Measure Twice

God bless,
>P<
Joshua Fahey

Family Blessing

Blessed is the father by his children and his wife
And may he be a pillar steadying any strife
Blessed is the mother by her children and her man
And may she cherish the hearts placed in her hand
Blessed is the child by the fruitful love
Of a man and a woman blessed by God above


God bless,
>P<
Joshua Fahey

Paper

A crease, a fold another shape
A few more to make a nape
Then two wings, a beak, a tail
A dove of hope that will ne'er fail


God bless,
>P<
Joshua Fahey

Festive Nog

God bless,
>P<
Joshua Fahey

Christmas Cheer

Hope dances in a way that shines
Like light in glasses of sparkling wines
Faith like the aroma of fruitful earth
Love like the warmth in joyous mirth


God bless,
>P<
Joshua Fahey

Christmas Haiku

At home, warmth around
The world's darkness held at bay
Hope is sown and grown


God bless,
>P<
Joshua Fahey

Merry Christmas!

God bless,
>P<
Joshua Fahey

Christmas Eve

Even in the darkest hearts
If allowed in, Christ imparts
Hope in form as humble as
A feeding bowl for ox and ass

God bless,
>P<
Joshua Fahey

Fourth Sunday of Advent

God bless,
>P<
Joshua Fahey

O Emmanuel

God bless,
>P<
Joshua Fahey

O King of the World

God bless,
>P<
Joshua Fahey

O Rising Dawn

God bless,
>P<
Joshua Fahey

O Key of David

God bless,
>P<
Joshua Fahey

O Root of Jesse

God bless,
>P<
Joshua Fahey

O Lord

With all our being
We serve the Lord
And treat our neighbor
With the same accord
As ourselves


God bless,
>P<
Joshua Fahey

O Wisdom

On my path
A glow
Of Wisdom
I follow
Where she lights



God bless,
>P<
Joshua Fahey

Third Sunday of Advent

God bless,
>P<
Joshua Fahey

Behold the Son

Do you recognize in the whisper of trees
In the glimmerings of stars and the silence of seas
The heartbeat of one who walked amongst these
The Son of Man?

Do you rejoice in the labor and sweat
The changing of seasons and death’s timely threat
The glory of He in whom fear abets
The Son of God?


God bless,
>P<
Joshua Fahey

Night-time Coffee

God bless,
>P<
Joshua Fahey

Under the Sea of Stars

Under the sea of stars
Drowning amid dreams and nightmares
Possessions and wars
Over temporal worries and wares


God bless,
>P<
Joshua Fahey

Whittle

Whittle whittle away
Let my vice decay
And by enduring through the pain
Keep me hale and sane


God bless,
>P<
Joshua Fahey

Napping

God bless,
>P<
Joshua Fahey

Always Someone Who Has it Worse

Valued as priceless
Yet dull as stone
An idiot uselessly
Trying to atone
Yet every inch up
From the pit
Is two times messed up
Falling back into it
And then a light shone
On the soul at a loss
A voice calls "He'll be born,
Who'll die on a cross"


God bless,
>P<
Joshua Fahey

Second Sunday of Advent!

God bless,
>P<
Joshua Fahey

Calling

A call for kindness in a world of cruelty
A call for justice in a world of rage
A call for peace, and a call for patience
In a world where war and greed engage
In a world of sloth, a call for persistence
In calling for Christ in the world of men
A call for the cross, for the innocent, the babe
The call of God for the forgiveness of sin


God bless,
>P<
Joshua Fahey

Happy Immaculate Conception

God bless,
>P<
Joshua Fahey

Drenched

Drenched in a cold storm
Every thread of fabric biting at the heart
Every fragment of bone rattling apart
Such a fragile form


God bless,
>P<
Joshua Fahey

Winter Day

In colored winter quilted suits
Like bright and merry winter fruits
Down the frosted hill at speed
On a trusted wooden steed
Ending such a winter day
With much joyful winter play
Is something so unlike to snow
A mug of heavenly hot cocoa


God bless,
>P<
Joshua Fahey

Home

God bless,
>P<
Joshua Fahey

Darkness

When the sky is like smoke
Choking the light
I have faith and I have hope
In the end of the night


God bless,
>P<
Joshua Fahey

First Sunday of Advent

God bless,
>P<
Joshua Fahey

Light's Advent

How long does it take to wait while still
For the sun to come up o'er the hill
For that first light on us to spill
Keeping ourselves awake? How long do we wait?
We anticipate eternity as our fate

