God Sent a Cockroach

I wrote the following poem on March 23, 2004, remembering one of the strangest answers to prayer that I have ever witnessed as a child growing up in the Philippines. As you may gather, I was the boy in question. The only detail I can think of that I left out is that the cockroach did not live to tell the tale. Also, my mom was sharing about it in a prayer meeting with colleagues later in the day, and someone commented, "God sent you a cockroach and you killed it??"

I forget the date of the incident, but I believe it was in the late 1980s or early '90s.

Photo by Kohyao on Adobe Stock

In a far-off land
There lived a boy
Who went to school in the morning
With his father the teacher
In a city not known for its wonderful traffic
So at 4 in the morn
His mother roused him from bed
And every evening he prayed
He'd be alert the next day

And one morning God chose
To answer the boy's prayer
In the last way the boy would expect

In the tropical heat
There was no blanket on the bed
The boy lay on top of the sheet
Too hot even for a t-shirt in bed

His mom came to wake him up
The sleepy boy opened his eyes
And then it happened:
God sent a cockroach!
It scurried over the boy's bare belly
And suddenly
The sleepiness left
The boy was alert
Very alert
And he remembered his prayer
And thanked God for sending a cockroach
God used an insect to bring glory to His Name

As the years have gone by
The boy has grown into a man
He has never forgotten the cockroach God sent
To remind him
That God can use anything at all
To answer prayer
And to bring honor to His Name

Pardon Me, Sir

The commercials are classic. A car pulls alongside another, in which a man is sitting in the backseat with an fancy sandwich on a plate, with elegant silverware and the works, laid out on a seatback table. The gentleman is spreading Dijon mustard (which he just pulled out a special compartment in the car just for Dijon storage) on his sandwich. In a (usually) British accent, the man in the first car says, "Pardon me, would you have any Grey Poupon?" The man who is eating graciously says, "But of course!" He may or may not hand it to the man who requested it.

I recently found the following poem in my papers. I handwrote it at some point, but did not date it, so I don't know when it was written. I was trying to sound British, but in retrospect, I may have been trying a little too hard. All the same, I hope people find it entertaining. Perhaps it will inspire you to share your Dijon mustard. Also remember, "It's one of life's finer pleasures."

It is best read in a British accent.

Photo by Prostock-studio on Adobe Stock

Pardon me, sir
Pardon me
Could I make just one little request?
Pardon me, sir
Pardon me
Could you tell me, full of zest?
Would—
Oh dear, the traffic light is green!

How I crave it!
Oh to taste it!
My stomach's set
I need it yet!
I hope that gentleman has a bit!

Pardon me, sir
Pardon me
Could you grant one small request?
Pardon me, sir
Pardon me
Of this I do not jest
Would you—
Oh, the traffic light is green!

Oh I crave it!
Oh to taste it!
My tummy's set
I need it yet!
I sincerely hope he won't waste it!

Pardon me, sir
Pardon me
I would like to make a request
Pardon me, sir
Pardon me
If you could tell me, with some zest
Would you have any Grey Poupon?

But of course you do!
But of course!
I thank you, kind sir!
I thank you so very much!
You make me jolly!

Pardon me, sir
Pardon me...

Where they left off...

I was in college on April 20, 1999, when 12 students not much younger than me, and a teacher, were murdered at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado, near Denver. It rocked the nation. Next month is the 24th anniversary, and sadly, not a lot has changed over the years since then. We need to put an end to this! We must never forget the 13 innocent victims, who are listed at the bottom of this post. 

I wrote this poem in late April 1999.

Credit: CBS

Thirteen lives
Snuffed out
Twelve students and a teacher.
How could this be?
Why did this happen?
Thirteen lives
Cut short

Several followers of Christ,

No longer in pain,
Are now with Christ.
They are with the One who gave His life
To save theirs.
Some of them martyrs
So young

Funerals.
"God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life."
How could God's plan for their lives happen
When they are dead?
A nationally-televised funeral.
A challenge for teens to pick up
Where these students left off
Millions of teens
Around the world
Take their places.
Millions of followers of Christ
Take their places.
How many millions
Will come to Christ
Because of this unspeakable tragedy?

Families
Left behind
Grieving their loss
Rejoicing Heaven's gain

Now see God work
Through the tragedy

In spite of the tragedy
To bring countless millions into the fold
How many millions
Will be saved from the abyss?
How many millions
Will take their place
To spread God's word?

Only God
Can bring joy from a tragedy
Only God
Can heal a fallen nation
May God have all the praise and all the glory!

I took these pictures of columbine
flowers in Utah, summer 2022

We remember the innocent victims:

Cassie Bernall
Steven Curnow
Corey DePooter
Kelly Fleming
Matthew Kechter
Daniel Mauser
Daniel Rohrbough
Dave Sanders
Rachel Scott
Isaiah Shoels
John Tomlin
Lauren Townsend
Kyle Velasquez

The Scent of Pine

Growing up in the Philippines, there was magic all around us. The tropical beaches, palm trees and coral reefs were breathtaking. The rice paddies, plantations, mountains and more were amazing. The tropical fruits were mouth watering. When people arrived in the country, it was common for the people meeting them to put sampaguita (jasmine) leis on the new arrivals. It's their national flower. Sampaguita and plumeria (pictures at the bottom of this post) are two of my favorite flowers, thanks to their amazing scents. But one thing we did not see much was pine. There are some evergreens in the north of the country, but further north than we usually went. It was a smell we missed when we were there, and the only time we got to smell it was when Christmas rolled around (starting in September) and the local hotels put up their imported trees. Partly due to the heat, partly due to the length of the Christmas season (September 1-January 6), and partly due to the scarcity of evergreens in the Philippines, most people used fake trees. We kept our tree in a barrel and assembled it every year. So it was a special treat to visit the local hotels to smell the trees. A bit of an odd tradition, but it was amazing.

