Tag Archives: verse

Verse – They Call Us Chalks

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They all have color,
those in charge.
We are colorless,
pasty, pale, and weak,
vulnerable to the sun,
and visible most nights.
We cannot hide.

Those who are gold
or bronze or ebony
or mixed know they are smarter.
They go where they will.
From the best schools,
they have the top jobs.
They call us Chalks.

They all speak the World Language.
We jabber in Frenglish, Scandy,
Grussian, or Balkan.
We squat in the abandoned cities
while they hum around
in their shade-seekers.
Cancers kill us.

There are tales the Three P’s
once were ours: Power,
Privilege, and the Police.
Now we have one…Poverty.
They tell us what to do.
We submit or are Injected.
Freedom is a dream.

– Steve Shoemaker, Urbana, IL, March 21, 2015

Verse – Life Together

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She cleans the floor.
(I clean the ceiling.)
She washes dishes.
(I clean my plate.)
She cooks.
(I report fascinating
stories from the paper.)

I mow the grass.
(She plays in the flower beds.)
I haul the garbage bin to the street.
(She shops.)
I feed the dog.
(Her cat wakes us up
and terrorizes my dog.)

We get along quite well.
(Her list might be different.)

– Steve Shoemaker, Urbana, IL

Verse – John 3:16

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Steve’s contribution today is on a well-known, often memorized verse of Christian Scripture.

John 3:16

John could have said God loved only
the Hebrews, or, like him, those who
were followers of Jesus. He,
instead, said, God loves not the few,
but the whole world–how can it be?*

(*This insight comes from the Rev. Jim Montgomery, Decatur, Illinois, who is in no way responsible for any errors in this poem.)

– Steve Shoemaker, Urbana, IL, March 17, 2015

Verse – Me, Me, Me

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Some reasons are easily told
Why I am always so bold
To speak out the loudest,
To simply be proudest,
And all the attention to hold:

For I am the oldest of four
And no one can come through the door
Who’s nearly as great
Since I’m six foot eight!
However, I must tell you more…

I know that pride is the worst sin.
It besets me day out and day in.
But how can I fight it,
Or try to deny it:
I’m tall, dark, and handsome–and thin!

But most think one eighth of a ton
Is NOT slim, and that I’ve begun
To prevaricate,
And exaggerate,
And really I’m tall, bald, and dumb…

Okay, I admit that I’m fat.
My head is too big for my hat.
I apologize
for all but my size–
My parents at birth gave me that.

[5 limericks for Lent]

– Steve Shoemaker, Urbana, IL, March 14, 2015

The Shoemaker brothers

The Shoemaker brothers

 

 

 

 

 

 

Aruba

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flat dry island
cactus aloe yucca
wind blown waves
wind blown trees
always 80 degrees
white sand beaches
cruise ships dock
sails boats yachts
many tropical fish
scuba dive snorkel
tourists shops stores
resturants bars cigars
brightly painted houses
free schools hospitals
hotels windmills golf
time share condos
above ground cemeteries
brightly painted tombs
one happy island

– Steve Shoemaker, Urbana, IL, March 11, 2015

February in America

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Our Subaru left Chicago
and used each wheel of 4-wheel drive
to navigate 2 feet of snow.

The ice we saw off Lake Shore Drive
got worse as we drove by Sox Park,
but after 97th Street

the Interstate was dry. We mark
the trip-o-meter: it is set
at zero–so is temperature.

We take I-57 south–
by Memphis the results are clear:
one degree warmer on the route

for every 13 miles we drive.
By Florida (smile!) it’s 75!

– Steve Shoemaker, Urbana, IL [written from Central and South America without cell phone access]

Verse – The Trinity?

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One form, but multiplicity…
Motion, immutability…
Can we glimpse God.
So weird, so odd,
In limerick theology?!

Is the Divine One one or three?
Is He a he or She a she?
A comedy!
A mystery!
One was and is and Three will be!

Steve Shoemaker, Urbana, IL, Sunday, Feb. 22, 2015

Twins

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We know that seeing never can
be believing. We fool the eye
of all who look at us and see
the other. Mother left the band
upon our wrist that gave our name
for weeks after our birth, but then
began always to dress Brian
in blue. One day we switched–I came
out in his shirt–she called him Chris!
St. Thomas was a twin and so
when he heard that his friends were sure
they’d seen the risen Lord, of course
he doubted that was true. But then
he heard the word…although a twin.

Steven Shoemaker
Urbana, Illinois, Feb. 21, 2015

[These poems may be used, copied, or published as you will. It would be nice
if you included my name, city, and State]

NOTE: Readers unfamiliar with Christian Scripture will find it helpful to know the biblical text behind Steve’s poem. Click Jesus and Thomas, the Twin for the story in the Gospel of John.

Verse – I Pray for Insomnia

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The nightmares! Terrors! Dreams so deep
I drown! I fall! No rest I keep.
But so much worse,
And such a curse,
Are dreams that I can’t fall asleep!

– Steve Shoemaker, Urbana, IL, Feb. 20, 2015

Verse – A Sign for Locker Rooms

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The best coaches in sports are all teachers,
Although some it’s true also are preachers,
But the one that we fear
And try not to go near
Is the coach that consistently screeches.

– Steve Shoemaker, Urbana, IL, Feb. 19, 2015