God bless,
>P<
Joshua Fahey

Birds of a feather are worth Two in the Nest

God bless,
>P<
Joshua Fahey

Nice

Nine pins knocked over but an
Intrepid one remains at the place
Called ten, giving no face
Either to bowler or fan

God bless,
>P<
Joshua Fahey

Discomfort

The simple hunger born of fear
For safety is yet ever near
To one lacking in faith and hope
Sliding down that snowy slope
Into the dark vale beneath
The ken of those who seek true peace
And the spire that towers above
The ken of those denying love



God bless,
>P<
Joshua Fahey

More Whiskey

God bless,
>P<
Joshua Fahey

When it gets so Cold

When it gets so cold
It seeps in the bones and blood
And even a quilt cannot
Warm up frozen mud


God bless,
>P<
Joshua Fahey

King to Infinity

God bless,
>P<
Joshua Fahey

Brother

Brother in the basement
Brother in a tree
Brother on the pavement
Brother out to sea
Our Brother made the payment
For the least of these
My brothers whom the world bent
Brother Jesus makes us free



God bless,
>P<
Joshua Fahey

King's Rest

God bless,
>P<
Joshua Fahey

Humble Pie

Meeting friends and family
Eating food piled high
Laughing, crying, waving goodbye
All for a slice of humble pie


Happy Thanksgiving!

God bless,
>P<
Joshua Fahey

Decisions

Decisions made in crazy haste
Without the proper time to baste
Look like a hacked copy and paste
With a cursory glance

Yet decisions made in proper time
Though in hasty metered rhyme
When cleaned of its roughshod grime
Seems a graceful dance


God bless,
>P<
Joshua Fahey

Feel Like Brushing

God bless,
>P<
Joshua Fahey

Flurries

Pale dots swirl in gentle breath
Fleeting beauty and deceptive charm
Seeking warmth leading to death
Falling, muffling urgent alarm
Collecting simply on the ground
Where peace and joy is found


God bless,
>P<
Joshua Fahey

Digging a little Deeper

God bless,
>P<
Joshua Fahey

To the Diligent

It is to the diligent
The persistent and brave
The one who seeks wisdom
Whom God will save
For it is in the seeking
That Wisdom takes care
And alights on our path
As long as we dare
Not buried in dirt
But sailing the sea
Wooing the wind
Who carries the free


God bless,
>P<
Joshua Fahey

Sharpshooter

God bless,
>P<
Joshua Fahey

I Want Bread

Given time and patience
Patience and time
Wheat becomes flour
As the millstones grind
Hour by hour
Changed by endurance


God bless,
>P<
Joshua Fahey

Introversion

Taking off your hat
And putting up your feet
When the day ends its beat
And you gave tit for tat
Against the crawling slime
Covered in the rime
Of fearing banal chat



God bless,
>P<
Joshua Fahey

Shepherd

God bless,
>P<
Joshua Fahey

Simple Shadows

Simple shadows play their games
In the snows and in the rains
Yet light still finds the deepest hole
Giving a path for the seeking soul



God bless,
>P<
Joshua Fahey

Lamplight

God bless,

>P<

Joshua Fahey

A Home

A home for beasts and shade for me
A tower stretching to eternity
Moving a river against gravity
Seeking the sun and giving fruit
Persisting in the longest route
Singing though it is a mute
Lord make me like that stubborn tree
That when I sleep, I’ll rise with thee
And seek thee out eternally


God bless,
>P<
Joshua Fahey

Frogmobile

God bless,
>P<
Joshua Fahey

Folly

Folly is partner that follows right behind
Any plan I take while still remaining blind
Folly is a partner who guides me to be kind
Out of fear for what trouble I might find



God bless,
>P<
Joshua Fahey

Yellow Petals

Yellow petals with a light

A shadow far too bright

A scent so clear it purifies

All deviousness dies

Resting on the gallant blades

Where melancholy fades

God bless,

>P<

Joshua Fahey

Nostalgic

God bless,
>P<
Joshua Fahey

Hot Chocolate

I like hot cocoa
A lot
I'm a little loco
For choc
In a cup
To sip for a sup
To lean back
And read
And rock


God bless,
>P<
Joshua Fahey

Sending Messages

God bless,
>P<
Joshua Fahey

I Sit to have a Meal

I sit to have a meal
A waiter do I see?
I stop to sip the drink
The waiter poured for me

I sat to have a meal
A waiter I did see
I did not follow him around
But listened carefully

I did not think me rude
I stilled myself to lookI did not call him cook
Though the waiter gave me food

The greatest in this place
I did not see his face
The servant I did meet
Offered me a seat


God bless,
>P<
Joshua Fahey

Evidence

God bless,
>P<
Joshua Fahey

Endless River

Into the endless river
Woven in the body
Sanctified in blood
To become another giver


God bless,
>P<
Joshua Fahey

What Heavenly Reality?

