Archive for February, 2020
Simpler Times
This is a melancholy sort of poem but, just so y’all know, I’m not sad. In fact I’m very much at peace and have great hope for the future. I do, however, often look longingly at the way things used to be. I think we all tend to do that. I hope you enjoy the poem.
Those Times Ago
Eyes closed, I smiled and imagined
A full moon hanging low in the sky
Looking like a shiny pearl button
On a dandy cowboy’s shirt
Sequin stars glittered
On a blouse of blue-black silk
While in the distance cattle lowed
And coyotes yipped and howled
When I opened my eyes
It all faded to cold hard truth
The hot dry grass on my neck
And burning tears I wouldn’t let fall
City traffic whirred nearby
Distant sirens pierced the night
A neighbor screamed angrily
At her laughing children
I gazed up at the dingy sky
Closed my eyes and tried to recall
Those times so long ago
When hope still lived within me
Times when stars twinkled
The man in the moon smiled
And parents, tired from their day
Murmured and chuckled softly
Gliding in the old wooden swing on the porch
Smiling, looking forward to tomorrow
While in the moon-shadow of a tree
Children tittered secret laughter
I wondered when the world had changed
And wished we could go back
To when life was simple; those times ago
When hope was more than just a word
Copyright © 2011 C. Mashburn
A HA-HA Moment!
I was walking last Thursday and out of nowhere my brain said, “Hey! I know! Let’s run!” So off I went. I didn’t run very far–maybe a couple hundred yards–but the next day my back and hip hurt. It happens these days–little aches and pains pop up–and I didn’t give it too much thought. I stretched all weekend, went to the gym this morning, had a good workout, did more stretching, and feel a lot better now. I was pondering the possible reasons for the mysterious pain, and it finally hit me. About the time I realized what I’d done (the running last Thursday) my brain said, “HA-HA!”
Two Wolves
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I tend to expound on the people and things that shaped me into who I am, and the Cherokee legend of the two wolves hits the nail on the head. For too much of my life, I fed the evil within me and allowed it to guide my steps. Fortunately, the good was the more powerful force, and as time went on, I began to feed it, and watched in amazement as it easily overpowered the evil I’d given control to. Looking back, I realize the good wolf within me was made strong by the good people God placed in my path. People like Judge Billy Meck who taught my Sunday school class when I was around the age of ten. It wasn’t just the things he taught me in that class, but even more so, it was the kind of man he was. Truth is, I don’t even know what kind of man Judge Meck was, but I know what kind of man I saw when I was a boy, and that’s how I will always remember him.
Still Climbing
I was raised by a man who was constantly ranting about how this person, or that group, was out to get him, and life just wasn’t fair. I seldom saw him at peace. Unfortunately, his ways rubbed off on me, and I spent much of my life fighting against the world. As a result, I had no peace within my soul.
I didn’t learn to be at peace, and I didn’t one day figure out how to defeat those I perceived to be against me; God delivered me from my enemies—many of them imaginary—and delivered peace unto my soul. That’s not to say I am in a constant state of perfect peace, but I’m learning to let go of things quicker than I used to and turn to God for relief from the battles—whether perceived or real—of this world.
He has delivered my soul in peace from the battle that was against me: for there were many against me. Psalms 55:18
He Never Let Go
Still amazed! But in a much different way.
As a young man, I was afraid of nothing and rebelled at everything. I was wild, always testing the rules and boundaries, and actually made the statement, more than once, that I didn’t think I’d live to see my 21st birthday. I lived life like there would be no tomorrow, and for most of my life I was amazed I was still standing.
Photo courtesy of Google Images
Then things changed; I didn’t have one of those lightning bolt experiences, and the fact is I wasn’t even looking for help or seeking to change. It just began, as I quite suddenly realized I’d lived far past my expectations not because I was unafraid, but because I was a part of God’s plan. I learned that even when I wasn’t aware of Him, or His plan, He was still using me.
All those years… years when I thought it was…
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Marbles In My Pocket ~ The Official Blog of Charles L. Mashburn ~ Poems, Short Stories, and random thoughts from the author of "Be Still... and know that I am God" 