Articles By Lisa Luke Easterling

Poetry by Lisa Luke Easterling

Whispering
 
Sweet little baby in my arms,
No words can speak my heart today.
The rocker creaks; I hold you close
And search my soul for words to say.
I stroke your cheek and mouth your name
And mourn what I will never know.
I ache with grief and broken heart  
And much too soon must let you go.
I pray, little one, that later on
Our bonded paths will merge again
And somehow you will know my touch
And joy will bloom where once was pain.
And I will hold you close to me
The years gone past then seeming few,
And I will smile and stroke your cheek
And whisper again my love for you.

Letter From Mama

My daughter, I am home now,
And I wanted you to know
That I understand how hard it was
For you to let me go.
But believe me when I tell you
That my dreams are now fulfilled,
And in Heaven my heart leaps,
While on the Earth it has been stilled.
But there's more that you must know, my child,
Ere you be wrought with grief,
Although I am wishing with you
Our time hadn't been so brief.
I have many things to celebrate
Since my arrival here,
Safely wrapped within my Savior's arms
With Him forever near.
But I also have the precious joy
Of what you've done for me;
What I didn't know before I came,
I now can clearly see.
All the gentle love and sacrifice
You gave in my last days,
Darling, know that I embrace it
In the tenderest of ways.
I will hold these treasures to me
Till you join me in the end...
So farewell for now, beloved one,
My daughter and my friend.


In Memory of Jeni's mama...and now mine as well

                       
Tell Me

Tell me your stories, my brave-hearted friend,
Of all of the courage you've shown.
Tell me of battles and nights without sleep,
Of all of the heartbreak you've known.
Paint me a picture as seen through your eyes,
That mine have been blessed not to see,
Of all of the hardships you faced through the years
To help keep the rest of us free.
Tell me of letters you never could write,
Of blood shed and left in the sand;
Tell me, I beg you, of all of these things,
That I might, in some way, understand.
Tell me your thoughts as you look back through time,
Just a glimpse of the things that you feel.
Show me the scars you have borne for my sake,
For your wounds mean my freedom is real.
Please tell me your stories again and again,
Of dangers and perils you've met,
And allow me to thank you for all you have done;
Please, never let me forget.

She

She ties her hat and dons her gloves
Lets go of what she dearly loves
And turns her gaze to blackened sky
Cries bitter tears and buries why
She chokes a plea for mercy's face
And scorns the need for saving grace
She faces north with deep blue eyes
As deep within her heart she dies.

Music

whatever music my soul is singing
whatever song this is i play
is at once a rushing, frantic thing
and a soft and sweet ballet
whatever notes my heart gives forth
whatever rhyme the tears would bring
i cannot let this deep refrain
fly me away on silken wings
for whatever dream i've tucked away
safely beneath emotion's eye
must forever dance and forever play
and forever rest with silent cry
whatever music heaven holds
whatever symphony we share
i cannot help but hope upon hope
that dreamtears might come easily there

Returning

The son you adore will return to your side,
Though the paths he might try may be rocky and wide.
He strikes out alone, but his Savior is true
And will bring him back safely to you.

It may not be today, or yet not tomorrow,
Not soon enough, you may note to your sorrow,
But no matter where his young footsteps may roam,
Your boy will find his way home.

The strong words exchanged will soon fade to the past,
For anger toward one you love cannot last,
And the child whom you bore will be softened once more
And will retrace the path to your door.

He walks on a line between young boy and man,
Grasping at growing as hard as he can,
And although this striving is bringing your grief,
The time of shed tears will be brief.

It's wise to see things will not be quite the same,
But one day while you're praying, you'll whisper his name,
And the arms of your son will reach back through the pain
And embrace his sweet Mother again.
 

THE CANDLE

Once when the candle burned
My heart could smile
And passion for life pushed me skyward
Like an eager child
Once when the flick'ring light was mine
My mind could dream
And tears came often to me
Like a tiny stream
Once when the wick stood taller
My soul could live
In love and beauty nurtured
By what life can give
Once when light still danced on walls
My dreams could fly
And rose in lacy patterns
To a hopeful sky
Once when the candle faltered
My eyes grew dim
I wondered could I wake
To but the memory of him
 

PLEASE REMAIN

We said some words just yesterday
Perhaps we didn't mean to say;
Today my heart is weeping rain
Knowing that I caused you pain.
It doesn't matter who was wrong
I simply offer you my song
To say I love you, still, my friend
And pray my words this time will mend.
I lay my pride down at your feet
And pray our hearts will somehow meet.
May Heaven heal your pain and mine
That Jesus' grace through us may shine.
We said some words just yesterday;
Please let me wipe your tears away.
I reach for you through storm and wind
And ask you, please, remain my friend.

The Outsider

I remember them,
The girls who curled their lips and rolled their eyes
And the boys who laughed and found joy in my pain
And the grownups who had no idea
Who lived in my body
None of them knew it was me in here
And sadly I was struggling to know me too
I wanted to be like them
Pretty, smart, slender, liked
I watched them through averted eyes
And mimicked their steps
I threw my pebble across the ripples
But mine didn't skip
It sunk to the bottom of the muck
And they shut me out
And they never knew how much it hurt
I thought, then, if my pebble wasn't smooth enough
I'd use a rock
I'd show them I was tough enough
To merit their admiration, somehow
But it only made me emptier
It only made them sneer
And I was left again with only me
The me no one seemed to need
And I vowed one day things would be different
One day someone would love me
And hold my pebble and think it beautiful
And skip it across an ocean of dreams
And help me to love me too

FIRST LULLABY

What gentle wind from Heaven hath blown
And borne you softly to my side?
What generous sweep of the Giver's hand
Could leave my heart thus mystified?
It seemed my wish went ever on,
And while I prayed the Father knew
That there would come a special day
When He would send the gift of you.
I felt my heart would surely burst
When first I held you close to me,
Not certain if I dared believe
My dream had truly come to be.
And yet, with every passing day,
My hope has grown with steady pace.
And fear has given way to joy
Reflected on your precious face.
The slightest touch of tiny hand
Assures me that the dream is real,
Reminding me that God was here,
A hint of Heaven to reveal.
That gentle wind is blowing still
A breeze that seems the soul to free,
And yet, a prisoner am I;
A baby's love has captured me.

Kitten's Song

Amid the chaos in a noisy room
She gazes from clutter to toy to broom
And wonders who she is and why she's here
She loses herself, but for a while
In a dream not unlike that of a restless child
Where her name is Kitten and she lays aside her fear 

She can't help but wonder as she sighs
At the million unknown answers to her whys
Where is the little girl she used to be?
The one who just wanted to matter somehow
To belong in the yesterday, and the here and now
Who wonders what it's like to feel truly free 

Her thoughts drift gently back over the years
Escapes her eye, a solitary tear
And trails a salty pathway down her face
It isn't the first time her pain has trickled down
She feels sure it won't be the last ache found
But she knows she just can't stay long in this place 

She opens swollen eyes at last
With no real notion of the time gone past
To find three pairs of staring, curious eyes
A tiny finger reaches up to brush away
A tear that has somehow managed to stray
A tiny voice, a whisper, "Mama cry?" 

She swallows hard and kisses the hand
And meets little eyes with a smile and a plan
To cherish these Heavenly blessings come to Earth
She thinks of the young ones at her knee
About how grateful she is that they are free
To have a favorite color, to know their worth 

She whispers a prayer of thanks that she
Is the mother she wished her own to be
Thanking God for letting her live out the love she needs
She places the toys again on the shelf
And somewhere in her musing she finds herself
Like a rose growing forth from the tiniest of seeds

~* ~