Photo by Hotel Continentale on Unsplash

The hotel lobby was resplendent in Christmas glory
Garland draped luxuriously on the walls
Wreaths announced the joy of the season
And in the middle, the crown jewel stood in all its splendor:
A tree of real pine, imported just for Christmas.

The scent of pine filled the air
Recalling memories of snowy slopes
Of sledding down the hills
And making angels in the snow
Memories of walking through a pine forest
The sweet smell wafting through the fresh air
Memories of long ago and far away
In far-off America

A scent in the hotel which we enjoyed but once a year
Stepping out of the heat of the outdoors
Into the cool of the air-conditioned hotel
Standing at the foot of a real pine tree
Savoring its sweet fragrance

Christmas season would soon be past
And the year through we would enjoy the savory fragrance
Of the enchanting sampaguita and the fair plumeria
And we would look forward to September
When the Christmas season would begin
And we could once more enjoy
The scent of pine.

Sampaguita (jasmine)
Photo by Eslah Saad on Unsplash

Plumeria
Photo by Gina Ball on Unsplash

It was a funeral—or was it?

I wrote this on March 9, 1995 as part of an assignment in high school. It's based on a miracle recorded in 2 Kings 13:20-21:

Elisha died and was buried. 

Now Moabite raiders used to enter the country every spring. Once while some Israelites were burying a man, suddenly they saw a band of raiders; so they threw the man’s body into Elisha’s tomb. When the body touched Elisha’s bones, the man came to life and stood up on his feet.

The dead man, who was thrown in Elisha's tomb,
comes back to life (2 Kings 13:21)
Oil on panel, Jan Nagel, 1596
Frans Hals Museum

It was a funeral
The deceased was lying peacefully
The wails were heard from everywhere
It was a funeral
"My baby, my baby!" cried the mother
The father just wept
It was a funeral
The siblings embraced
The children sobbed
It was a funeral
The tomb was open
The grave prepared
It was a funeral

Then onto the scene came the raiders
The cruel Moabite raiders
Would there be more funerals?
The relatives ran
The body was thrown
Into the tomb of Elisha
Was it a funeral?
The corpse rolled into the bones
The blessed bones of Elisha
The man came to life
He stood on his feet
He jumped for joy
No more a funeral!
He ran out of the tomb
He found his family
Was it a ghost?
No, it was their son!
He was alive!
No need for a funeral!
Praise the Lord!
Elisha's bones had been blessed!
God had brought this young man back to life!
Great was their joy
It was not a funeral
It was a celebration!
It was a feast!
Great is the Lord our God!
Praise His mighty Name!

I Will Praise the Lord

In January I blogged about my childhood diagnosis of pigmentary degeneration of the retina, also known as retinitis pigmentosa, which doesn't have a cure. As I explained in that post, it was miraculously healed after people around the world prayed.

A few years ago, our pastor challenged us to write a poem or prose giving thanks to God for something. I didn't record the date, so I don't recall when exactly I wrote it, but this poem is the result. If it weren't for God's miracle, I would be blind today!

I will say, I recommend getting your eyes checked regularly, and taking precautions such as blue light filters. I didn't know before getting them checked that there was an issue, and I thought my peripheral vision, or lack thereof, was normal. I feel this world would be safer if everyone who needs glasses actually got them.

I like to call this my super extreme close-up.
It is the interior of my eyes, side by side,
with no sign of retinitis pigmentosa.
It's called an Optomap.

I will praise the Lord
For He has healed my eyes
My vision was leaving me
And His children prayed

I will praise the Lord
For my brothers and sisters who prayed
Their cries reached Heaven
And God heard and healed

I will praise the Lord
For giving me my sight
Right now I should be blind
But that was not God's will

I will praise the Lord
To Him I give all the glory,
All the praise and all the honor
I cannot thank Him enough for my vision!

Michael

I wrote this poem in May 1997 after attending the memorial service for 13-year-old Michael Morrison, who took a boat out May 3 of that year, and it likely capsized. As far as I know, his body was never found. I didn't know him personally and have not been able to find a picture of him for the purposes of this blog. The incident was in the news, and one of our local news anchors was at the service. The poem mentions memories that people shared at the memorial. It quotes Psalm 116:15, 55:22a and 1 Peter 5:7b. One of my favorite memories that people shared at the funeral (which the poem does not mention) was that most of his friends and classmates called him Seymour. His youth leader shared that he once asked Michael why they called him that, and he explained, "When I wear my glasses, I can see more." That's when I knew we could have been great friends.

