{"id":82,"date":"2007-09-30T22:30:29","date_gmt":"2007-10-01T03:30:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.andybox.com\/?page_id=82"},"modified":"2007-09-30T22:30:29","modified_gmt":"2007-10-01T03:30:29","slug":"college-poetry","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/www.andybox.com\/?page_id=82","title":{"rendered":"College Poetry"},"content":{"rendered":"

On Selling One’s Engagement Rings to a Pawn Shop
\nMay 26, 2000<\/strong><\/p>\n

I sold the rings today,
\nOne that I gave her once,
\nAnd one that I planned to give her one day later on.
\nRings that said I love you, I need you,
\nI want you forever,
\nDon’t ever leave me,
\nI trust you with everything I will become
\nAnd all that I have right now,
\nBe my wife, my lover, my friend, my partner forever.
\nI sold them today.
\nWhy?
\nBecause “forever” faded to “no more, I’m sorry”
\nand “marry me” evolved to “I don’t think this is going to work”
\nBecause I want my money back
\nBecause I want someone else to be able to give his wife something beautiful
\nBecause we were young
\nBecause we were wrong
\nBecause they do no one a bit of good sitting in their boxes in my closet
\nBecause if I ever do this again, she’s getting her own rings
\nBecause I refuse to take them back to Helzberg to be cleaned
\ntwice a year for the rest of my life to keep the warranty up
\nBecause I realized that I didn’t want to put up with her anymore
\nBecause I realized that she shouldn’t have to put up with me anymore
\nBecause this way, everybody wins
\nBecause they’re beautiful
\nBecause I have enough stuff here as it is
\nBecause they’re lonely without someone to wear them
\nBecause the price was right
\nBecause the sight of rings like them gives my heart a bittersweet twinge
\nBecause I live in a new world.<\/p>\n

But somehow, as I walked away, I couldn’t help but feel
\nThat surely our love, our relationship, our years together
\nWere worth more to both of us
\nThan a few bills from a pawn shop broker
\nWho set his price in less than ten seconds.<\/p>\n

The Lake<\/strong><\/p>\n

The lake is quiet tonight,
\nAnd dark.
\nThe mountains lie in shadow
\nAnd the waves drum upon the rocks of the shore.
\nI walk along the borderline
\nWith small and cautious steps
\nAs I think of the world beyond my own
\nand how it lies alone
\nand how it wanders lost
\nand how it dies in vain.<\/p>\n

Then I look above
\nAnd see the bright light of the moon,
\nAnd the shimmering reflection on the water
\nWhispers to my soul, “One day
\nThis, too, shall pass,
\nAnd I will break the day
\nAnd fill the world with light.
\nBut up until that day,
\nMy presence still remains,
\nMy work will still be done,
\nAnd you are my reflection on the waters.”<\/p>\n

A Sea of Rocks so Plain to See<\/strong><\/p>\n

As trees and oceans lie in peaceful observation
\nof our stay
\nThe rocks lay strewn upon the garden floor,
\nWhere waves and ripples flow from every one
\nwithout moving
\nSilent, yet filled with sound
\nSimple, yet difficult to understand.
\nIn this lies the message that each person
\nneeds to hear
\nFor all, in all our beauty, strength,
\nAnd civilization, miss out on the
\nMost important thing.
\nThe rocks know he is God.
\nThe sands know he is God.
\nThe leaves that gather in the troughs
\nall know that he is God,
\nAnd all bow down in silent worship
\nto the maker of them all.
\nThe sun appears and disappears and reappears again
\nand yet again, and yet the scene remains the same
\nThe rains that passed and pounded on the rocks
\nand waves are gone; they have not changed.
\nThey know, and they have always known
\nthat he is Lord.
\nThe rocks and waves of sand that do not fear,
\ndo not worry what the day may bring,
\nor voice complaints about the role they take.
\nAll know the simple truth that lets them be.
\nAll know the simple truth that sets them free.<\/p>\n

MountainView<\/strong><\/p>\n

I heard Your voice beside me, just ahead, saying,
\n\u201cTake all you have, and follow me over the mountain
\nto a realm beside the sea.\u201d
\nI said, \u201cYes, Lord,\u201d and began
\nwalking up the mountain toward the realm beside the sea
\nand I was happy
\nand soft breezes cooled my soul.<\/p>\n

