Last Flower and Last Letter
I've just delivered to your room
the last flower and my last letter
It's a flower you no longer can behold
It's a letter you no longer can read.
You still breathe
but cannot wake up
Your body is warm
but it can never rise up.
Minute after minute
your family surrounds you
touching your fingers and forehead
and shaking their heads in disbelief.
They too must wait
for God's verdict.
And the flower I delivered
to your room stands lonely
on a lonely table
[...] Read more
poem by Elizabeth Padillo Olesen
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Love in its Purity
Love is a language of the heart-
It is prose and poetry
It is in film or comedy
And yet nothing can fathom
its own depth, height or breadth.
Love is a dream in every heart,
an object of conquest and war
It mirrors greed, pride and honor
And yet love's own purity remains
above intrigues and heroic motives.
Love is a gift from above -
an agape love from the heart of God
We humans can abuse it,
ignore it, trample on it, burn it
but love surfaces out so purely
in its inmost beauty to protect,
affirm, preserve and uphold life.
poem by Elizabeth Padillo Olesen
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Pain and Feasts
The pain in my body
Is pulsating -
Screaming!
Alarming!
And yet I have
to go out and feast
I must shallow the palliatives
from songs, art, prayer and dance
I must lock my pain
In the box of oblivion
Until the day is done.
Let me beautify all around me
With my smiles and laughter
Let me fully feast and celebrate
With friends and loved ones
Till the day is done.
And when the day is done,
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poem by Elizabeth Padillo Olesen
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Christmas and Detoxification
Food, drinks and presents,
Lavish food and lavish giving
Christmas parties, Christmas delights,
Christmas trees and sparkling lights!
Christmas for families and loved ones
Christmas for haves and have-nots,
Time for spending, time for eating
Time for giving, time for sharing.
Detox Christmas from excesses
Seen only from what can be fished
Out from our accounts and wallets,
from what we can feed our tummies.
Detox Christmas by welcoming
The gift of Love and Grace into
our being, removing toxins of greed,
of hate, fear, and doubt in human heart.
poem by Elizabeth Padillo Olesen
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Transcendence
Once in our lifetime we celebrate
life in laughter and in joy,
at another time, the celebration
comes like a weeping over a bitter cup
Then again, we yearn for wholeness
that which we call, the original state.
What is it beyond our bodies
we want to migrate from?
What is it beyond our minds
we want to grasp?
What is it within us
that is so restless?
What is beyond our time and space?
Is it that makes life mortal, immortal?
Is it that makes finitude, an infinity?
Is it an eternity that calls us
beyond rubles or bitter cups?
Is it God within and beyond us?
poem by Elizabeth Padillo Olesen
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Road to Damascus
You were once a meeting place
of human goodness -
of the Good Samaritan, saving
the fallen victim of the hiding thieves,
a road to friendship
against the bridge of enemies,
the road to humility
with the ability to forgive.
You were once a meeting point
of human newness -
of Saul, the intolerant,
persecutor of Christians,
blinded by light,
and yet rode back to this road
as Paul with renewed eyesight.
Damascus, a meeting road
of human goodness and newness
met by the Lord of Light,
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poem by Elizabeth Padillo Olesen
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When a Friend Is Dying
When a friend is dying,
then we begin to think
of life's injustice when
the one we love has to
be taken away from us.
When a friend is dying,
then we begin to see
how fragile life is
that at a wink of an eye
it disappears and dies.
When a friend is dying,
then we begin to
collect memories
of the time we've shared
and in our hearts we treasure.
When a friend is dying,
then we begin to fetch
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poem by Elizabeth Padillo Olesen
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When Two Hearts Beat as One
When two hearts beat as one,
the bells ring out tunes of great melody.
The angels bow down and offer their hands
to bring these two hearts to the mountain
where joy and beauty reign in ecstasy.
When two hearts beat as one,
the burden ceases to be a yoke to carry.
New roads are found in the common journey.
The empty ground bursts out with trees
and the river speaks to birds and flowers.
When two hearts beat as one,
eyes are born to see the needs around.
Hands are lifted up, given, extended,
serving others beyond their own habitat
and the new song of love forever lasts.
poem by Elizabeth Padillo Olesen
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Bathe Me with your Love
Come and bathe me with your love
Shower me with your kisses
And rub me with the balm of your touch.
Shampoo my hair with the oil
of your generous kindness
Pour into my aching body
the blessings of God's grace.
Hold me closely to hear
your whispers in the running water
Hold me tightly to your bosom
as if this is our last romance.
Come and bathe me with your love
Caress me with your gentle arms
And let me feel the beating of your heart.
Hold me closely to ward off
the eternity of absence
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poem by Elizabeth Padillo Olesen
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Dear Mother from your Child
You nurtured me inside your womb
You said prayers that I might be born
clothed with beauty, health and sanity.
You followed my growth and giggled
at the way I kicked your soft belly.
You woke up each night as I cried
Picked me up, danced and sang me lullabies
At late night, dawn, and early morn,
you cuddled me by your hands so divine.
and wrapped me by your dreams of might.
I heard your voice and breathed your presence
Of pure sweetness and fragrant elegance
You were no longer alone or a wife to man
Your world became intertwined to mine.
I was destined to be with you as one.
poem by Elizabeth Padillo Olesen
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