Photo by Jeremy Bishop on Unsplash

The funeral's done
The media's gone
And here we are, left behind
With the memory of a boy:
A man of God

They said you were so wonderful
You used to cheer them up
With the story of a pickle chasing you
You loved them with all your heart
And prayed for them - your friends.

And Michael, I wish that I had known you
Your love for God shone through in what you did
In life, you glorified God
And now, you're in His arms forevermore.

Your friends are sad
There's a great big hole
In your school and in your church
But there you are
In the arms of Christ!

You are so much better off
No more colds or flu
No hypothermia
Only God's amazing grace!
Heaven has gained an outstanding soul!

And Michael, I wish that I had known you
Your love for God shone through in what you did
In life, you glorified God
And now, you're in His arms forevermore.

"Precious in the sight of the Lord
Is the death of His saints."
I can't imagine how elated God must be
He has brought another child to His eternal home
To everlasting reward!

"Cast all your cares on the Lord
And He will sustain you."
"For He cares for you."
I know that God will bring
Your friends and family through their grief!

And Michael, I wish that I had known you
Your love for God shone through in what you did
In life, you glorified God
And now, you're in His arms forevermore.

I did not know you very well
But I have heard that you loved God
You loved everyone you saw
You prayed for all your friends
That they would meet the Lord.

We could have been great friends
I wish I'd known you more
And enjoyed your brotherly love
I look forward to meeting you
In the everlasting arms of Christ!

And Michael, I'm glad that I will meet you
In the arms of our eternal God and King
On earth, you glorified God
Now you live in His loving arms forevermore.

Poema

I wrote this poem May 23, 2000 for my Spanish class in college. It's the only poem I've written in Spanish. The assignment was inspired by Jorge Luis Borges' poem Instantes. (I highly recommend reading his poem. It's deep and thought-provoking. The link takes you to his poem in English and Spanish.) Like Borges, we were to start our poem "Si pudiera vivir nuevamente mi vida, / en la próxima..." (If I could live my life anew, / in the next...) and then personalize it. It was an exercise in the conditional tense. (I majored in French in college. One of the requirements of the major was to study a year of another European language. I decided Spanish would be the most useful.)

I also translated my poem into English so people who don't speak Spanish can read it.

Image from: Kraken images

Si pudiera vivir nuevamente mi vida,
en la próxima cantaría más.
Desempeñaría en más de comedias musicales.
Aprendería muchas lenguas y hablaría a todo el mundo en su lengua nativa.
Cantaría también en estas lenguas.
Pero más importantemente, cantaría y alabaría más a Dios.
Usaría mi voz más para glorificar el Señor Jesucristo.
Con todas las lenguas que conocería, proclamaría el evangelio a todo el mundo.
Tendría más confianza para proclamar Dios al mundo.
Cuando pecaría, me arrepentiría inmediatemente.
Sería más contento porque glorificaría más a Dios.

Translation:

If I could life my life anew,
in the next, I would sing more
I would act in more musicals.
I would learn many languages and I would talk to everyone in their native language.
I would also sing in these languages.
But more importantly, I would sing and praise God more.
I would use my voice more to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ.
With all the languages I would know, I would proclaim the Gospel to everyone.
I would have more confidence to proclaim God to the world.
When I would sin, I would repent immediately.
I would be happier because I would glorify God more.

The Parents of the Savior

Today is Ash Wednesday, which begins the season of Lent. Many Christians take this time to give something up as they prepare for Holy Week and Easter. I don't always do that, but I respect people who do. I think it is important to consider what Christ went through for us. I wrote this poem October 4, 2004, as I reflected on these things, and in particular, how it may have been for Mary and Joseph. The poem was also inspired by the songs "Mary, Did You Know?" by Mark Lowry, "Child of the Manger, Child of the Cross" by Craig Courtney, and "One Quiet Moment" by Bob Kauflin. These songs got me thinking more about how events throughout the Bible were connected.

Image by R. Gino Santa Maria
Adobe Stock

In a humble stable,
A young mother held her newborn baby in her arms
Did the joyful coos make her think
Of the same mouth speaking the stars into place?
Did she realize that the same lips
Spoke to Moses on the mountain
And did she know that one day
They would beg the Father to forgive His enemies?

In a foreign land,
A young couple taught their child how to walk
Did the crawling, toddling legs
Make them think of the same legs
Walking with Adam and Eve in the paradise of the garden?
Did they remember that those legs crushed the Tower of Babel
And that one day those ankles would be pierced
With long, cruel nails?

In a small village,
A father taught his son the art of carpentry
Did those little hands make him think
Of the same hands writing on tablets of stone
And on the wall of a palace?
Did he remember that those hands
Sprinkled manna over a desert
And that one day those wrists would be impaled
With nails bigger than the ones He was hammering into the wood?

Did they know that the back that dazzled Moses
Would one day be ruthlessly beaten
And forced to bear a heavy and slivery cross?
Did they realize that the breath that breathed life into Adam
And blew the waters of the Red Sea apart
Would one day breathe, "It is finished!" and slowly, painfully cease?

***

On a skull-shaped hill,
A mother watched her son die on a cross
She heard Him entrust her to the care of a friend
Did she know what she and her son's friend
Would find three days later?
Did she know that burial spices would be useless
And that her son would refuse to stay dead?

