The Daily Poem

THAT FINAL DAY

The glory of the Lord is what I crave,

    The brilliant light and flightless lift of praise;

    Eternal moments flooding folded rays

In one expressible ecstatic wave;

One fluted note held longer than its sound,

    Made so much sweeter-than by every gauge;

    One day containing every treasured age

In overlays drawn featherlessly down;

To live that inexhaustible delay

    Where every joy is stretched to silk-thin glass;

    Each fragrant breath feels longer than the last

Dividing endlessly that final day.

D. Edgar Lamp

TheDailyPoem583

In Memoriam Stanza

Beijing, China

JOURNAL: Dongfang Hotel (4)

~ The Daily Poet

WHERE IS THE LOVE

Where is the love I thought I’d find?

    Where is the human thread?

    Night after night I lie in bed,

Never so baffled, never so blind.

Take from the rich will never be,

    Give to the poor, no way.

    When will there be that brighter day,

Unity, peace, and equity?

People are people, that’s the thing;

    Rotten, corrupted and small,

    Pushing their angles over the wall,

Schemers of schemes a profit to bring.

Faking affection is what they do,

    Great till the money’s gone,

    Shallow, duplicitous, wrong,

Old as the hills, but still brand new.

D. Edgar Lamp

The Daily Poem - 414

In Memoriam Stanza

Arequipa, Peru

Lat: -16.40, Long: -71.54

JOURNAL: Casa Arequipa

Last night I went down to the bus station to buy tickets on Ormenos bus lines from here to Santiago, Chile, but all the buses were full until the 19th.  That's a week away!  So Mimi went on line to look for flights and finally found one that fit our time of day preferences and price range, but it doesn't leave until Saturday, the 16th.  So, we're destined to be here in Arequipa for the next three nights.  Ordered in some pizza last night, watched The Tudors on TV.  I'd heard about it but never seen it.  It's a series about King Henry VIII.

We ate breakfast in the third floor dining room.  I took a long walk in the morning across town while Mimi was chatting with Rashawna.  My computer has been locking up.  I spent a couple hours trying to fix it by running various ffixes.  It seems to be working better now.

Finally in the early afternoon we headed out into the town again.  We took a taxi up to what Fodor's calls, "The eclectic little suburb of Yanahuara."  The view of Arequipa from the stone arches was panoramic, with the three great volcanos looming to the east; El Misti, Chachani and Picchu Picchu.  They are spectacular!

Then we did some shopping.  I found a sewing needle so I can embroider our route on my cloth map.  Mimi bought some yarn to fix a snag on on her Peruvian sweater.  I found a cloth belt for my jeans so I can toss my heavy bulky leather belt that's taking up too much room in my suitcase for what it's worth.  Having this time off is making me want to do some doodling, so I looked for a canvass, but couldn't find one anywhere, so I settled for 6x6 inch box for s/6.  The lid is like an elephant board.  I found some gesso and a couple permanent makers.  So...a doodle will be in the works...soon.   Mimi found an empty carton to mail stuff home in.  We've been carrying a few gifts with us for a while.

 We spent the evening in our room watching "liv" an channel that plays English language programs.  We saw the career stories of Jennifer Hudson (American Idol & Dream Girls), Toby Mcguire (Spiderman & Seabiscuit), and Anthony Hopkins (Silence of the Lambs & Shadowlands).

~ The Daily Poet

MY DREAM SALAAM

The way the white of noise dispels

   The gloom, your breathing stills like dew,

   Then sweetly lays me out and smooths

My darker hues with cool pastels.

Your wash of whisper brushing calm

   Confutes my reeling turn of phase

   From wake to sleep with firm belays
That lets me climb into my dream salaam.

D. Edgar Lamp

The Daily Poem - 328

25980 Scenic Drive

Idyllwild, California

In Memoriam Stanza

JOURNAL: Mimi signed us up for the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program that gives us travel alerts for specific countries.  We listed all the countries that me may visit in 2011.  This service is through the U.S. Department of State for the purpose of keeping U.S. citizens safe overseas.  

http://travelregistration.state.gov/ibrs/ui

I completed visa applications for Vietnam, Australia, and Nigeria today.  Discovered rail service from Hanoi to Saigon in Vietnam.  We'll spend three days in the Hanoi area, train to Saigon (HCMC) and spend three days down in the Mekong Delta.  Then go (hopefully by boat) from Saigon to Bangkok, Thailand and train down to Singapore.  Nice!  See map below.

Also finalized our 12-day Caribbean Segment with Rashawna, David & Joanie:

Fly to Puerto Rico

   Fly to St. Lucia

      Ferry to Martinique

         Ferry to Gaudeloupe

            Ferry to Dominica. 

We sang this song in church yesterday.  It was only the second time I'd heard it.  It is a beautiful hymn.  The tune sounds like an old classic, but it was written only a few years ago.  Here are the lyrics.

O CHRUCH ARISE

O church, arise and put your armor on;

Hear the call of Christ our captain;

For now the weak can say that they are strong

In the strength that God has given.

With shield of faith and belt of truth

We’ll stand against the devil’s lies;

An army bold whose battle cry is “Love!”

Reaching out to those in darkness.

Our call to war, to love the captive soul,

But to rage against the captor;

And with the sword that makes the wounded whole

We will fight with faith and valor.

When faced with trials on ev’ry side,

We know the outcome is secure,

And Christ will have the prize for which He died—

An inheritance of nations.

Come, see the cross where love and mercy meet,

As the Son of God is stricken;

Then see His foes lie crushed beneath His feet,

For the Conqueror has risen!

And as the stone is rolled away,

And Christ emerges from the grave,

This vict’ry march continues till the day

Ev’ry eye and heart shall see Him.

So Spirit, come, put strength in ev’ry stride,

Give grace for ev’ry hurdle,

That we may run with faith to win the prize

Of a servant good and faithful.

As saints of old still line the way,

Retelling triumphs of His grace,

We hear their calls and hunger for the day

When, with Christ, we stand in glory.

Words and Music by Keith Getty & Stuart Townsend

Copyright © 2005 Thankyou Music

To download the music go to:

www.smallchurchmusic.com

THE DIGGER 

I dug a tunnel to Kathmandu

   Some fourteen thousand grinding miles.

   I started from the British Isles

And drove my Digger straight on through. 

With diamond-bladed chewing screws

   My monstrous Digger bored the hole

   While I, with fingertip control,

Divined the path it would pursue.

It all went well until the last

   When breaking through Nepali soil

   I found Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

With Sherlock Holmes, protagonist.

Alive and well detective style

   They showed me how I’d missed the mark

   By nearly one full minute of arc

And hauled me off without a trial.

~ D. Edgar Lamp (In Memoriam Stanza)

LEAVETAKING

I leave my farm all smooth and clean

   In search of crops with higher yields,

   Take out across the fallow fields,

My bets well hedged in dueling green.

The vegetation rages high,

   The inclination rises steep,

   On every side phantasms leap

Around the corners of my eyes.

The air is pungent with the scent

   Of pollinating fever grass

   That paints my trousers as I pass,

With yellow dust of sweet intent.

No pocketful of seeds for me,

   No master plan with gardens fair;

   I’m on my way toward something rare,

A fanciful philosophy.

The tenets of my creed are few,

   The a priori ballast light;

   I take the day and leave the night,

I leave the old and take the new.

~ D. Edgar Lamp (In Memoriam Stanza)