Invisible Jello

Just friends, spending time
Chatting when you catch my eye.
You make me laugh, I turn
Away to hide how much I yearn
To hug you. I fear I'll show
You that I've turned to jello.
Afraid that you can see
Right through me
Until I recall
You can't see me at all.
You don't know I exist,
And it comes down to this:
I'm invisible jello
Wanting you to know--
I love you.

What you see as your buffoonery
Endears you to me.
With your sheepish grin
You draw me in.
You call yourself unworthy
Of love, but I disagree.
If you only knew
How I care for you!
And yet, you don't know;
Still I turn to jello,
Wishing you knew I exist.
But it comes down to this:
I'm invisible jello
Wanting you to know--
I love you.

Dropping Sticks of Prayer

Floating on the wings of the wind
Soaring higher to the peak
Of the mountain, looking for her friend,
Her heart to speak.
She finds him sitting high
Upon the tallest limb
Thinks longingly with a bird sigh,
"I'm in love with him."
She drops the stick she clutches,
Hoping that he will see.
The gesture his heart touches,
And he swoops down from his tree.
He grasps the stick she carried
And her heart goes pitter-pat.
They might be getting married!
And she tries again; with that
She shows him over again
How she feels and waits.
He catches the stick and then
Asks her on a date.
Together, up and up they fly
Until they go much higher
Than they will ever go in the future
Or ever have gone prior.
When they reach the summit the male
Eagle's talons with the female's lock;
They pull in their wings as wind assails
And drop through the air like a rock.
Their trust in each other placed,
They wait until the very end
To spread their wings and soar with grace
To be life-partner friends.

I drop sticks for you
From the mountain tops of prayer
Asking God to
Let you see me and care.
Longing for you to catch
My thoughts that I wish you
Could see as I watch
What you do,
But I know that I can't tell,
And it tears me apart.
I can't hint about my feelings;
I give God my heart.
I'm longing to make the upward assent
With you by my side,
To know you to a great extent
And in you confide.
But for now I wait
Simply dropping those sticks of prayer,
Seeking my emotions to abate,
My heart with God share.

For He has a plan.

Distracted Bride

Distracted Bride
for Heidi Schlender


People gather
To see the sight.
They wait
For her—
The girl in white.

But none
Waits more
Than he.

The groom is
Grinning wide
As he waits for her eyes
To lock into his.

But the girl in the back
Is distracted
As the usher’s open the doors.

She sees the people,
The flowers,
The runner on the floor.

She sees the petals that fell
Misplaced
Onto the carpet.

She sees her friends
And calls out,
“How’s it goin’?”
“What’s up?”
“We need to hang out, ‘kay?”

The Groom’s smile wanes,
He waits in vain
For her to look his way,
For her to remember to spend time
With Him—
Her best friend.

She stops abruptly
Halfway down
The aisle
And turns around.

And she goes backward
Wondering.

Why does she feel empty?
What of the love she was in?

***

The Groom stands
At the throne of heaven
He waits
For her—
The Church, His Bride.

The groom is
Grinning wide
As He waits for her eyes
To lock into His.

But she sees people’s faults
Praise’s glory
The rocks upon her path.

She sees the opportunities that fell
Misplaced;
They are so important to her
That she fails to look ahead.

She sees her earthly friends
And calls out,
“How’s it goin’?”
“What’s up?”
“We need to hang out, ‘kay?”

The Groom’s smile wanes,
He waits in vain
For her to look His way.
To take time to want to hang out
With Him.

Something happens.
She stops abruptly
Halfway down
The aisle of life
And turns around.

And she goes slowly backward
Wondering.

Why does she feel empty?
What of the love she was in?

***

The bride in the church looks
Past the colorful sea of people
Past all in her pathway.
To His face
His eyes
His smile.

No distractions seem to bother her
As long as her eyes are his,
As long as he is there.
Waiting
Saying everything in that stare
Of love.

And she knows
He is what is important as she walks the aisle.
He is the joy that makes her full.