It felt so right, so peaceful as I walked beside the Lord
\nAnd I knew that He would use me in the realm beside the sea
\nin beautiful ways that burst with life
\nas I helped Him gather His harvest
\n\u201cWhat a strange new world,\u201d I thought as I looked back
\nupon the land I\u2019d left behind, and dreamed of fertile valleys
\nwhere each life was spent in service
\n\u201cWhat a wonderful land, a place where God is working day and night…
\nWhere it\u2019s now my turn to serve.\u201d<\/p>\n

I walked along, grew tired and thirsty, but never once complained, for I was
\nwalking up the mountain toward the realm beside the sea
\nAnd the Lord said, \u201cTake off your shirt, for I will protect you from the sun,\u201d
\nAnd I slowly pulled it off,
\ntook one last breath of the fresh laundry soap
\nand threw it beside the path,
\nAnd He nodded.
\nI walked along, and the Lord said,
\n\u201cTake off your shoes, for I will carry you,\u201d and I did,
\neven though the road ahead looked rocky,
\nand tossed them aside,
\nAnd He nodded.
\nI walked along without knowing His reasons, merely granting His wishes,
\nNever questioning, only obeying
\nAnd the Lord said, \u201cTake off your necklace, for I am all you need\u201d
\nand I kissed the pendant and looked away and
\ntossed it into the grass beside the path.
\n\u201cJust one more thing, and you will be ready for plowing my fields.
\nDrop your book, for I will teach you.\u201d
\nI looked at the book He had given me, the reward for all the work of my childhood
\nthe passport to the life we\u2019d planned for myself, back when I wore shoes,
\nand I dropped it on the path beside the road.
\nIt made a very solid, lonely thud upon the ground.<\/p>\n

As I walked I turned around and said goodbye to what I\u2019d lost
\nThey had served and blessed me more than I would ever know,
\nbut in order to go on, I had to let go.
\nI turned around to keep on walking
\nover the mountain toward the realm beside the sea
\nand then He stopped me.<\/p>\n

In His hands he held the gifts to which I\u2019d said goodbye
\n\u201cMy child,\u201d He said, \u201cI told you to leave it all behind and follow Me
\nover the mountain toward the realm beside the sea,
\nand you did exactly as I asked.
\nYou showed both of us that you love Me more than anything in this world, and
\nI am very proud of you.
\nBut come to the top of the mountain and see what lies ahead.\u201d
\nI dragged myself the final steps, and a lush green valley spread out before me.
\nMy eyes followed our path down the mountain
\nto a city surrounded by fields.
\n\u201cYes, Lord, is this the realm beside the sea? I am ready to begin,\u201d I told Him.
\nHe smiled at me.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, my child,\u201d He said.
\n\u201cThis is the path I laid for you long ago, and it leads into the
\nplains in the south. These fields are ripening, and
\nYou have a plot to harvest.
\nThis is where I want you, and I have plans for you in the south that you could
\nnever have imagined.\u201d
\n\u201cBut why, Lord? Why did you have me leave all the gifts You have given me?\u201d
\nThe Lord walked over slowly and placed my shirt upon my back,
\nMy shoes upon my feet,
\nMy necklace around my neck,
\nAnd my book in my hand.
\n\u201cI had to show you and all those who are watching your journey
\nHow much you love and trust Me.
\nYour sacrifices strengthened those around you and brought them closer to Me.
\nI tested you just like I tested your brother Abraham with his son Isaac.
\nTo whom much is given, much is expected,
\nand, my precious child, you gave it all.
\nBut I do not want these things from you now. I only wanted you to trust me
\nwith everything you had, and you did.
\nNow you are ready for the southern fields.
\nA mighty harvest awaits you…Come, and I will show you.\u201d
\nHe took my hand and led me toward the place that I should be
\nI still cannot see what lies beyond, and
\nI cannot see what kind of crops He\u2019s growing in the southern plains
\nbut I feel His power in my hand
\nand that is all I\u2019ll ever need.<\/p>\n