What heavenly reality?
Can I see it? Can I see?
I am blinded by my pride and insecurity
And my unwillingness to ask for a heavenly plea
Of mercy
Of light
Of hope in the night
Guided by my brethren who've gone home

God bless,
>P<
Joshua Fahey

Office

God bless,
>P<
Joshua Fahey

A Taste of Poison

A taste of poison is all it takes
To kill a soul like mine like yours
To anchor you to worldly waste
And keep you from the celestial shores


God bless,
>P<
Joshua Fahey

It's a Peace Ray, I Swear!

God bless,
>P<
Joshua Fahey

Prayer of a Coward

What have you done by giving me
This thing more precious than a gem
More fragile than a crystal heart
Our brother born in Bethlehem?

Why have you done thing so grand
So generous to the broken me
Who has failed to love as in the law
Who is irresponsible and cowardly?

O God I beg, since you will not back down
For the strength to see this through
The peace to hold you lovingly
And the wisdom for seeking you



God bless,
>P<
Joshua Fahey

Satisfied

God bless,
>P<
Joshua Fahey

Even in the Darkest Skies

Even in the darkest skies
God created fireflies
Simply there for the simple joy
Of each delighted girl and boy


God bless,
>P<
Joshua Fahey

Many Whole

Magnificent magnanimous magical and unmatched
By any Jenny or Benny whether uncanny or sane
Painting a perfect picture of people patched
Mended and molded and moving on the main


God bless,
>P<
Joshua Fahey

Sweet Spillage

God bless,
>P<
Joshua Fahey

A Voice Alights

A voice alights upon my heart
Insistent in its urging
Upon my acts to stop or start
To be temperate not splurging
It sparks a blaze ne'er larger than
Nor smaller than its source
Giving light in this wretched fen
With warmth of gentle force


God bless,
>P<
Joshua Fahey

Render Unto Lizardmen...

God bless,
>P<
Joshua Fahey

Creative God

How creative are you
When your signature is thought
When you sign on your creation
An imprint of what is ought
Letting all who meet us
All those who can hear
Know how caring you are of man
How much you hold us dear



God bless,
>P<
Joshua Fahey

Flag on the Day

God bless,
>P<
Joshua Fahey

Simple Meal

Put on a pot of water
Bring out the eggs and salt
Let us put a halt
To this terrifying hunger



God bless,
>P<
Joshua Fahey

Patience

Every dandelion carved with care
Every yellow petal pressed
With a patience I'd never dare
The same tenderness with which I'm blessed

Every blade of jade whetted
With the edge of unfailing hope
Every need of every creature meted
Beyond my finite scope

In a world of alien marvels
Yet in a home so warm with joy
Mary smiles as she warbles
Lullabies to her baby boy

And on a path of which I've tired
Such wonders keep my soul unmired


God bless,
>P<
Joshua Fahey

Nap

God bless,
>P<
Joshua Fahey

Peace

Were that I calm or still
I could drink of thee my fill
Instead of fretting low and high
Frenetic in my misery

Were that I heard thy voice
And to my heart no other noise
Instead my heart is cold
Thy stories remain untold

Let me be separate from
The worldly buzz and hum
And attend to greater things
To hark to thee O King of kings


God bless,
>P<
Joshua Fahey

Order

God bless,
>P<
Joshua Fahey

I Have Nothing

I have nothing in the realm of joy
Then O Lord you send down your rain
And standing in that glorious fall
I remember how to praise again

I have nothing peaceful in my soul
Just broken pieces on the whole
But then you send to me your light
And I sleep in your arms tonight

I have nothing on me but dirty rags
But I beg and plead each day
And you have sent me raiments of hope
So that in your house I'll stay



