THE FOLLOWING POEM IS ONE OF FORTY POEMS OF PAUL'S SELECTED FOR THIS ISSUE:

 

Angel Of Gethsemane

When Jesus was in dire need,

And Anguish made our Savior bleed,

You came, but offered no relief.

Just strength for Him to suffer grief.

You saw the blood that blessed the ground;

You watched in awe and made no sound.

You might as well have been a bird;

You held no sword and spoke no word.

I've always thought that "angel" meant

A messenger that Heaven sent.

So what's the message that you brought?

Can angels teach the One who taught?

Perhaps you came for us instead,

To verify what saints have said:

That sorrow is our earthly fate,

And suffering is Heaven's gate.

About Author:

Originally the purpose of this book of poems was to preserve them as a legacy for Paul's grandchildren and great grandchildren. However, as he began to share his writing with his friends he was encouraged to publish his work for the enjoyment of others. He sought out beautiful photographs to complement the subjects of his poems, obtained permission from the photographers to share them, and printed up his book. The purpose of the book was to share his gift with others as a blessing.

Paul's poems follow the traditional rhyme with rhythm.  Most of the poems are in quadrants, either with rhyming couplets or with every other line rhyming with each other.  I found this to be a refreshing change from the often confusing ramble of non-traditional poetry.  There is even a poem on "Modern Poetry" that discusses this pet-peeve of classic poets. 

The poems are on a multitude of topics that hit the high and low notes of every emotion. The humorous poems made me laugh out loud. The sad poems bring tears to the eye but, unlike the poems of Robert Frost, they still have an undercurrent of joy.

Section 1, subtitled "Humor", discusses the writing of poetry, animals, aliens, and chastity, for instance like in the poem "Unchased Virgin". The last of these poems are followed up by a cartoon in the back of the book in which a reader, puzzled, asks "Doesn't he know how to spell 'Unchaste?" Oh wait, I get it!

Section 11, "Nature", is a collection of lovely poems about various animals, accompanied by colorful photographs. Even my three-year-old was delighted by them. With the author's permission, I quote the shortest of them...

A Northern Cardinal Visits a Fool

December rose, I dare to ask

The reason why you wear a mask -

To shield your eyes when snows are bright?

Chip! He says, and takes flight.

Section 111, "Sorrow", delves into Christ's life and death, and personal pain. Section 1V, "Grief" is composed of some tear-wrenching poems about the loss of a child. Section V, "God's Love", shares the omnipresence of God through out our trials. Section V1, "Rejoicing", celebrates autumn and Christ's sacrifice. Section V11, "Romantic Love, brings to mind Shakespearean love poetry; it includes a chaste look at marital love. Section V111, "Love of Child", covers both the joy of a parent in his or her child and the sorrow of a child who has passed on. Section 1X, "In Defense of Babies", has both an anti-abortion poem and a poem in pregnancy.

Anyone interested in this book of poetry many email Paul at callmedex@comcast.net for the free download pdf. A limited number of free hard-copies of his book are available.

The photo above was taken from the cover of the poetry book. This picture was taken by Fred Walsh and is copyrighted to him. The link for this picture of the northern male cardianl is http://fredwalshphotos.blogspot.com/2009/03/northern-cardinal-male.html

To see more of Fred's work visit http://fredwalshphotos.blogspot.com/