Animals

by Jerry K. Robbins What if animals can stand apartFrom themselves, circumspectEven the lowly skink,Look around themselves and reflect“What am I to think?” What if a horse’s plaintive neighIs his way of announcingThat life is more thanRunning in circlesAt the beck and call of man What if an elephant coming across bonesThat once were enfleshed and aliveSees that these bones Read More

Fret

My obligations pile up faster than I can deal with them, and I don’t know what I’m going to do. Although I don’t sweat, I can feel my hot spots revving into high gear. My pulse is racing, and I want either a mud bath or a huge bunch of bananas. You can’t fight instinct sometimes. Personal comfort has to Read More

Forswear

“No food during the day at all?” asked Phurnell. “Nah, dude,” replied Malik. “We eat as a family to prepare for the day. And then no food till sundown when we break fast as a family.” “And you got through 30 days of that?” “Yeah, 30 days plus a half day waiting for the new moon.” “That’s hard,” mused Phurnell. Read More

Righteous

by Gale Acuff After Sunday School I walk the long mile home, full of God for another week and the memory of Miss Hooker to last just barely that long. I’ll see her again in seven days, walk to church and it won’t seem so far as it is coming back. I love her and want to marry her but Read More

Sentimental Passing

by Lamar Neal Last night, I had a dream that my mother died And I woke in a cold sweat awaiting her voice. As I awaited for her to answer my calls, I cried Unsure how I would live if God made his choice. In that moment, life itself became surreal And every fairy tale proved itself as fake. Though Read More

Masters

by Gale Acuff When I can’t fall asleep I think about my dog, Caesar, run over long ago – thirty-two years it’s been: I spend the night at a friend’s house. My father picks me up next day, and, halfway home, at a yield sign, where Post Oak Tritt runs into Sandy Plains, Son, your dog was hit by a Read More

I Just Wanted to Feel Normal

by Lamar Neal Those who were supposed to love me Walked me to death’s door, in Jesus’s name. I was a young child who couldn’t see And those prayers weren’t helping my shame. I was always a little different But no I was not made incorrectly. I didn’t care I was Heaven spent I just wanted to feel sanity. Sometimes, Read More

Moveable Feast

by Ray Ball, PhD In memory of Jan During her funeral, which I could not attend, I wondered why there are so few Moveable Feasts. She told me once, while we were doing something mundane, like getting frozen yogurt at TCBY, that one of them is the day of St. Sarkis. That Christian general who marched to Antioch, but realized Read More

Meditations

On the amount of prayer needed to maintain a pregnancy by Elisabeth Horan I never got down on my knees Begged forgiveness for my sin Never held the carpet close – Its fibers touching my chin. I should have begged specifically: God, let me keep this one inside Allow it haven in my womb – Not leave it for a Read More

Psalm with a Catholic Retreat (91)

by Shawn Anto 1 Mother asked God to save me from my wicked assimilation, unto him Almighty, I sacrifice. 2 I will say back to the Lord – “He is a confusion refuge and a mistaken fortress, my God, in whom I scatter remains for.” 3 Doubtful, he will save my hide from a broken future, in which, mother claims Read More