There is an emotional immediacy which invites everyone to respond (or not) to life experiences and events. That response might be ever so simple or grand. A poet is aware and awake to these responses. He/she when stirred by passion finds a soulful desire to record in creative language what the poet finds within the response. Beginning with the dedication, Jan Shomp presents a panorama of topics all the way from her first child's cry for God's milk to her own cry for universal peace. The poet reveals the presence of God in the most mundane to find the often neglected presence shimmering in unnoticed glory. "Searching" is about finding God in every aspect of life. The reader is encouraged to search within, as they walk with the author in her "Searching". Upon these pages the words ring with eloquence and grace in speaking simply about "what is". There is a call in this collection of poems to become conscious of God presence in one's own life and love. The reader will find the sensual imagery of the souls own "Searching" for life, love and meaning. Enjoy! Read! Wake up! Be!
Searching
By Jan SchompBalboa Press
Copyright © 2015 Jan Schomp
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-5043-3383-2Contents
Dedication, ix,
Foreword, xi,
1 Searching,
* Beyond, 3,
* Oh My God (OMG), 5,
* God Let Go, 7,
* Nursing Mother God, 9,
* Tiny Words of Love, 11,
* Come With Me, 13,
* Imagery Meditation, 15,
* The One Breath of God, 17,
* Where Are You God, 19,
2 Searching In Nature,
* Tree of Life, 23,
* Love in Vermont, 25,
* Choice, 27,
* Falling Leaves, 29,
* The Source, 31,
* The Secret, 33,
* To Be, 35,
* Bird Talk, 37,
* The Flexible Tree, 39,
* Love Leaves, 41,
* Little Spider, 43,
3 Searching In Chaos,
* Culture, 47,
* Gangs of the World, 53,
* Dust, 55,
* Haiti, 57,
* The Crucifixion of Japan, 59,
4 Searching In Life,
* Change, 65,
* Who Am I, 67,
* Fire and Glory, 69,
* Joy, 71,
* Asking Nothing In Return, 73,
* Morning Ritual of Praise, 75,
* Precious, 77,
* Heaven, 79,
* Alone, 81,
* The Healing, 83,
* Both/And, 85,
* Gone Swimming, 87,
5 Searching In Memories,
* Birth, 91,
* Son, 93,
* The Pain of Love, 95,
* Irish Stew, 99,
6 Searching Sideways,
* Missed Opportunity, 103,
* Lack of Communication and the Painting of the Floor, 105,
* Missing the Mark, 109,
* A Walk in the Snow, 111,
* Peace, 113,
* Integrated Tragedy, 115,
7 Searching Ended – Beginning,
* Lying Down, 119,
About the Author, 123,
CHAPTER 1
SEARCHING
Beyond
Beyond our seeing,
Hearing, smelling,
Tasting and touching;
Beyond our word,
Thought, and choosing:
Beyond our imagining,
Dreaming and doing ...
Beyond our dancing,
Frolic, family, work and play
And our own special way.
Beyond our creating,
Love and hating;
Beyond living and dying each day ...
Beyond our art,
Our poetry and storytelling;
Beyond our rituals,
Devotion and prayer.
Beyond consciousness,
Transcendent meditations,
Which take us elsewhere ...
Beyond, beyond, beyond
Somewhere, everywhere,
Yet beyond
In the void of that empty place
So singularly rare.
Passionately
Incomprehensibly
Intimately
Within
I will meet you there!
Oh My God (OMG)
I am weary of searching for you, my God;
My longing is my energy's worst enemy.
I have prayed and danced.
I have been reverent and cynical
Like a devil with a halo.
I have had tidal waves of enlightenment,
Pitch black dark nights of the soul,
And days of harmony and days of boredom.
I am tired of hide and seek.
Merciful grace has been poured into
The beautiful basin of my soul,
Miraculously spilling over the top
While holes in the bottom are always emptying, emptying!
I have seen us on the mountaintop,
Oh the magnificence of Thee.
With time however I collapse into
Forgetting all that we could be.
I give up I will say no more; I will listen not!
I am like the still rubber ball forgotten by children,
Growing mold upon my surface
And lying in the deep damp green grass.
Oh My God!
I am in the air again ...
Flying!
God Let Go
God let go.
Rupturing, exploding
From God's own light.
Stars twinkled
In the dark of night.
Bluest blue filled
The endless ocean,
The boundless horizon.
God let go
Of the burning sun:
Yellows and reds,
Unfathomable light
Shattered into rainbows,
Warmth and delight.
From God's wholeness
In furious flight,
God created
Discerning light.
God let go
From silence to sound.
Waves pounded,
Thunder rolled
Lightning cracked,
Children laughed
Birds chirped and
People cried.
Lions roared,
Rockets soared,
Water leaked
And mice squeaked.
And that still quiet
Inner voice
Broke
The sound barrier
Of our soul.
God let go
From stillness
Birthing
Moving, living, growing,
Ever changing anew.
Seeds sprouted eagerly
Out of the ground.
Insect and animal
Human being abound.
And, in the letting go,
Creating all we
Have come to know.
God let go.
Of forgiveness.
Betrayals of our freedom.
Transforming our choices
Evil or good.
Restoring us always
To forgotten nobility,
Inalienable beauty.
God let go
Of Mercy and
Love!
Nursing Mother God
The Child:
Do not wean me
Mother...
