PREFACE
As its name VERSES FROM ABOVE implies, this book of poetry is from the Lord. Now, I want to share with you the gift He gave me. Although an English teacher of twenty-five years and an avid student of the English language, I had never been able to actually write poetry; teaching and encouraging it were all I could do. The poems in this book came during a long period in which I was ill and virtually housebound. I was finally quiet and still before the Lord, and the poetry began to flow.
These poems are for anyone and everyone. Each person was created by God; each can identify with nature in some respect; and each has been abused in some manner - or knows others who have been. I pray the poems speak to you in the way He intends. Any less than acceptable poetry in this book must be from my pen; any that are acceptable and speak to your spirit are surely from His pen.
A few of these poems contain words that do not exist in Webster’s dictionaries; a few use an incorrect form of the word written; and some have sentence structure that is unusual or somewhat incorrect. However, I did not dare change the words given me except for basic editing.
PRAISE THE LORD ! Addresses our marvelous Lord - God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit - and His roles and deeds in a person’s life. At age thirty-nine, I met Him on my bathroom floor, and for the past twenty plus years, my life has not been the same. I was saved that night in the presence of only God and me. Later, I officially accepted Jesus as my Savior and Lord.
ON MAN AND NATURE explores the similarities between mankind and the elements of nature. We are both live entities, and, as such, perhaps have a few things in common. Although I often seem like a lion or a butterfly, I see myself as a flower (once a “Flower of Society” and a “Prairie Maiden”). With which part of nature can you most identify?
GARDEN OF ABUSE was the chapter I withheld most; it is very personal - for me and for the images of people locked in my mind. Abuse is so ugly. How may a garden come from it? It can, and it does! Some of the most beautiful people I have met or known are the unique, colorful beauties in my world. What happens to each person definitely shapes his or her personality, values, and choices - every facet of life. As in a garden, one can dig out the thorns, weeds, and rocks, thus having good soil in which to flourish, OR one can allow the thorns, weeds, and rocks to flourish, thus leaving an ugly wasteland.
The pages of this book lay dormant (“Delayed Decay”) for over fifteen years. They were tucked away in cabinets, boxes, notebooks, and sacks. Near the same time that a restlessness began growing inside me, the poems began re-appearing. Several people kept mentioning the writing I had done, and I recalled that I had asked God to stir-up my gifts. I had also asked Him to show me my acres of diamonds and how to dig for them. Then, my younger daughter needed a part-time job, so the typing began - and this book evolved.