As she agonized over the suffering of her beloved son,
Did she know that the face so mangled and torn
Would so soon be glowing with life?
Did she know that those hands, dripping with blood,
Would so soon be raised in victory?

Did she realize that the love that saved the children of Israel

    The love that gave Jonah another chance
    The love that fed five thousand
    And brought the dead back to life --
Did she realize that that love led Him to pour out His wrath on Himself
To save her very soul?

Did she know that His death would be the shortest-lived death
And that by it He conquered death and sin
Once and for all?

That magnificent head is lifted on high
Crowned with glory and honor and splendor!
All hail the omnipotent King
Who was willing to give up His life and so conquer death
That we may reign forever as His beloved children!

A Nightmare and a Legacy

I wrote this poem April 21, 2007 after the cowardly attack on Virginia Tech that senselessly took 32 innocent lives and that of the shooter. Sadly, not much has improved since then. I have been aghast with all the violence in the past few years all over the US. In the name of the victims at Virginia Tech, Columbine, Sandy Hook, Parkland, Las Vegas, Orlando, Uvalde, Michigan State, and so many more, we need to set aside our differences and put an end to this!

As many of the victims at Virginia Tech were in French and German classes, I translated it into French (with valuable proofreading help from the folks at the A la Française Forum, which is no longer online), and I appreciate the excellent translation work into German by Jessica Eberhardt and Beate Peter.

Photos: Virginia Tech

ENGLISH
A Nightmare and a Legacy

A senseless act
A heinous deed
And when the nightmare was over, 32 innocent lives had been snuffed out
32 lives with so much promise
Suddenly cut short in their prime

They studied to make the world a better place
They taught their students the skills they would need to succeed
But in one catastrophic morning
Their studies and lessons came to a horrifying end
And 33 families were left wondering why
While shockwaves reverberated across the campus,
Across the country,
Across the world

They came from all over the world:
From Israel, Indonesia, Peru, Lebanon, Canada, Vietnam, India, Egypt, Puerto Rico, and across the USA
Each had a dream
And each pursued it
So why did so much work, so much living,
Have to come crashing down in such a sudden heartbreaking manner?
What purpose did God have for allowing this to happen?
Could it be that others will pick up the torches?

Whatever the case,
May God be praised
For so many lives well lived
For sparing so many more lives –
Both by a professor's last selfless heroic act
And because so many other victims survived

God can work through even the worst tragedies
May He be glorified for what He will do
May their legacy live on
And may He comfort the families and friends
And heal the wounded
As only He can.

FRENCH

Un cauchemar et un legs

Un acte insensé
Un oeuvre épouvantable
Et lorsque le cauchemar fut terminé, 32 vies innocentes s'en étaient allées
32 vies avec tant de promesse
Fauchées dans la fleur de l'âge

Ils étudièrent pour rendre le monde meilleur
Ils enseignèrent à leurs étudiants les compétences dont ils auraient besoin pour réussir
Mais en une seule matinée catastrophique,
Leurs études et leurs leçons se terminèrent de façon horrifiante
Et 33 familles se demandèrent pourquoi
Tandis que l’onde de choc retentit à travers le campus,
À travers le pays,
À travers le monde

Ils vinrent du monde entier
D'Israël, de l'Indonésie, du Pérou, du Liban, du Canada, du Viêt Nam, d’Inde, d’Égypte, du Puerto Rico, et d'à travers les États-Unis
Chacun eut un rêve
Et chacun le poursuit
Pourquoi donc tant de travail, tant de joie de vivre,
Devaient-ils s'effondrer dans un déchirement si soudain?
Pourquoi Dieu a-t-Il permis que ceci se produise?
Se pourrait-il que des autres se passeront les flambeaux?

En tout cas,
Que Dieu soit loué
Pour tant de vies si bien vécues
Pour avoir épargné tant d'autres vies –
Et à cause du dernier acte désintéressé et héroïque d'un professeur,
Et parce que tant de monde survécut

Dieu peut oeuvrer même à travers les pires des tragédies
Qu'Il soit glorifié pour ce qu'Il fera
Que leur legs survive
Et qu'Il soulage les familles et les amis des morts
Qu'Il guérisse les blessés
Comme Il peut, Lui seul, le faire.

GERMAN
Ein Albtraum und ein Vermächtnis

Eine sinnlose Tat
Eine schandhafte Arbeit
Und als der Albtraum yu Ende war,
waren 32 unschuldige Leben ausgelöscht
32 Leben mit so viel Hoffnung
In ihrer höchsten Vollkommenheit auf einmal abgeschnitten

Sie studierten, um die Welt in einen besseren Ort zu verwandeln
Sie brachten ihren Schülern Wissen bei, um es in der Welt zu schaffen
Aber an einem katastrophalen Morgen
Fanden ihre erlernten Fähigkeiten plötzlich ein schreckliches Ende
Und 33 Familien standen mit der Frage nach dem Warum da
Während die Schockwellen über dem Campus zusammenschlugen
Über dem Land
Um die Welt

