Monday, January 28, 2019

The Unspoken Words of a Fool

"In the Middle of Freedom"  by Isabel Mansfield

Image Source

Linking with The Sunday Muse for Muse # 40
Come join us!


The sharpest sorrows are those which remain locked within our own breasts.
 ~James Lendall Basford


Words do not die
 they wait in silence
as do the unspoken words of a fool
  they survive held captive
 like an abducted child
waiting in bated breath
 for a chance to escape
 yet never losing hope in the years that pass 
there are so many things I wish I had said to you
 I thought I would have the chance
 but time can be a nimble thief
  the chance has long since passed
songs on the radio send thoughts reeling
 like paper cranes in the air
 that will never make it very far
sentiments of hope and love
 lost down darkened halls
 so many feelings wishing
 for a way to be expressed
  perhaps that is why
I became a poet
to give expression
to all my captive thoughts
a million different ways
of saying.... I wish you were still here.

©Carrie Van Horn 2019


Friday, January 25, 2019

A Mighty Ocean and a Magnificent God


~This is a response to a beautiful poetry prompt book given to me by my dear daughter Amber.~
Each page of the prompt book is a different word subject. This one is:
The Ocean

Let God's promises shine on your problems. ~Corrie Ten Boom



“It is bigger than we are” he said to me,
 speaking of the affliction of addiction
 evading our youngest son.
My heart had long since broken in countless pieces,
like grains of sand along the shore.
You see, the love we have
for our children
is a force that grows with time
and their struggles and heartbreak
are a sorrow we also hold just as tight.
Fears and hopes can be mighty things,
like an ocean across the horizon
becoming all we can see
but like a gentle soul once told me,
“God is bigger and He is with us.”
It is an awe-inspiring truth,
that God the maker of the universe
chooses to dwell within us
yet is gentle enough to ask.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Many miracles and sorrows
have happened since that day.
My son is now whole in Christ,
and so are the pieces of my heart.
Whenever I think of what God can do
 I think of the beautiful and mighty ocean,
and when I stand before the sea
It is our beautiful and mighty God
that I truly see.


©Carrie Van Horn 2019




Monday, January 21, 2019

Black and White

If only
 life could be that way
 black and white
 no in between
but there is always an in between
grey areas
full of obscurity
questions to be asked
answers that don't always come
a chaos in the order
a madness that sings too loud
near the silence of peace.


©Carrie Van Horn 2019

Tuesday, January 15, 2019

I Traded My Violin for a Piano

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Linking with The Sunday Muse for Muse # 38

C o m e   j o i n  us!


Sometimes troubles blow into our lives unforgiving like winter
Singing a sad ballad one could never forget.
In seasons passed when hardship played its tune
I used to sit on a cold bench
Unwilling to learn the notes
Too sad to even sing the song
Now in the winter years of my life
I shake off the cold heart of troubles
with a fling wilder than a grand affair
and sing the song louder
than an opera singer on the stage
I have danced that dance enough times
so I have learned all the moves
I know the notes by heart
and the chorus is now written
 just for me to sing
ssssshhhhhhhh
my solo is about to start.


There are many lessons that take a life time to learn, and I think dealing with problems and adversity are one of those things.  I have spent many years in the past thinking that if things just got better I would then be happy.  Truth is, life is full of problems that arise quicker than a summer thunderstorm.  We will always have situations where things do not go just as we would choose, and learning to be happy in the place we are is much like learning to play a song on the piano.  It is something that takes practice and patience.  Eventually we learn to sing the song and play the notes, but it does not happen right off the bat.  Truly it is a lesson I still struggle with from time to time, but I have gotten better.  I no longer cry in my bear, I now sip tea and reflect, pray, and find outlets that are healthier.  I guess life is a never ending journey of learning.  We never outgrow needing the metronome when trying to keep up with the beat ahead. 

©Carrie Van Horn 2019



Tuesday, January 8, 2019

Together We Are Light


"Guardian" by Chie Yoshii

Linking with The Sunday Muse for Muse # 37

The crest and crowning of all good,
Life's final star, is Brotherhood.
~Edwin Markham



Like a warm garment in winter we were meant to be close
Comforting one another and guiding each other home.
Hand in hand and heart to heart from fox to owl to man
In a deep harmony like waves upon the beach’s sand.
All God’s creatures from great to small
dwelling deep in the forest to mountains tall
In the city and upon the beautiful country side

When we carry each other our true burden is light.

©Carrie Van Horn 2019


Saturday, January 5, 2019

Food for Thought

Courtesy Google Images


I need neither future nor past, but to learn to take today not too fast. 
~Jeb Dickerson


Yesterday is a vanilla ice cream cone
it has already melted
picking it up now will be an unnecessary mess

Tomorrow is an apple from the tree
that is not quite ripe enough for eating
so do not worry over picking it now

Today is a prime rib steak dinner
it is hot and ready to serve
chew it slow and enjoy!


©Carrie Van Horn 2019