A Little Poetry

I've been writing poetry for a little over 2 years now. In March 2008, I had something on my heart and needed a way to express it. As I had several friends on a forum who wrote, as well as one of my sisters, I decided to give it a shot.

After writing that first poem and receiving a lot of positive feedback, I really got into it. Whenever something pressed on my heart, either good or bad, I would write a poem about it. I've written roughly 58 poems since that start.

Here are two of my poems, each with a bit of story after it, describing what inspired the writing. I hope y'all enjoy, and commentary is welcome!

--

Nightmare
December 11th, 2008

The pain attacking in my sleep,
haunting dreams to make me weep.

Striking deep, when least expected,
once again, I'm unprotected.

Jesus, Savior, come rescue me
when I'm in chains, far from peace.
I need strong hands to pull me from,
these dark dreams, with sinister songs.

I race through streets, where dangers abound
waiting to arrest me, without a sound.

I try to wake up, from this vision
where storm winds blow, with strong derision.*

Jesus, Savior, come rescue me
when I'm in chains, far from peace.
I need strong hands to pull me from,
these dark dreams, with sinister songs.

Monsters come to life from stones,
intent on breaking every bone.

And I'm left wondering how it happened,
when fantasy pain comes into action.

Jesus, Savior, come rescue me
when I'm in chains, far from peace.
I need strong hands to pull me from,
these dark dreams, with sinister songs.

--

I've experienced actual [sometimes very bad] pain in nightmares, various times throughout my life. When I wrote this poem, it had become more frequent, and dreaming at all was frightening. I would be afraid that the dream would turn into a nightmare, and something would hurt me. Thus, the two-line stanzas.

However, any time that I could remember to call on Jesus, I would immediately wake up. Sometimes, I wouldn't be able to get the name out, or wouldn't think of it at all, but as soon as I did, I would wake up. Upon talking to a friend's dad at church, and telling him about my nightmares, he advised me to read my Bible out loud right before I go to bed, pray, etc. I'm so thankful to say that I haven't had any sort of nightmare in long months since then. Jesus, my Savior, rescued me.

*If you've read the Castaways of the Flying Dutchman series by Brian Jacques, you may find this ringing a bell. I was inspired to incorporate it because of the nightmares that Ben and Ned have of the storm that cast them into the sea.

--

Love Eclipse
May 16th, 2009

So confused, damaged,
my heart fights to feel.
So upset, wondering-
when will these wounds heal?

Dare me to move in,
I need to seek Your love.
Father, find me vulnerable,
exposed as though a dove.

Hold me in Your arms tonight
and whisper tender verse.
Eclipse me with Your love so bright,
when I am slammed and cursed.

My soul must be cared for,
my spirit filled again.
My bowl shall overflow,
when my Jesus comes in.

So Christ come near me,
I am captivated by Your face.
So glorious and beautiful,
my heart palpitates.

Sweep me into Your arms
and carry me away.
Our dance will soften harms,
Grace gifted with each sway.

--

Spring and Summer of 2009 I had a lot going on. God was dealing intensely with my heart, bringing brokenness to the surface, cleaning and healing, teaching and revealing. God will always be working in our hearts and lives, but those seasons were particularly intense, and marked the start of a lot of growth for me.

I met one of my best friends, Matthew, whom I will claim as my big brother without hesitation, just before everything started to rock. I really can't talk about that season without mentioning him, because he helped me so much. God used Matthew repeatedly, especially in teaching me to trust and to open up. I wrote this poem on a rough night, and God gave me the grace to complete it with a message of hope. With that thought, I believe it fits on this blog perfectly. God gives me hope to press on through it all, which I wish to reflect, and spread to those around me.