#15 The Man I Am Today

I am not the man of yore 

Of things I've said and done before 

I have changed in countless ways 

All throughout the passing days. 

As the world wobbles to and fro 

As winter comes with ceaseless snow 

As spring arrives and green leaves grow 

The constant change is all I know 

As I reach the mountains peaks 

I see the rivers, streams and creeks 

Each filled with a possible morrow 

Of hopes, dreams, and certain sorrow 

One thing I enjoy when writing poetry is playing around with the form. Now a poem does not have to follow a specific form, but ones that do have a distinct smoothness. The challenge then, lies in finding the best word for both the form and the meaning behind the words. This can become frustrating if the words do not fit the flow, or if you have a good word that fits the flow, but it changes or softens the meaning. 

For this poem, the frustrating part for me is in the second to last line. It doesn't quite fit the form and the flow is disrupted when reading it out loud. The first stanza also has some kinks that I couldn't work out. But that's alright, a poem doesn't have to be perfect. 

#14: The Twenty-nine

On November 19, 2010, the Pike River Mine in New Zealand exploded, claiming the lives of twenty-nine people. 

This was just months after the famous Copiapó mine collapse in Chile. As you may recall, this was where thirty-three miners were trapped in the mine for 69 days before their successful rescue. The Chilean mining incident was a major news story of 2010 with a happy ending. It was a story of hope, determination, and teamwork not just by the thirty-three in the mine, but by the extensive rescue effort as well. 

For the twenty-nine miners in New Zealand, their news story was unfortunately brief. There would not be a chance to see the steely resolve of the miners, or the ingenuity of those attempting to make a rescue. Instead, it was just a single story, and then society moved on. You may have even missed the story altogether. This poem is for those twenty-nine who did not get the chance to demonstrate the content of their character in that final moment.

This one’s for the families of the twenty-nine

Of stories untold, forever trapped in the mine

Of potential courage kept hidden in the dark

Of beauty torn apart by a tiny spark

No one knows of the minute details

Of how their end came, when the mine failed

We could not witness these men’s nerves at their best

We did not see humanity put to the test.

There is always inspiration in stories of the brave

But what of these men, whose lives could not be saved?

Their families and friends will never forget

They’ll grieve as the sun rises and sets

Their sadness will consume them in the quietest hour

Their sweetest joys, now become sour

Life will move faster then the tears in their eyes

As the rest of us just move on with our lives

We might spare a thought or a prayer for their kin

And those moments will come from the goodness within

But just like the other headlines, it’ll be lost in due time

Of an intricate world beyond these twenty nine.

So many questions will be buried with the dead

A tinge of regret will live on in its stead

The families are left with emptiness inside

For none of the miners can come back to life.

These moments can test the spirits of hope

With so much death, it is impossible to cope

Despair may come in the night like a flutter

But goodness will rise, that can heal like no other

For it is born from the eternal, a most perfect lover.

#13: Contentment

I robbed a man with nothing 

I screamed “that’s just my luck, 

I find the one man in existence 

Who doesn’t even have a buck.” 

His eyes just made me angry 

I didn’t know what to do 

If he had been carrying his wallet 

I’d be buying myself some food 

We both seemed to have nothing 

We were poverished and poor 

Except he would wear a smile 

That my eyes could not ignore 

I thought he might be arrogant 

I thought he might be proud 

But when you walk the streets with nothing 

That’s really not allowed. 

I thought he might be crazy 

Or clinically insane 

So I asked about his happiness 

Why contentment would be feigned 

His face still bright and lively 

He wore the biggest grin 

He met his eyes with mine 

And said “this face is genuine.”  

Contentment is a state of satisfaction and I think the best question to ask in regards to your contentment is, "Are you happy with the person that you are?" 

The reason why I find this question to be profound is because all of us have good days and bad days, but if the person you are is someone that makes you happy, then that is likely a good thing. If there are parts of you that you dislike, you can work towards changing that. If there are parts of you that you are proud of, then you can look to those things for encouragement.

Oftentimes, upon examining ourselves, we find that we do not live up to the person we desire to be. Furthermore, we do not live up to the person that God desires us to be. God desires for us to experience contentment at the highest level but our flawed nature gets in the way.

As a Christian, I acknowledge that not only do I fall short of my own expectations, but God's as well. Contentment then seems to be an impossibility but because of Christ's sacrifice, God no longer views me as flawed, but instead as saved. Now my contentment is no longer found in my flawed self. It is now found in the perfection that is Jesus.

So now when I ask, "Am I happy being the person I am?" I can answer by saying, "I am happy because God no longer counts my flaws against me but instead loves me because he sees Jesus in place of me." No longer am I burdened with attempting to please God to be happy, I can be happy that God truly loves me regardless.

#12: The True King

The indignity thrust upon Jesus was no surprise to Him, and that is what fascinates me the most about Jesus. At any moment, Jesus could have decided not to go through with being crucified. It was not a deserved punishment. There was no justice in this action. But what we often forget, is how much power Jesus wields. Especially in this moment of pain and suffering. Jesus appears helpless on the cross. But he wasn't. It wasn't the nails that held Him to the cross, it wasn't the Romans who put them there of their own accord. Jesus allowed it. 

Jesus could have called forth angels to whisk him away or conquer the soldiers. But that was not God's plan. That was not how God's true nature could be demonstrated. Jesus was in complete obedience to the task at hand. For mankind to know and love God, Jesus would have to die. The choice was wholly His, and that is why it is considered the greatest act of compassion. 

All of our pain, all of our sins, forgiven because Jesus allowed himself to be undignified. Now this is only part of the narrative, but what a magnificent moment. 

The True King

To the man who came down 

from the heavenly place

He came with power and wisdom,

 mercy and grace

With the strength of a lion 

and the tenderness of a lamb

With the divinity of God 

and humanity of man

Although He had power

 over the land and the sea

He never did once 

break a law or decree

He came with open ears 

and He heard every cry

He came with full knowledge 

of how He would die

He was spit on by His people, 

betrayed by His friends

Yet He went through the deed 

all the way to the end

For He knew our separation 

was infinitely large

And our sin had defeated us,

 death was our charge

So He came to earth knowing

 our penalty was death

And He paid our penalty 

with his dying breath