Poetry

EASTERTIDE ON THE COASTSIDE
By Kathy Rehm, Pescadero Church Poet, Easter Sunday 2008
  
It is Eastertide on the Coast side!
The spirit of new life is all around
As our faith in the Resurrection does abound.
The sweet earth has shed her winter shrouds
For the hills are now covered in velvety green clouds.
Oceanus greets the shore vvith all it's might,
As the waters sparkle with a heavenly light.

It is Eastertide on the Coast side!
Good Christians put away your daily strife.
Look around you, new growth promises new life.
For fertile mother earth is giving us a reflection
Of heaven's purpose, promise and perfection.

It is Eastertide on the Coast side! 
Stretch out your hands to the rising sun 
For our resurrection from our winter souls has begun.
"Do not be afraid, for He is risen"*
And the promise of life everlasting to us is given.

*From the New Testament

Poetry in Hard Times
By Kathy Rehm, March 8, 2009
  

During the week I wrote many lines
But I thought, who needs poetry in hard times?
Who would hear of flowered fields
When their retirement funds have no yields.
And who needs lyrical lines, when they can't buy food.
Your church poet was in a bleak black mood.
So feeling that I had lost my muse
I stared at my bookshelves, and there was the "Good News".
The weary world can leave us beaten down and blue
But in those glorious lines, our spirit we can renew
The Old Testament tells of a people's struggles and strife
Perhaps in their story we can learn lessons for our modem life
The New Testament gives the Master's words as nuggets ofgold
In that story that we love to hear told.
The economy might get better or it could get worse
But we can find hope in our favorite Bible verse.
I learned a lesson as I struggled to give you lines
For in the Bible we can find poetry for hard times

MARK'S MUSIC
By Kathy Rehm
When Mark makes music the notes scoop out 
A little frozen chunk of your soul ,that he 
Plops on your heart. His Smokey ,tawny tenor voice melts 
Lyrics into warm honey that he 
Drizzles~over the hardened bit

When Mark makes music of old time religion 
The "Rock ofAges" starts to roll 
You take a "Closer Walk" ... 
Amazing Grace is flowing everywhere and 
You believe again.

When Marks makes music of the songs he wrote 
The world will be beautiful 
Peace and love will flow again as 
The "bushmen" are burning and 
You believe again.

When Mark makes music, his harmonies wash up 
On the beaches of your being, rinsing away 
The last hard pebbles and leaving notes of love 
Scattered over your heart

When Mark makes music his song ends on a 
Sweet lingering harmony, you listen, you want more 
But then in the silence that follows you know that 
When Mark makes music, it sounds like heaven



WHAT DO YOU SEEK?
By Kathy Rehm
We follow the king star as the ancient stories foretold 
A new king is born, alliances to be made 
Against the might of Rome, his armies will be bold

We are weary of this journey, the blistering sands 
Yet in the cold ofthe night, the sky is filled with the king star 
We must follow this light. We must journey on 
Why does this night light draw us so far? 
    What do you seek?
    
Asks the crafty King Herod,I have no knowledge of this birth 
Has the prophesy been misread? Have, we journied for naught? 
Our fortunes were spent on the kingly gifts we have brought. 
The king star glows there! Journey on men of the East 
For in Bethlehem at the new king's palace we will feast
    What do you seek?
    
Can this be, ? The king star is over a humble home 
A carpenter for a father the mother a young girl, the Babe 
Will this Child's armies lead us against Rome?
    What do you seek?
    
The sweet mother holds the Babe for us to see 
We fall to our knees how can this be? 
We know now what we must seek 
Not alliances or armies bold 
This new King will be the world's to hold 
He will lead us not to worldly goods, or armies conquering deeds 
For He is the King ofour Spiritual needs

    What do you seek?

AT THE TOMB OF THE UNKNOWNS
By Kathy Rehm
These words are carved in the marble stone

    "Here Rests
    In Honored Glory
    An American Soldier
    Known But to Godl"
    
Not far from Arlington's Cemetery Gate 
By your fellow warriors you lie in state 
From a century ofwars, you came to rest in this place 
Guarded by your fellow soldiers I in stately grace 
By your sacrifices a later generation would yell 
Hell no I We won't go! 
But you went, Into the trenches and the muck of Verdon 
Onto Omaha beach ,or landing at Anzio 
Into the bitter winter of the Frozen Chosun 
Crawling through the jungles ofTet Offensive 
Danny Boy the pipes are calling .. But 
You did not come ye back 
Johnny you were to come marching home But there was no hoorah 
Your Tomb of The Unknowns is scared ground 
Where our nation's honor can still be found.

GIZMO MANIA
By Kathy Rehm, 2009
My i'Pod is connected to 
    Mp-3 which is connected to the 
    GPS which is connected to the 
    Laptop which programs my 
    Refrigerator.
My remote control can turn on my
TV-DVD-VCR-Blu-ray and microwave

I text message my
Significant other, children, co workers,
Mailman, garbage man. the man-next-door and my
dog.
The cat has me on speed dial.

And to tell the truth
I'd be loSt without my Bluetooth.
first thing in the am, my tooth is on my ear
Keeping me in touch with those far and near.
My Blackberry does not need any cream
For my world appears on that little screen.
And while clutching my iPhone
The ring tones tell me that I am not alone.

But last night I cried and cried and cried
When suddenly all the batteries in my gizmos died!
This was an event of cosmic devastation,
Now I will have to go out and make conversation.