God bless,
>P<
Joshua Fahey

Choo Choo

God bless,
>P<
Joshua Fahey

Autumn Rain Haiku

Warm water, cold rain
Amid the falling prisms
The gift of living


God bless,
>P<
Joshua Fahey

Cold Desserts

Rain down the well
And I am in the street
Wet wind and chill
Witnessing my feat
Two scoops of black
And a scoop of white
Vanish in a blink
As I whistle in the night
And now the price to pay
(And I tremble with a groan)
Is my soul now chilled
By an ice cream cone


God bless,
>P<
Joshua Fahey

One Good Shirt

God bless,
>P<
Joshua Fahey

Heros of an Ancient War

Heros of an ancient war
Undying honor set in stone
Forged only by undying fire
That burns inside the bone


God bless,
>P<
Joshua Fahey

Choice or Wild?

God bless,
>P<
Joshua Fahey

Self-Sculpting

Every act a nick, a note
A permanent pose in time
And at the end blessed or smote
Whichever act would rhyme

Artists are we but sculptures too
Paradoxes with taste (a smidge)
Who form ourselves crooked and true
And might end on Paradise's fridge



God bless,
>P<
Joshua Fahey

A Light to Read by

God bless,
>P<
Joshua Fahey

Legends

Legends speak
Of a week
Where nothing
Was done

Angels sung
Church bells rung
To celebrate
The rising Son




God bless,
>P<
Joshua Fahey

The Seas Within

The seas within my turbid soul
The ship that guides me through
The dove that leads through the squall
They all have come from you

The ken of knots and sails and stars
Though I have spent time to gain them
I can only truly call it ours
After all you've done to explain them

And now I gaze out o'er the waves
Within my tranquil soul
I give a shout with all my praise
To He who made me whole


God bless,
>P<
Joshua Fahey

Not Spared

God bless,
>P<
Joshua Fahey

Field

Time and care in plenty given
Most of which remains hidden
From the eyes of finite folk
Who from their half-sleep have not awoke
But still the cheer in flower fields
Is there. And gives plenty in her yields


God bless,
>P<
Joshua Fahey

Made it to the End

God bless,
>P<
Joshua Fahey

Repentant Prayer

Lord, I know my ways are wicked
How unhappy they make you
How hateful they are
But I thank you for your patience
Your kindness keeps me turning back to you
Your mercy clears my heart
Lord, keep me from the wicked path
Put me again on the path of righteousness
Though my strides may not be as long as even a child's
Let me laugh again within your joy



God bless,
>P<
Joshua Fahey

I Call Edge

God bless,
>P<
Joshua Fahey

Brightener

Sprinkles make a smile brighter
A gift of hope that much lighter
A nudge to move out of a rut
That miracle on a doughnut


God bless,
>P<
Joshua Fahey

Despair

Irritated at the mercy of God
Washing away any heat remaining
Relentlessly facing the heavens
Closing my eyes. Not needed for explaining
The dread that had settled, comfortable
Now arose like worms in mud straining
On my back unable to hear or see receiving
God's mercy. My heart is complaining



God bless,
>P<
Joshua Fahey

Good Fences Make Good Footrests

God bless,
>P<
Joshua Fahey

Put All Ideas Inside a Box

Put all ideas inside the box
Then nail the lid, seal it tight
Let not in a ray of light
Or keyhole for the locks

Turn inside let madness reign
You yourself are all that is
Not the fool, ever the whiz
Desperately let your interest wane

At the end of eternity
Two path diverge insistently
One of self, of vanity
And the other of others, in humility

Which habit is trained with zeal
The results will be most real


God bless,
>P<
Joshua Fahey

Be Generous

God bless,
>P<
Joshua Fahey

Ways

Your ways, my Lord, your ways are strange
That cause in many a dreadful change
Of heart so subtle and weak
And yet from within it, it is you they seek
Your ways, both clever and clear
And deep so deep, but without fear
And strange, not human, but divine
Rest in the heart of yours and mine


God bless,
>P<
Joshua Fahey

Hang Your Hat

God bless,
>P<
Joshua Fahey

Good Night

When light has, dying, gone to final rest
Longing for its warmth and wisdom to the west
Following its path we lie, our work is done
Some with the hope of the rising of the sun


God bless,
>P<
Joshua Fahey

Nightmare

A start, a startled starry jolt of light
That wakes in cold sweat amid the night
And yet no one there to hear the call
Might be the scariest nightmare of all


God bless,
>P<
Joshua Fahey

Pieces of Eigths

God bless,
>P<
Joshua Fahey