penn State University and achieved a certificate of completion. This
year’s course has an astonishing 42,000 enrollees worldwide. It is led by
Professor Al Filreis and his panel of bright students that he calls his “pals”.
This time around, I’m taking it just for fun. Interested? Go online and check
it out.
+ + + THE POEMS
FOLLOW + + +
SEPTEMBER 11, 2001
Yesterday I strolled
the shoreline at Ocean Grove
bathed in morning sun
The cool surf lapped at my feet
I randomly selected seashells
There were no crowds
The sea sparkled and frolicked
gulls held their turf
sandpipers skittered
as I basked
in God-given serenity
this final day
of a weekend away
This morning, back at the office
the sky is as blue and bright
as yesterday’s
Our boss calls in
While driving along the Turnpike
he sees a jet
approach the Twin Towers
but it doesn’t pass by
Suddenly there’s a great billow
of black smoke
He drives onto the exit ramp
sees another plane
fly deliberately into the other
tower
We scramble to turn on a television
to see what seems surreal
the North Tower falls
then the South
Screams. Oh my God!
People run in a hail of debris
gray dust; dense smoke
Then the Pentagon is hit
a plane crashes in Pennsylvania
Hijackings. Suicides. Terrorism.
Innocents
Casualties beyond comprehension
here in the U.S.A.
this bright, blue
September morn
Maude Carolan
THE TOWERS HAVE FALLEN
and
we’re sobbing, stunned and shaken
We
don’t know if there’ll be more attacks
don’t
know if we’re on the brink of war
don’t
know where the economy is headed
don’t
know WHY. We have so many questions
and no
one is giving us answers
that
make any sense
Two
days later
Leo
sees an ad in the paper—
a condo
for sale in Ocean Grove
in the
very same complex
we’d
been watching before…
But
this is not the time—
the
world’s spinning out of orbit
We’re
unsettled. Nervous
Our
tomorrows are clouded
by ifs
and whys and what’s next, however
four
days later
while
photos are being circulated
of the
missing, while
flags
are flying from porches
and
automobiles and overpasses
while
people are flocking into churches
crying God bless America
we sit
quietly on a bench
outside
a real estate office on Main
and
join hands in prayer
then go
inside to present our bid
on a
darling little dwelling
just
far enough away from the madness
in this
tranquil grove at the Jersey Shore
that
some call “God’s Square Mile”
Maude
Carolan Pych
MARCHING
IN
"Oh, when the saints…Oh when
the saints…"
I can almost see you marching, my
darling
with a twinkle in your eye and a
spring in your step
like I hadn't seen in years…
No halo, no feathery wings
no Bourbon Street strut, no Sachmo
no funky Dixieland umbrella
movin' up and down to the beat
but I see you, just the same
marchin' in…
marchin' through those Pearly Gates
up the golden street, along the glassy
sea
hup two, three, four…
marchin' right up to the Throne
Yes, I can see you, my darling
falling to your knees before the One
seated
as an emerald rainbow swirls around
you both
I see Jesus rise to His feet, draw
you to His bosom
and welcome you in
I think of our wedding day
of Bob Leive's Wooster Street
Trolley Band
and Bob leading the march with his
old battered horn
to the song you loved so much
We all fell in line behind him
singing, "Oh, I want to be in
that number…"
as we marched round, round and round
the reception hall
Then I think of your funeral day
when you lay in the front of the
room
looking healthy enough to sit up and
ask me to dance
We listened to eulogy after eulogy
and praised God for bringing you
Home
Pastor Ben began strumming his
guitar
and we got up out of our seats
and marched as we sang,
"Yes, I want to be in that
number
when the saints go marching
in…"
We did it just for you
Maude Carolan
Comments
are always welcome and appreciated. If possible, please post them directly to
the website.
Look
for the next edition of It’s all about…The Lamb, December 15,
2014
A FEW CLOSING WORDS…
Dear Reader/Subscriber,
Have you been going it
alone? Does it seem like the world is spinning out of control? Is
something…Someone…missing in your life? Do you need to return to God? Do you
need to repent? Now is the time. God loves you. He’s always loved you, and He’s
waiting. Make room for Him in your heart…Today!
May the God
of Love be with ewe,
Maude
After God’s Own Heart Publishing
P.O. Box 2211, Woodland Park, NJ 07424
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