Category: Poems

I AM Enough

I AM Enough

By Leah Jordan Meahl

 

Life is wavering water,

Uncontrolled is how she behaves,

But I AM enough.

 

Endlessly moving,

Yet forever enslaved,

Life is wavering water

 

Though the raging sea may capture,

And send treasures to their graves,

I AM enough.

 

In anger she devours,

But for the thirsty, she saves,

Life is wavering water

 

The horizon beckons her dangerous journey,

And if you can’t be brave,

I AM enough.

 

Rolls began as ripples,

They’re moments I forgave.

Life is wavering water,

But I AM enough.

 

-LJM

Psalm 16:5-11

Quicksand

Quicksand

A warning:

 

A castle made out of sand,

With a moat surrounding,

Is only a majestic imitation.

 

When you’re wandering lost,

Alone and afraid,

You never see a mirage of sand.

 

The desert grains outnumber the water,

Its dunes tower over the sea,

But it’s so easily pulled into the deep

 

A chalice of glass,

Birthed from fire’s caress,

Only returns to shattered pieces.

 

Do you not realize

The pyramids were not made

From the ground on which they sit?

 

Or don’t you know

The tide

Will always claw at the beaches?

 

And ordinary fingers

Sculpt slow

But swiftly destroy?

 

How then can we treasure

The dry course river,

Or trust the sands that slip through the hourglass?

 

They will forever betray.

 

-LJM

Matthew 7:24-27

 

Unquenched

Unquenched

Love is

Drinking water from the mouth of Hades.

A liquid flaming gold,

Scooped from the river of fire itself.

¯

The lava leaves burning scars on my lips,

My soul is but melted rock,

Indistinguishable.

My insides boil,

Bubbling red until

The heat, no longer contained

Erupts.

¯

Molten tears race down my skin,

It’s Pompeii come to devastate again.

¯

And when the tears cool,

And the glow hardens to rock,

A blanket of ash lays me down to sleep.

For awhile, all is calm,

¯

Until I thirst again…

Starlit Path

Starlit Path

by Leah Jordan Meahl

 

He told me:

“I am the moon.

 If you want to make footprints on my surface or bathe in my radiance,

First follow the starry path I’ve laid out

For you.”

 

They fell before me, marking the way.

On each one I stepped,

Leaping and landing on the sparklers that tickled the soles of my feet.

 A sea of galaxies lie between us,

If I had to fashion my own surfboard constellation, I would

Ride the galactic waters to reach him.

 

Ahead, a star fizzled, hissed, dissipated,

A stepping stone out of formation.

Another, burst in excitement,

And again, a star is cut free from its hanging,

It falls, the tail taking me with it.

A detour dragging me further from him.

 

I held on, even enjoyed the ride,

But the star, its life exhausted,

Evaporated like the rest.

The sun now disguised the stars,

I waited. I searched the skies

For the hopeful flecks to find me.

 

My bright stepping stones returned

Awaiting me to walk on their backs again.

The final star marked the finish line

In front of majestic moon, I bowed.

“You made it” he said.

My feet touched the quartz world

We danced, kicking up hordes of moon crystals.

 

“The journey was hard with mischievous stars,” I said

He told me:

“Though obstacles themselves, they still shine the way,

And to touch the mere fringe of my luminous being is

Worth it. Now with me, you’ll stay.”

 

-LJM

Matthew 7:13-14

Feeding Desire

Feeding Desire

By Leah Jordan Meahl

 

A tight embrace to melt the edge of loneliness

To feel a beating heart—a lullaby desire.

 

The brush of skin, though not my own

Full of life, of breath, I cry desire.

 

Asleep, awake, my thoughts are captivated

By your face, though blurry, O thy desire.

 

You are a star in the sky—so real

And yet such a high desire.

 

Closer to you each passing day while

Protecting my undying desire.

 

If one night your touch is real,

Break down and stale will my desire?

 

And I, Leah, grown fond of chasing,

Who may never fully satisfy Desire.

 

Galations 5:16-17

 

2016: The Year of Half Staff

2016: The Year of Half Staff

By Leah Jordan Meahl

 

For the dove flies on,

Leaving a trail of red below

The flag—at half-staff.

 

Streams of fire replace the stars,

Across the sea sees the fading glow,

For the dove flies on.

 

The heart strings are drawn,

As the fabric hangs low,

The flag—at half-staff.

 

A proud land divided,

With scars deep to show,

For the dove flies on.

 

Again the majestic banner descends,

With a haunting song of sorrow,

The flag—at half-staff.

 

Oh to ride the eagle’s wings

And follow the wind to tomorrow,

For the dove flies on.

 

To everything there’s a season,

Until the last trumpet blows,

For the Dove flies on

From the flag at half-staff.

 

2 Chronicles 7:14

Ode to the Moon Beam

Ode to the Moon Beam

By Leah Jordan Meahl

 

O majestic watchman of the night,

Whose soft iridescent glow transfixes,

Stops me dead in awe of your sight,

No eye can avoid your captivating presence.

The world’s lighthouse, brilliant and true

Takes gentle care of what lies in darkness.

Each sundown reveals your face anew,

Big, bright, and beautiful evening symbol

More than just a wishing star

The face of my Guardian so near—yet so far.

 

-LJM

Psalm 136:7-9