Sie kamen aus der gangen Welt
Aus Israel, Indonesien, Peru, dem Libanon, Indien, Ägypten, Puerto Rico und überall aus den Staaten
Jede/r hatte einen Traum
Und jede/r lebte ihn aus
Warum musste so viel Arbeit, so viel Leben in einem Herz zerbrechenden Zusammenstoβ auf uns niederfallen?
Welchen Grund hatte Gott für dieses Geschehen?
Könnte es sein, dass andere die Fackeln aufheben

Was der Grund auch sein mag
Mein Gott soll angebetet werden
Für so viele gut gelebte Leben
Und für die Leben, die nicht zu Ende gingen

Gott kann uns sogar in den schlimmsten Zeiten helfen
Er sei gepriesen für das, was er tun wird
Ihr Vermächtnis lebe
Er tröste die Familien und Freunde
Und er heile die Verwundeten
Nur er kann es tun

Children of the Almighty God

I wrote this poem May 27, 2010 for a friend with low self-esteem. It's something we all struggle with from time to time, myself included, and it's good to remind ourselves of how valuable and needed we are.

Image by tomertu, Adobe Stock

My brother, you're a prince
My sister, you're a princess
And not just any prince or princess
But children of the highest King above all kings.

You're squires in His service
You're warriors of His mighty Kingdom
Ambassadors to a fallen world
To represent our great Father and to bring in more.
The glorious, almighty God thinks so much of you
That He gave up His glory and His life
To make you His beloved child.

So where did you get this idea
That you are worth so little?
You rank higher than the child of any human monarch!

Once we were worth nothing
Until the King of Kings adopted us
And made us His treasured children.

Compared to the Almighty God,
We are nothing
But in the eyes of the Almighty God,
We are everything.

Mister Rogers' New Neighborhood

Fred Rogers was one of those rare people who was able to maintain a child-like spirit in a world full of grown-ups who had lost all sense of the wonder of childhood. He could always find the positive things in life, no matter what was going on. In scary situations, he advised us to "look for the helpers" (quoting his mother). He was widely admired across the globe. Our world needs more people like him, who show kindness to everyone, no matter their background, skin color, beliefs or anything else, and encourage others to do the same.

I wrote this poem February 27, 2003 after he passed away from stomach cancer. It is based partly on the theme song for Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, and mentions some of his puppets.

Mister Rogers with King Friday
Fotos International/Getty

He’s in a new neighborhood
And it’s a beautiful day up there
The streets are made of gold
And the lake is clear as crystal
He’s meeting new friends
And reuniting with old friends
And all the neighbors are bowing
At the feet of the One who made them neighbors
The One who taught them
How to be a neighbor

It’s a beautiful day in the new neighborhood
It will always be day in the new neighborhood
It will never end
No more need to pretend

He introduced us to King Friday
Now he bows before the King of Kings
He talked about Prince Tuesday
Now he kneels before the Prince of Peace
We learned about a tiger, a cat and an owl
He has now met the Lion of Judah and the Lamb of God

He’s always wanted to have a Neighbor just like that.

Lucy's Lullaby

Lucy Kotecki is one of the most amazing and talented people I know, and she is currently a teenager. As I mentioned in my blog yesterday, she makes awesome winter hats. What I did not mention is that proceeds for those hats go to a charity to help horses. She has raised money in the past to help in the preservation of cheetahs. She and the rest of their family raise monarch butterflies, and set them free. She has a huge heart for people and animals. I want to be like her when I grow up.

I just looked up the meaning of her name. It means "light." Very apt. She is definitely a light to everyone who knows her, and to all the animals her efforts have helped and continue to help.

A few years ago, my friend Kim was expecting their first baby. They didn't know if it was a boy or a girl, and the child was taking their time in coming. Several days after the due date (and still no baby), I wondered if maybe a lullaby would help, so I wrote one. I originally called it "Lullaby for the Little Kotecki". After Lucy made her triumphant entry into the world, I renamed it.

As I don't have any biological nieces or nephews, Lucy and her equally amazing brother and sister are among my honorary nieces and nephews. Gotta spoil someone! 😀 Also, chosen family.

Photo by Natalia
Adobe Stock
This is not Lucy. 😀

Come out to the world
Come out and play
Come out--we'll chase the goblins away
Your mommy and daddy are waiting for you
And all of your friends can’t wait to meet you
Your mommy is brave
Your daddy is valiant
You have super parents
They’ll take good care of you

So come out, come out, come out to the world
Come out and explore the great world with your friends

Tsunami!

I wrote this poem December 28, 2004 after the massive 9.0 earthquake and tsunami two days earlier across the Indian Ocean. It claimed over 225,000 lives in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Myanmar, Maldives, India, Somalia, Kenya and Seychelles, among other countries. The devastation was horrifying, and it claimed lives indiscriminately, from the poorest to the richest. Among the dead was 21-year-old Prince Poom Jensen (พุ่ม เจนเซน) of Thailand, grandson of King Bhumibol Adulyadej (ภูมิพลอดุลยเดช, 1927-2016), the third-longest-reigning monarch in history. The quote at the end of the poem is from Psalm 46:1-3.

This seemed appropriate to post now, in light of the recent devastating earthquake in Syria and Türkiye. The death toll for that is in the thousands last I heard. I can't begin to fathom the devastation and loss from either disaster.

