PRAIRIE PRAYER PRAISE

PRAIRIE PRAYER PRAISE

Roger A. Davis

I find myself now on high ground
My beautiful bride has finally come around
She is in so much better health
Because of your prayers of Devine wealth

I give God the glory for sparing her from an earthly depart
Alleviating me of a broken heart
Once again I get to hear her angel-like laugh
It affects me like a soul cleansing bath

If there was a lesson to learn
It could possibly have been that
God's ways are sometimes hard to discern

Do not try to bluff His Hand dealt
Just wait and stand pat
Because the Healer just wants our loving felt chat

PRAIRIE PRAYER

PRAIRIE PRAYER

Roger A. Davis

Prayer, for some, is rare air
For others, every breath taken
They know they are never forsaken

I find myself on middle ground
I need help with overwhelming odds
This is when I give God prayer nods

At late it seems to be more than not
My very ill mate is my constant thought
Some say the purpose is to be taught

I hope, soon, the lessons stop
But deep down, I know life is the training ground
And our dependency will always be around

So, my dear friends, join with me in prayer
And please take it to the Lord
Because there is mega power being in accord

This coming month, please pray for my wife
Her soul and mind are in much strife
Her every breath is a fight for life

21st CHROMOSOME: RYAN'S SONG

21st CHROMOSOME: RYAN’S SONG

Roger A. Davis

He is one in a thousand, my friend
The last child of Pete and Gay
Ryan has been made in a special way
A Down’s syndrome child coming at the end

Seems that cherub face
Checks our frantic pace
Reminds us of innocence lost
Is our hurried quest worth the cost?

Down's children’s development can be slow
And loving patience can take a tow
Bringing their loved ones to a place of trial
Yet, it is more rewarding after awhile

To see their child become God' ambassador
Representing His State of Grace
'Be a lamb, not a rat of the human race'
Not a mistake, but made to adore

The name given is an oxymoron
Our friends do not bring us down
They speed us uptown
With eyes and smiles like the rising dawn

So never be sad for my friend
He is destined like each of us to the end
To be an instrument of praise
In one of a thousand unique ways

DEVOTION PROMOTION

DEVOTION PROMOTION
Dedicated to Frances R. Havergal

Roger A. Davis

"Kept For The Master’s Use"
Not reading this meditatively
Would count as spiritual abuse

But once you begin
You will never be the same again
Remember, its’ all about His gifts
My Friends

How this book came to me?
It was passed down the family tree
Great-Great-Grandmother Layman
Presented it to her granddaughter, Ima
On her 8th birthday, you see

Aunt Ima gave it to Grace Layman Davis then
You know her from four poems on blog, I penned
From her estate, Dad gave the book to me
I have read and re-read it, with much glee

Second only to the Holy Bible in inspiration
It is why I give it to others, for consideration
Enjoy the transformation
Reading with your heart

If you’re like me, giving Him more is the Way
To the ultimate impart
Outcome: A soul dressed
For eternal success

CONSIDER OTHERS BETTER THAN YOURSELF

CONSIDER OTHERS BETTER THAN YOURSELF

Roger A. Davis

Humility, is it your strong suit
Or are you a hedonist who doesn’t give a hoot?
The golden rule of “love thy neighbor as thyself”
Should be accomplished by meek stealth

If you must advertise your generosity
By self proclamations of good deeds
Your heart needs a gardener for those weeds
And not a show of false modesty

Holy Scriptures suggest becoming a servant
Considering others better than yourself
By serving others’ needs as most important
You will know true wealth

Jesus is an example of a life surrendered to serve
And because He did, we are eternally preserved
Is it asking too much for us to forego a few pleasures
To help others gather life's daily treasures?

I think not, but if you’re like me
We need help getting free from
The Me! Me! Me!
So Jesus, Savior and Servant, help, please

SISU SITUATION

SISU SITUATION

Roger A. Davis

Have you ever held on with a death grip?
Humanity crying, "Let go, let slip"
But deep down you seemed unable to
Well, that's Sisu

A Finnish word meaning "to have guts"
Or more vulgar, cojones or nuts
British form, cheekiness
Or, how about back door brazenness?

I have been called worse names than these
Hey, no problem, it would make me pleased
I'm stubborn as a mule, a patient God's tool
Yet, I pale next to the Dame of Eden Prairie School

She has, by amazing grace, gripped my hand
And kept me until I escaped from Hell's Land
We walk with Devine moxie love
Now and forever to our loving fate Above

Hope you, too, can have good chutzpah
To face the world of the tarnished Golden Law
R. Kipling's "...If you can meet with triumph
and disaster / And treat those two impostors
just the same...," you, my friend, are on the
Life's Sisu Situation Roster

ZEN DISCIPLINE

ZEN DISCIPLINE

Roger A. Davis

"Boundless Love, unending Joy
This is my life, it's what I know
Can't believe He selected me
Jesus, my Lord, it's You I owe"

