Archive for April, 2020

new direction

April 30, 2020

Yesterday, I awoke at 7,

read papers till 2am,

driven by coffee and adrenalin,

and the prospect of the end,

and I know, a lot of it is me,

I refuse to accept mediocrity,

I want them all to do their best,

so I take the time to judge,

Did they learn to write with clarity?

did they take it to the end,

did they write their project logically?

is it something to defend?

I know not what a difference it makes,

or whether or not they care,

what matters is being true to yourself,

when no one else is there,

And yet, my work is killing me,

my energy is less,

“To every thing there is a season”*

and a change is for the best,

There will be a new direction,

as I learn to take a breath,

and “a time for every purpose

under heaven”.*

cfblack, 04-30-2020

*Ecclesiastes 3:1

online classes

April 16, 2020

I teach 6 classes,

6 different preps,

at a school where most

struggle through a semester,

coming to class, and interacting.

in a call and response sort of way,

laughing with friends,

and carrying on,

— challenging me

as I question them.

Their ghosts now walk the empty halls,

where they stand, leaning into each other,

away from home, enjoying their freedom,

friends helping one another.

We now interact

in a virtual world,

where classes are held on screen,

They send assignments by email and phone,

while keeping the virus away.

This virus is a menacing thing,

and people need each other,

We do our best to make it through,

while wanting to be together,

I asked them what they learn from this

that they wouldn’t know otherwise,

they said, “Be prepared, and wash your hands,

and never take LIFE for granted”.

cfblack, 04-16-2020

 

 

Palm Sunday

April 5, 2020

I always liked this one best,

where Jesus rode into a village,

Riding on a donkey

to Jerusalem,

His entrance made in humbleness,

not as a King before His God,

people paved His way,

made a path with palms of trees,

calling “LORD!”, in their excitement

as He rode up to their Temple.

— And once He did arrive,

— He stormed into their palace,

overturned the many tables

of robbers and thieves.

— I loved going to church on this day,

holding a palm in my own hands,

remembering His courage,

in the face of death.

— I loved this one more than Easter,

which never made sense to me,

why suddenly His physical body

would return,

and after showing Himself again,

He rose into the sky?

as if heaven were a place among the clouds?

Without the resurrection,

He is still the Son of God,

His proof is in His words

and how He changes peoples’ lives,

Love thy neighbor as thyself,

Forgive all those who harm you,

Have purity in your dealings,

Be humble before your God.

cfblack, 04-05-2020

Matthew 21 As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, say that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.”

This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet:

“Say to Daughter Zion,
    ‘See, your king comes to you,
gentle and riding on a donkey,
    and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’”[a]

The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. They brought the donkey and the colt and placed their cloaks on them for Jesus to sit on. A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted,

“Hosanna[b] to the Son of David!”

“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”[c]

“Hosanna[d] in the highest heaven!”

10 When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?”

11 The crowds answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”

12 Jesus entered the temple courts and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. 13 “It is written,” he said to them, “‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’[e] but you are making it ‘a den of robbers.’[f]

April 3, 2020

This virus

causes untold damage

to our psyches,

as our fears

become reality

and this feels like it could last forever.

It won’t,

we will survive,

but for untold years after,

we will be afraid.

It will reappear

in our dreams

as a nightmare.

cfblack 04-03-2020