2 Poems

Ocean of Tears

Oh God how you must weep over us
The ocean is so wide, so full of your tears

How you must weep over our sins
The hate, the greed, the lusts, the material things
we put before you
The ocean is so full of your tears

How you must weep over our pain
The dying son. The lost son.
The grieving mother and father
The divorced single woman. The lonely lesbian.
All wayward fishers on your ocean full of tears.

How you must weep over us.
I can hear the rolling waves of tears
tumbling across your earth face
How it first pains me. Then heals. Transforms
Those healing tears.


The Weed People

I am a weed puller
Ever since youth
I loved dandelions
Weeds! All weeds!
No matter
I picked bouquets
Their yellow flowers
tickling my nose and mind
Weeds! All weeds!

I am a weed puller
Ever since youth
Great sorrow for Native Americans
Drunk on the roadside
I wanted to pick them up
Weeds! All weeds!
No matter
I could only voice my support in
sixth-grade history
Their plight so sad, but their
culture tickled my soul.
Weeds! All weeds!

I am a weed puller
Ever since youth
I aways loved the underdog
homeless, poor, hopeless
Weeds! All weeds!
No matter
I told their tales
Bleeding my heart so God’s
compassion could form
Weeds! All weeds!

I am a weed puller
Ever since youth
I never quite knew why I always
searched for dandelions
Weeds! All weeds!
No matter
I wanted to know, to be known
my own dandelion heart
Yes, weeds! All weeds… God’s weeds.