These lines are from Dennis Lowen's hymn
This awareness fills my life above the brim
Awakening me to a new mind
My life is not my own, it's Thine

Koan poem, a teacher's test
Our Master's plan hidden in jest?
The punch line comes, and an awesome, "I get it"
Zen, "just sit", for others it might take a bit

Encore for Devine insight and the calms
Irony, healing in the Lord's bleeding palms
Wisdom brings harmony to scattered thoughts
We need discipline, us unruly tots

To make a Zen garden of our life
We need an arranger of the boulders on our path
Bringing oneness, result, less strife
Oneness, serving others; do the math

"Boundless Love, unending Joy"
Is my mantra to focus above
I'm a disciple of Grace and Love
A person of bliss, buddha sage boy

So if your karma seems to have gone aground
Like a shipwreck and you’re feeling down
Remember Our Father sits contemplating you
Because, through it all, He will be with you, too

PLAYTIME

PLAYTIME

Roger A. Davis

I have many memories of playtime with my son
Star Wars figures, Matchbox cars, it was great fun
Joshua had a sandbox table where we built roads
Using trucks with no regard for building codes

Legos by the buckets full, we spent many an hour
Then Constructs, even had a motor with electric power
He liked his Transformers, too
And we would fly a kite when the wind blew

Built Josh a fort with utility poles
It had only an upper deck with shooting holes
A wooden stairway nestled by the trees
3 walls, 2 doors, and balcony to catch the breeze

It was the scene of water gun fights and more
Years later, tore it down because of a rotting floor
Built an Aspen fort near our log cabin in Colorado
Even had a rock fireplace, well, so-so

Board games, like Risk and Scotland Yard
Solarquest, for each of us, losing was taken hard
Still that way today, playing Big Deuces or Hearts
Not being the current World Champ, it smarts

Josh likes competition; in high school he took debate
In his junior year, 5A State Champ, that was his fate
Did I mention we won some events at a water park bash?
For me on a giant slide, then the biggest splash

In the schoolhouse we have a gym
Ping-Pong, basketball and now a pool table
Know what? Family playtime leads toward being stable
And for some, even keeps them trim

The toys are now in the attic packed away
His Mom is hoping someday, a grandchild to use them for play
Yet, most of all, we love it when Joshua comes for a short stay
Me, especially, when I "Take the Day"

POCKET KNIFE

POCKET KNIFE

Roger A. Davis

Every year, a Christmas present from my wife
A Kansas Knife Collector edition pocket knife
It’s an early gift, issued not at the time of snows
Yet, all through the year, my appreciation shows

These go in a collector’s case for display
Papa Grace said a man needs a Case for every day
When young, I used to steal out to his dressing closet
And examine his nighttime pocket deposit

Open his carrying knife with young hands
Dreaming of someday cutting hay bands
Or whittling a sapling into a pointed stick
Peeling an orange rind that was thick

I have had a love of blades from then
Fueled by TV's Zorro and Daniel Boone
Knowing the time of carrying was coming soon
And the pocket knife would be man's 2nd best friend

After years of owning blades of many kinds
It’s still a great thrill to share with those of like minds
The ownership of a pocket knife of quality
Is an artistic thing of practical beauty

Tradition says, if you’re given a pocket knife
Give back a penny; it's a courtesy of life
Then you, too, can open up your heart
And impart your love, like does my wife

Sad time we live in when knives get a bad rep
Would they ban the carrying of pliers?
I don't think they ever would, except
If most politician were not cowards and liars

National Rifle Association promotes gun use
Papa Grace would be grieved by this similar abuse
Of his trusty Trapper Case
And the lack of common sense of the human race

HATS OFF TO HAIKU

HATS OFF TO HAIKU

Roger A. Davis

Prom

Carnations on bodice
Limousine rental was costly
Wallflower


Snowball

Ice sphere thrown
Cold crystals sprayed
Playground sounds


Leather

Animal skins for wear
Pocketbook or boots
Picket lines, stop traffic


Horse

Clip-clop, giddy up
Reins flapping on withers
Basketball game, h-o, h-o-r


Bath Tub

Bubbles with floating duck
Drain plug pulled, whirlpool
Dirty socks

TWO DIPS OR ONE?

TWO DIPS OR ONE?

Roger A. Davis

What will it be?
Microsoftserve
Or dairyqueen bee
In honey cone reserve

This is a dipsy doodle
Nonsense sprinkles
Lots of frowns and wrinkles
Shar-Pei looking at a poodle

Stuck in mind, advertising jingles
Need tow truck for the muck
Doc says, "Take two Krispy Kringles"
That will be two nickels and a buck

Jumbled jargon
Severe bump on noggin
Take the stairs
Seeing double, go in pairs

Cinnamon square, Chinaman stare
Alphabet soup, spell poop
Liquid crossword puzzle
Anybody got a poetic muzzle

Butcher block, lame chop
Someone get a bucket and mop
Ok, ok, this poem I will stop
If you will admit it is tip-top