For this week’s reflection, we share a collection of poetry written by IVC Volunteers and Core Community Members during an IVC Retreat of the DC-Metro Maryland and Northern Virginia communities.
There Is Nothing I Shall Want
The world is my refuge
And all creation nurtures me.
My mind sees danger
But my heart feels love.
I ponder the blue of the robin‘s egg
And truth and beauty stand with me.
Together we listen and then we
Hear the song of joy, the voice of love.
Tony Albrecht
Untitled
The news today was awful:
Terrifying poverty,
Illness out of proportion
Wars and hatred
My soul is in turmoil and filled with angst.
I feel helpless.
Off to the woods to drink in Nature
See the birds still chirp in their nests
The brook rambles over its rocky bottom
A deer peeks out between two trees
The cicadas come out on their 13 year cycle
I am comforted
No matter what choices we make
All is right with the world.
Pequitte Schwerin
Life’s Refuge
When my life is in a nit
Where can I find a fit?
That opens doors
To Heaven‘s floor,
And sooths my soul a bit.
It isn‘t in my daily bin
Of e-mails stacks so high
I find it in my companion‘s
Sense of being bye and bye.
Richard Urban
Untitled
I stand and in the depths
Of a green wood
And I cannot see a future
For my despair.
But then, a flashing bit
Of red lands on a bough
And I know that Someone
Sees my grief — and cares.
Pat Dunigan
Be Not Afraid
I find this world a scary place
And am overwhelmed by
Its burdens.
Yet I am not afraid.
I rest awhile in God‘s
Creation and see
That it is good
I embrace the gift of
His peace
With grateful heart
Anon
Untitled
When despair for the world grows in me
Often blind and unseeing
I feel your presence
In another, a word, a touch.
Your graces push me forward
Like a gentle hand on my back
Grace Rissetto
Water is life
Powerful and fearful when stirred
Refreshing and filling when consumed
Deep and mysterious and peaceful
When still and standing
Deeply rich in symbolism and
Eternal meaning
Coming into the presence of still water
Is a privilege, a joy and a grace.
Stillness and peace be with you
And with your Spirit.
Coralee Hoffman