Image by Viks_jin, Adobe Stock

The sun shone bright on the tropical sea
The palm trees swayed gently in the breeze
As the waves brushed softly against the beach.
Who could know what was about to happen?

His Highness the Prince set out on his jet skis
An old beggar asked for money to buy his next meal
A monk knelt before a statue of Buddha
While someone else, facing Mecca, said a prayer to Allah
A mother put her child down for a nap
And tourists lounged lazily on the beach
Snorklers took in the splendor of the magnificent coral
As the sun beat down on Asia and Africa

Then it happened.

The waves grew suddenly large
The rising water engulfed the beggar
As the trembling ground felled the ancient Indonesian temple
And the mosque collapsed in the force of the quake
As a great island shifted 100 feet to the southwest

The earth stopped shaking
But the disaster was far from over
The waves rose higher
Great walls of water threw His Highness into the sea
And dashed the snorklers against the rugged coral
The angry ocean crashed into the beaches
And took the tourists by surprise
3000 miles the water traveled
To wash away African villages
As countless mothers and children across the coasts of Asia and Africa
Were swept from their homes into the raging sea

The sheer force of the tsunamis
Lifted many off the ground
And hurled them far inland or out to sea

How many were lost that day?
How many more will be lost to disease?
Who can say?
But this I know:
God had a reason for this
May His Kingdom be advanced through this,
The worst tragedy of the young century

May this be our comfort:
"God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
though its waters roar and foam
and the mountains quake with their surging"

Let us run to Him
And take shelter in His loving arms
God will be exalted.
Praise His holy Name!

A Faithful Dog

Daisy was a beautiful and loyal collie who lived on my great-aunt and great-uncle's farm in Montana. I wrote this poem in 2001, shortly after she was killed by a mountain lion. I'm not sure how long she lived, but I believe she was in her teens. My great-uncle passed away in 2000. Our whole family mourned his loss, and Daisy was no exception. She passed away the following year.

This is not Daisy, but she looked similar to this
Photo by Rita Kochmarjova,
Adobe Stock

She played among the daisies in the field
Beneath her master's watchful eye
She ran and fetched the sticks her master threw
And she stuck close to him
She was a faithful dog

When his visitors came,
She played with them
When his family came,
She played with them

She romped and ran and played and jumped
She loved everyone she met
She played with the children
And she played with the adults
And she stuck close to her master
She was a faithful dog

She stuck close when he was hurt
She stuck close when he was ill
She stuck close when he was well
She loved with all of her heart
Her heart as big as the mountains around the ranch

She and her master grew older
She and her master grew slower
And still she stuck by him
She was a faithful dog

One day her master was gone
Never to return

And she stuck by his chair
Her sorrow kept her there
But still she played
And still she loved
She was a faithful and playful dog

One day she was gone
Never to return

She played among the daisies in the field
Beneath her master's twinkling eye

The ranch where Daisy lived
I took this picture September 10, 2022.

Black and White Surprise

Shortly after my aunt and uncle got married in 1986, my aunt informed me that they had "a black and white surprise" at their house. She didn't elaborate, but it set my imagination running. What could it be?

The next time I visited their apartment was when I met Alley. She was a beautiful kitten and a fantastic feline cousin. My human cousins Annika and Andréa were born later, and they grew up with Alley. I wrote this poem October 20, 2004, shortly after their beautiful cat left us at the age of 18. She lived a good long life and brought a lot of joy to everyone she met.

Alley
1986 - 2004

They had a black and white surprise
What could it be?
A new piano? An episode of Lucy?
Perhaps a figurine set upon the mantle?
Or could it be...?

A black and white kitten!
A surprise and a joy
She pranced and pounced
She stood on her hind legs
As her front paws reached for that yarn

She purred and she played
A house became a home
As she welcomed new family members
The black and white surprise grew into a beautiful cat
As she played with a newborn baby, and then with a toddler
Soon came another baby
And the black and white surprise
Mixed her meows
With the children's joyful coos and squeals of glee.

She was there for all
A joy and a comfort
Always ready and willing to sit on a lap
And be lovingly stroked

And the black and white surprise grew old
As she napped in the yard
And purred on folks' laps
Always a joy
Always a wonderful, loving cat

But her health began to fail
She could no longer run and play
And one day she closed her beautiful eyes
For the last time

There she lies
Those sparkling eyes closed forever in sleep
And we can only remember
An adorable kitten, playful and sweet
A young cat, generous and loving
An aged and wizened feline, majestic and kind

And as always,
A black and white surprise.

Zaphenath-Paneah

Joseph is one of my heroes. His story in Genesis has always fascinated me. He went through so many difficult trials, but he held on to his faith, however distant God sometimes seemed to be. He was thrown in a pit, sold into slavery, falsely accused and thrown into prison for years for a crime he didn't commit, and so much more. Through all of it, he clung to the hope that God would save him, and he was attentive when two servants of the Pharaoh, and later the Pharaoh himself, needed their dreams interpreted. He rose from prison to become Zaphenath-Paneah, Pharaoh's second in command, and he saved the nation of Egypt and his own family from a severe famine. He also forgave his brothers who turned his world upside-down.