Wake
\nNovember 27, 1999<\/strong><\/p>\n

When I die, what mark will I leave behind
\non my world, on their world, on God’s world?
\nThe silent ship I sail
\nIs leaving a wake behind me
\nTouching other ships and other shores,
\nSome I know and some that I do not.
\nThe ocean is a vaster place than any
\nI have seen before, full of hurricanes
\nand harbors, winds and waves and shipwrecks
\nand messages in bottles.
\nI feel I have or had so much to offer to the world
\nThat I’d send upon the sea to all the others.
\nSo many gifts, so strong a faith, so great a love
\nThat I could spend my life in service to the world.
\nSo much was alive\u2026
\nI called to ships and followed where he led me
\ntoward the edge of the horizon
\nin the sun, and the seagulls called my name.
\nBut now it’s all so still.
\nWill I die a “tragic case,”
\nthinking myself a failure and not knowing
\nall the lives that I have changed?
\nWill I die a hero in the eyes
\nof my grandson, after helping him
\nbecome a better man?
\nWill I make my journey with another
\nand be happy, start a family, be at peace?
\nWill I spend my voyage seasick in the bow,
\nwondering why I chose the course I chose,
\nwhy I chose the girl I chose,
\nhow long till I get there?
\nThe silent sea rolls on
\nWarning me of its power
\nTempting me with its potential.
\nThe blue-gray overwhelms my soul
\nand I retreat below deck.<\/p>\n

Each Man’s Burden<\/strong><\/p>\n

At dawn I rise for a new beginning…
\nIn the same place I was at the end of the day before,
\nBut with the healing and changes that nightfall brings,
\nThe fresh perspective that comes with the
\nBrightening of the sky in the east.
\nI open my eyes and look toward the coming sun,
\nAnd look ahead down the path laid before me.
\nThe path is the same one I\u2019ve been on before,
\nBut I\u2019ve never retraced my steps, and I don\u2019t know
\nwhere it leads.
\nI only know it is a good path, well-planned and well-suited
\nFor my gifts, my strengths, my hardships.
\nI lift my cross from the ground and take
\nthe day’s first step.
\nI look behind at the road I\u2019ve taken,
\nSee the groove the cross has dug
\nand smile.
\nI look around at the gorgeous world adorning my path,
\nI look up at the sky
\nand walk on,
\nThe old rugged cross dragging behind me,
\nLeaving a record of where I\u2019ve been.
\nToday I cannot walk in fear,
\nfor my enemies will devour me.
\nToday I cannot walk in doubt,
\nfor I know not where my path will lead.
\nI can only walk in the faith, the strength, the love
\ngiven to me by the Wearer of my cross,
\nfor He and He alone can sustain me in my journey.
\nAs I walk and bear my burden
\nMany foes will cross my path
\nAnd stand before me, stand against me,
\nSet themselves against my way
\nAnd try to wrench the cross from my hands.
\nIf I fall and falter, if I drop the burden,
\nMy cross will not stand, but hit the ground and topple over
\ninto the dust, and my enemies will mock our pain.
\nBut if I take the strength to stand upon the Rock,
\nTake the faith to know He will be with me,
\nAnd take the love that raised me high above Himself,
\nIf I keep the sweet cross lifted high against my foes,
\nThen I will stand, and my enemies will fall, and I will carry on
\nfor one day more.<\/p>\n

Man, Accepted
\n3-30-00<\/strong><\/p>\n

Brave new world
\nWhere I walk alone
\nAnd try to be brave
\nIn a different home
\nWhere I decide
\nWhat I will do
\nAnd where I go
\nAnd who I’ll be
\nLook on me now
\nIn a different light
\nThe old is gone
\nThe new is bright
\nSomeday I’ll love
\nSomeday I’ll leave
\nTo start anew
\nTo try, believe
\nI dream with fear
\nBut doubt with joy
\nI am a man
\nNo more a boy
\nI live my life
\nI sing my song
\nI call my shot
\nWhether right or wrong.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On Selling One’s Engagement Rings to a Pawn Shop May 26, 2000 I sold the rings today, One that I gave her once, And one that I planned to give her one day later on. Rings that said I love … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":67,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.andybox.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/82"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.andybox.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.andybox.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.andybox.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.andybox.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=82"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/www.andybox.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/82\/revisions"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.andybox.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/67"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.andybox.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=82"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}