Memorial Day 2013

You know who you are.

You are the first wave on the beach at Normandy.

You are the tunnel rat who never spoke of the horrors you saw at Cu Chi.

You are the Marine wounded in an engagement that was never reported in the newspapers.

You are the pilot shot down over enemy territory.

You are the prisoner of war who never broke under torture.

You are the sailor who was killed on the USS Cole.

You are the officer who risked his life for his men.

You are the shell of a man dying alone in a VA hospital in the middle of nowhere.

You are the one whose eyes fill with tears when you hear the National Anthem.

You are the one who salutes Old Glory.

You are the one interred at Arlington.

You are the one who served with the men memorialized on a black granite wall.

You are the one who answered your country’s call to arms.

You are the unheralded hero, the scorned veteran, the unknown soldier.

You know who you are.

I honor you.

Work in Progress

I was born for sky and water
To gaze upon mountains from above
To play with raptors on the updraft
To rise beyond clouds into endless Sun's light
To bathe in the caressing heat of His touch
Or in the cold salt Sea, buoyed by Her tears

I was born to dive into darkness
To find the denizens of the deep
Unknown, unexplained, unilluminated

I was born for the glory of the heights
The wonders of the ocean's heavy night

Do not tether me to mundane soil
Do not yoke me to plod well-worn paths
I am no mortal prisoner of gravity
Neither Earth nor Fire can bind me

Seek me where the water meets the sky
Find me there and I will show you
The secrets of the curved horizon

(c) 2013 Aeryn Dex

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

I bind unto myself today
The strong Name of the Trinity,
By invocation of the same,
The Three in One and One in Three.
I bind this day to me for ever.

By power of faith, Christ's incarnation;
His baptism in the Jordan river;
His death on Cross for my salvation;
His bursting from the spicèd tomb;
His riding up the heavenly way;
His coming at the day of doom;
I bind unto myself today.

I bind unto myself the power
Of the great love of the cherubim;
The sweet 'well done' in judgment hour,
The service of the seraphim,
Confessors' faith, Apostles' word,
The Patriarchs' prayers, the Prophets' scrolls,
All good deeds done unto the Lord,
And purity of virgin souls.

I bind unto myself today
The virtues of the starlit heaven,
The glorious sun's life-giving ray,
The whiteness of the moon at even,
The flashing of the lightning free,
The whirling wind's tempestuous shocks,
The stable earth, the deep salt sea,
Around the old eternal rocks.

I bind unto myself today
The power of God to hold and lead,
His eye to watch, His might to stay,
His ear to hearken to my need.

The wisdom of my God to teach,
His hand to guide,
His shield to ward,
The word of God to give me speech,
His heavenly host to be my guard.

Against the demon snares of sin,
The vice that gives temptation force,
The natural lusts that war within,
The hostile men that mar my course;
Or few or many, far or nigh,
In every place and in all hours,
Against their fierce hostility,
I bind to me these holy powers.

Against all Satan's spells and wiles,
Against false words of heresy,
Against the knowledge that defiles,
Against the heart's idolatry,
Against the wizard's evil craft,
Against the death wound and the burning,
The choking wave and the poisoned shaft,
Protect me, Christ, till Thy returning.

Christ be with me, Christ within me,
Christ behind me, Christ before me,
Christ beside me, Christ to win me,
Christ to comfort and restore me.

Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ in quiet, Christ in danger,
Christ in hearts of all that love me,
Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.

I bind unto myself the Name,
The strong Name of the Trinity;
By invocation of the same.

The Three in One, and One in Three,
Of Whom all nature hath creation,
Eternal Father, Spirit, Word:
Praise to the Lord of my salvation,
Salvation is of Christ the Lord.

-- St. Patrick of Ireland

A bit of poetry

I felt in the need of a bit of centering today, so I paraphrased a bunch of Scripture promises and mashed them all together. Here's the result:

I will wait upon the Lord and He will substitute His strength for my weakness.
He will give me eagle's wings and teach me to fly.
He will give me endurance to run the race set before me and not grow tired.
He will light the path of righteousness for me to walk and I will not grow faint.
I will trust in the Lord with all my heart, and acknowledge him in all my ways - physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually - and He will direct my steps.
The Lord knows what He plans for me. He will prosper me and not harm me.
He will provide for all my needs in accordance with the riches of his glory.
He will guard my heart with His peace.
He is preparing a place for me in His house, where I will live with Him forever.

(c) Aeryn Dex 2013

Feel free to share if you like it. 

A Bit of Poetry

OK, so today is National Poetry Day in the UK. This year’s theme is stars.

However, since I don’t live in the UK, I’m going to post a poem with my own theme. I’m an American rebel that way. :-) This poem is dedicated to all the people who are in love with people who don’t know they exist. It is, after all, a love offering from a fangirl.

YOU

You don’t know me
You’ve never seen me
If we met on the street 
You wouldn’t know to greet me
You’ve never heard my voice
Never felt my touch
So how is it possible 
I could love you so much?

You don’t know this
But you go everywhere with me
I talk to you constantly
You’re beside me in the car
And walking down the street
And when I crawl into my cold bed
The pillow becomes your shoulder
I can feel your arms around me
And your warmth lulls me to sleep
Your breath on my skin
Your voice in my head

You don’t know me
If you knew how you haunt me
You’d be wary of me
There’s no need to be
I will never tell you how I feel
Never take that chance
My soul would wither
Shrivel and waste away
If I looked into your eyes
And saw nothing

You don’t want me
How could you possibly
Leave me my dreams
They’re all I have of you
And more than you have of me
I will leave you in peace
Leave you to your own dreams
I wish that you would dream of me
But you don’t know me

(c) 2002 Erin M. Allen