Growing up in the Philippines has given me a perspective of living in a culture different from my parents'. Joseph was a third culture kid (TCK) like me, though our experience was obviously different. In some ways I can identify with the adjustments in being a part and product of the culture where I live and also that of where I'm from. Where even is "home"? One thing that gets me is a detail that I think is often overlooked... When Joseph was confronting his brothers as governor, he was speaking Egyptian, working through a translator. They had no idea he could understand them. He didn't speak to them in Hebrew until he revealed himself to them. The story evokes strong emotions for me, and I wasn't even there. I think one of the saddest parts of the story is that even though Joseph forgave his brothers, they never forgave themselves.

I wrote this poem October 10, 2010. In researching, I learned a few things:

• Zaphenath-Paneah is the anglicized spelling of the Hebrew approximation of his Egyptian name. Thus, scholars disagree on the exact meaning of his name. Here I used three possibilities from different scholars, in italics.
• It is likely that the -ath in his new name was the hieroglyph ankh (ቶ), the Egyptian concept of life, immortality and more. 
• I knew the meanings of some of the names, but I learned more when researching. In the poem, most of the italicized bits are the meanings of people's names. Joseph = "may he add"; Jacob = "he grasps the heel"; Potiphar = "one belonging to Ra"; Benjamin = "son of my right hand"; Moses = "drawn from the water"

I searched for more information on this painting,
but couldn't find any information on who painted it.
If anyone knows, I would love to credit the artist.

A dreamer of dreams

A boy with a promise of a bright future
Brothers bowing before him
Father and mother paying homage to their son

Joseph bar-Jacob.
May he add to the son of he who grasps the heel.

A young man hurled in a pit
Ripped from his parents
Sold and taken to a foreign land
A slave in the captain’s court.

Joseph, slave of Potiphar.
May he add to the one belonging to Ra.

Framed for a horrible crime
Thrown, innocent, into prison
Interpreting dreams for his fellows
Forgotten by the one released.

So much promise, dreaming, love
Such pain, betrayal, anguish
Forgotten for years
Wallowing in prison

Ankh slowed to a boring and endless crawl
God seemed silent and distant
Where was the hope of release?
Why such betrayal and slander?

Brought before the Pharaoh himself
New dreams to interpret
Seven years of plenty
And seven years of famine

And so Joseph, son of Jacob
Slave of Potiphar
Prisoner of Egypt
Received a new name.

Zaphenath-Paneah.

“The god sees, and he lives.”
Through all of it, God watched
God trained His child through love,
Through pain, through trials.
God saw Joseph, and Joseph lived.

“A revealer of hidden things and an opener of things to come.”
A man who, with the help of God, could reveal the meanings of dreams
Who foresaw his ascent, an execution, a restoration to service,
Seven years of plenty and seven years of famine.

“One who furnishes the nourishment of life.”
Suddenly pardoned and made governor
Stored wheat to preserve Egypt through the famine
Nourished and saved millions of lives.
One who so recently yearned for greater ankh
Suddenly named as one who provided ankh

****

Brothers who lived with the guilt of selling their brother
For all they knew, he could be dead
But just to be sure, they had killed a goat
And smeared the blood on their brother’s coat
Bringing a fictional tale of woe to their heartbroken father

Famine in Canaan
Few crops and dwindling herds
News of a surplus of grain saved up in Egypt
And so ten brothers left their father’s house
Leaving the youngest behind
And traveled to buy grain
From the exalted Governor of Egypt:
Zaphenath-Paneah.

Framed for spying on Egypt
Cringing in fear before the wrathful governor
Thinking the Egyptian governor could not understand,
They cried out in Hebrew
Regretting their treatment of their brother and father
And they wondered why the exalted Egyptian Zaphenath-Paneah ran out of the room in tears.

One thrown in prison while the rest were sent home
To bring their youngest brother
And prove their honesty

And so came Benjamin to Egypt
The imprisoned brother freed
And the son of Jacob’s right hand framed
For stealing a priceless golden cup.

Terrified brothers fell at the feet of Zaphenath-Paneah
In fulfillment of a dream, bowing at his feet
Begging to spare the life of their brother
And keep their father from dying of grief

And so the great Zaphenath-Paneah told all his servants to leave
The brothers wondered what was about to happen
When the interpreter, their only means of communication,
Walked out of the room.

And so for the first time, the great Zaphenath-Paneah spoke to them in Hebrew
And gave them news that filled them with wonder and fear
God heard, and Joseph was still alive.
God sent His child to reveal what was to come,
To preserve the lives of Egypt
And of his own family.

And so the children of Israel flourished and became a great nation
They lived in Egypt for 400 years
God saw them, and they lived
And God sent a new child, drawn from the water
To bring His children back to Canaan
And with them came the sarcophagus
Of Zaphenath-Paneah.

Photo taken at the
African Burial Ground National Monument,
New York, by Sean Ghazala
Public Domain

Seven Astronauts

Tomorrow marks the 20th anniversary of the horrible disaster in the skies over Texas, when seven lives were lost in the Space Shuttle Columbia while re-entering our atmosphere.

I wrote this poem February 2, 2003, the day after it exploded almost exactly 17 years after the tragedy with the Space Shuttle Challenger. I still remember where I was when I watched the Challenger explode on January 28, 1986. Both explosions were deeply traumatic, and both included members who made history, not just in the explosions, but in breaking glass ceilings and paving the way for astronauts, explorers and scientists in the future.

