New Life

Staring at his newborn,
He was overwhelmed with pride and love.
His eyes welled up,
And he felt his baby's vulnerability.
A fierce urge to protect her arose in him.
He who scorned risk management,
Suddenly swore to work doubly hard.
To get protection of all forms,
ANYTHING - to ensure a legacy for his precious little girl!

Reaching out for their newborn,
She held her close to her breast.
The little soft body felt so warm,
It stirred up strange feelings in her.
This little helpless being they have created together,
Depended on them for everything.
She looked at him, who was looking at mother and child.
Their eyes locked, and both made the same vow,
To protect this precious bundle - at ALL costs!

Butterfly in the Net

"You're shy!" her inner voice whispered
"I can't do this!" she decided
She logged off from the Plenfyoffish
website on the computer
Shying away from a chance to find a partner
She buried her face in her pillow
Retreating into her cocoon of sorrow.

"Hi!" the greeting on her computer screen gleamed
Her fingers froze on the keyboard as her inner voice screamed
"Stop! You're shy, remember?"
In the dark, the voice caused her to ponder
But just for a moment, for she decided with a cry
To break out of her cocoon as a butterfly.

Weaving through shelves of books, she and her date
Haunting bookstores was their habit of late
The world might see them as bookworms, it wouldn't make them fret
They shared the same interest, they discovered while they chatted on the net
"Don't be caught by his net so soon, for he may not be true!" the inner voice cautioned
"We'll find out eventually, over lots of books and talk!" she winked and answered.

So Swift the Way! So Short the Day!

A friend's dad wrote this poem.

In this fast moving world of turmoil and tension
With problems and troubles, too many to mention
Our days are so crowded and our hours so few
There's so little time and so much to do.
We are pressured and pushed until we are dizzy,
There's never a minute we're not crazily busy.
And sometimes we wonder as we rush through the day,
Does God really want us to hurry this way?
Why are we impatient and continually vexed,
And often bewildered, disturbed, and perplexed?
Perhaps we're too busy with our own selfish seeking
To hear the dear Lord when he's tenderly speaking.
We're working so tensely in our self-centered way,
We've no time for listening to what God has to say,
And, hard as we work, at the end of the day,
We know in our hearts we did not "pay our way".
But God in his mercy looks down on us all,
And though what we've done is so pitifully small
He makes us feel welcome to kneel down and pray,
For the chance to do better as we start a new day.
And life would be better if we learned to rely
On our Father in heaven without asking "Why"?
And if we'd remember as we rush through the day,
"The Lord is our shepherd and he'll lead the way".
So don't rush ahead in reckless endeavor,
Remember "He leadeth" and "Time is Forever".

- D.S. Baker -

Drifters

She calls him. He answers rudely.
She gets angry. He thinks he has won.
She's concerned. He thinks she's controlling.
She asks for help. He ignores her, or gives in grudgingly.
"He's stubborn!" she says. "She nags!" he says.
They drift further apart.