Burdens to Blessings

Burdens to Blessings

©2016 Susan Noyes Anderson

When life rears up and strikes me down,

when all the world turns bleak,

I look to God for hope and find

the comfort that I seek.

He may not snatch me from the jaws

of troubles I must bear,

yet He walks with me faithfully.

I feel His presence there.

Sometimes I choose to turn away

when suffering is great.

I rail against His timing, spurn

His help that comes "too late."

My heart does not remember then

what I remember now;

that if I would be as He is,

my life must teach me how.

For strength flows from the spirit

that has exercised its might.

Each violent storm I conquer

brings me closer to His light.

My Father has a plan for me,

a plan I once endorsed.

Each soul must find its way to Him;

no spirit shall be forced.

May I accept with grace all things

that bring me to my knees––

in joy or sorrow, grateful 

for my opportunities.

The world is one small moment

pulled from vast eternity.

Father, I would be mindful 

of thy priceless gifts to me:

Life lessons that I need to learn,

a family filled with love,

a Savior who will lead me home

to dwell with Him above.

for more "blessings" poems click below

The Stranger

The Stranger

© Susan Noyes Anderson

I remember the cat in better days, strutting
smugly through the soft, gold carpet, master
of his own paw-printed hallways, a silky legacy
on each duvet. I was an observer then, amused,
detached. The house would soon be mine, the cat
a memory; belonging as he did to doting
owners––who loved, it seemed, as only those
whose animals become their children can.

It was a pretty lie; the cat stayed on,
left to the streets and framed in unlit windows.
The shadows own him now, protect him too;
coat him in dark disguises only soap and light
and––oh yes––love could shed. He stalks his past,
slow-moving, locked in dreams; unwilling, still,
to call the night his home. Restless, relentless,
searching for his people. He stares into our eyes;
we do not know him. We do not take him in.

Assignment: Write a poem on the theme of  "cats."

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Keeping a Lid on It

Keeping a Lid on It

©2016 Susan Noyes Anderson

Emptied my feelings in a jar

and shook them all around.

They bounced, bled, bubbled purple red

but never made a sound.

Who knew? The ruckus from my head

is now safely contained!

My lid (not flipped), securely closed.

My angst? Bottled (not brained).

Assignment: Write a 44-word quadrille including the word "jar"

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rusty

rusty
©2016 susan noyes anderson

i cannot write

it's all gone wrong

my words elude me

like a song

 that i've sung 

many times before

and yet recall 

the tune no more

could be i'm rusty

like a spout

and need to flush

the rubble out

so please forgive me

while i free

my brain of
crappy poetry

if you can stand to

read the stuff

(admittedly, it

might be rough)

be sure, my friend
to let me know

when cool, clear poems

resume their flow

assignment: open link night

for more dVerse poems, click below

Blue Elephant

Blue Elephant

©2016 Susan Noyes Anderson

What is this creature on my chest?

Blue elephant has come to nest.

My lungs are smashed; my heart is crushed.

My whole, wide world in blue is brushed.

Not robin's egg or ocean blue,

more like a mess of midnight goo.

And I'm surrounded by the stuff.

Blue bites! Big-time. Enough's enough!!

It's hard to breathe, harder to talk.

I locomote by belly-walk.

Yo, Dumbo. Get off, dude. You stink.

(Henceforth, my pachyderms lean pink...)

Assignment: Write a blue poem.

 for more blue poems, click below