Space Shuttle Columbia tribute poster
Graphic design credit: NASA/Amy Lombardo.
NASA publication number: SP-2010-08-163-KSC

Seven children once gazed up at the stars
And wondered what it was like up there.
Over Israel, India and the United States,
The skies looked down on them
Seeming to call to them

Seven children grew up
Dreaming of what they would do
They became pilots, doctors, scientists, colonels

They watched in horror
As the Challenger blew up
Shortly after takeoff
Not knowing that they would one day
Suffer a similar fate

Seven men and women were accepted by NASA
To explore the heavens
To conduct scientific experiments

Seven families and three nations
Watched in awe as the spaceship lifted off
They dreamed of their fathers, mothers, sons, daughters, brothers, sisters
Up there in the skies
Houston got reports of their findings
Scientific knowledge advanced
Until the communication stopped

Seven families waited at Cape Canaveral’s landing strip
Eagerly awaiting their loved ones’ return
They did not expect their joy to turn to tears
They did not expect to hear news of the Columbia
Exploding over Texas
Scattering all over the largest continental state in the US

Seven men and women were lost that day
Seven families learned that their loved ones
Would not be returning
Seven families suffered the same pain
As seven other families
Seventeen years earlier
Three nations lost their sons and daughters
The first Israeli and the first Indian in space

Lost.

Why did this happen?
How?
Praise the Lord
He can do wondrous things
He can work through tragedies
Who knows?
Perhaps this was the tragedy
That will cause many lost souls
To consider where they will go
Maybe people will be saved for eternity
Because God used an exploded space shuttle
And seven lost lives
To bring them to Him

May God have all the glory!

The crew of the Columbia
David Brown, Rick Husband, Laurel Clark,
Kalpana Chawla, Michael Anderson,
William McCool, Ilan Ramon
Photo by NASA

Ridiculous Roy

We had an assignment in middle school English class to write a poem of couplets. I was having a case of writer's block until my mom suggested that I write about something unexpected, like a boy who carried a teddy bear everywhere. I named said teddy bear after Garfield's buddy. At the time, I was under the false impression that "cerebellum" and "asylum" were a near rhyme. Sometime later, I discovered I had been mispronouncing "asylum" for years. Bless my heart.

Image from: Kraken images

Ridiculous Roy had a teddy bear.
He carried it with him everywhere.

Pooky went with him to the bank and the store
To church and to school, to work and much more.

When he was young,
it was very fun.

His father said to 9-year-old Roy, "Roy, sell your stupid bear!"
"Aw, Dad," he said, "Let me take him to the fair!"

When he was 13, his classmates called him "Sissy",
But he and Pooky were much too busy.

In high school, his teachers tried to take it away.
He just took Pooky out to play!

His bride was embarrassed when the three marched up the aisle.
She hoped he'd get rid of Pooky in a while.

At the intersection, everyone would stare.
How odd to see a policeman with a teddy bear!

What a job! They were tired.
Because of Pooky, Roy was fired.

Acting was their new job.
Roy played Chickeño; Pooky played Bob.

Something was wrong with Roy's cerebellum.
He was sent to an insane asylum.

There they died and shared a mansion in Heaven.
The château was manor number one hundred seven.

With Pooky, Ridiculous Roy was married.
With Pooky, Ridiculous Roy was buried.

The Two Seasons

Some of the most stunning natural beauty and the most violent weather I've ever encountered have been in the Philippines, where they only have two seasons: dry and rainy. The palm trees, the sunny beaches, the coral reefs, banana trees, and so much more, are breathtaking. Both seasons are necessary, and both have their drawbacks. 

The rain floods the rice fields, which is important in growing it. Tropical downpours are much stronger than anything I have encountered in the Seattle area, where I live now. It is like standing in the shower. At times, we had to deal with flooding. The wind can get very violent. We had some friends who lost their roof in a typhoon once. With the combination of rain and wind, we learned to move beds and anything else away from the windows when there was a typhoon in the forecast. Thunder can be loud and last a long time, and the lightning lights up the entire sky. The rain, wind and lightning are an awesome force, and are both amazing and terrifying. They can cause a lot of destruction.

But once the rainy season is over, the weather is a lot more calm. The sun beats down. The tropics shine, and the beauty is dazzling. But with my fair skin and red hair, I had to be very careful, as I also got some serious sunburns. The rice fields dried out and cracked. During the dry season, they looked like a desert.

Both seasons are warm year round, as the Philippines is just north of the equator, but it gets a lot hotter during the dry season. We were shivering when it dipped down into the 70s.

I wrote this sonnet in high school as part of an assignment in English class.

travnikovstudio/Adobe Stock

The sun is shining bright

Over the beautiful land of the Philippines
It is such a sight
With an array of gorgeous scenes.
The sea is sparkling light
And the beach cannot compare
While the birds in their soft flight
Soar on the wings of the air.

Rainy Season is here.
The rain falls in torrents
Lightning strikes and thunder claps, causing fear,
And making the little birds tense.
In five months, the rainy season will be over and done
The Philippines will once more know the sun.

Michael/Adobe Stock

icemanphotos/Adobe Stock