Before the snow's all gone, I wanted to finish this poem which I started back during the blizzard.

A Squirrel on a Snowdrift
By larry r Linville

The hungry squirrel is very bold
but his paws are getting icy cold
on a snowdrift of at least three feet
looking hard for something to eat.

Those acorns he had put in the ground
where they could be easily found
when the winter’s cold would arrive
so he would be able to survive.

He’s asking if there’s a better way
to store his food for another day.
Perhaps there’s a big acorn bank
or would that be a crazy prank?

Now there’s only one thing to do
but it will cause trouble when he’s through.
He’ll have to find a feeder for birds
and plead with them in clever words.

But none of the feeders had any seeds
for the birds nutritional needs.
The people hadn’t put seeds out there
because of deep snow covering the stair.

So the birds and the squirrel had a plan.
They stood on the patio by a can
and looked as pathetic as they could
as a caring person inside stood.

Soon the door opened and lots of seeds
were thrown out to satisfy their needs.
They ate their fill and turned to go
as they played joyfully in the snow.

Judas Ponders

I was asked by the pastor at North Star to write a poem about Judas betraying Jesus to be used in the Ash Wednesday service. I pondered it a week and here's what I came up with.

Judas Ponders
By larry r Linville

I don’t know what got into him.
Jesus started out giving me hope
But he took a cowardly turn
and all I could do was to mope.

I thought he’d be a true messiah
and throw out Herod and all above
but he spoke words about meekness
and forgiveness and even love.

I knew I needed to force his hand
so to the church leaders I went
and agreed to turn him over
for thirty pieces which they spent.

At the meal he said I’d deny him
and I knew I already had
but since it would force him to act
it really wasn’t all that bad.

When I planted a kiss on his cheek
he calmly turned to me the other
reminding me in a subtle way
how he’d said to treat one’s brother.

Denial is something we do
when we think we know more than God
and we seek to do things our way
to give Jesus a gentle prod.

I pray you can learn a lesson
from my selfish mistaken way.
Align you life with his teaching
and let his love lead you each day.

Trying to Stay Awake
By larry r linville

What do you do when sitting there
with feet propped up in your easy chair
or sitting in that Sunday pew
with others looking right at you
and those eyelids begin to droop
as your shoulders start to stoop?

It isn’t really very odd
that as your head starts to nod
you blink your eyes and shake your head
and move your numb leg that feels dead
then as time continues to creep
you find you’re almost back to sleep.

You pick up something from the floor
to wake you up before you snore
you fight to keep your eyes open wide
so your wife won’t jab you in the side
and nonverbally put you down
with her very expressive frown.

Perhaps a bathroom trip will do
but you go to sleep before you’re through
and you wake up looking at your feet
and find your way back to the seat
but almost let out a loud curse
when you trip over your wife’s big purse.

When you finally leave the place
the preacher smiles in your face
as you say the sermon was great
you put more in the collection plate
and drive home and find your chair
and finish doing your sleeping there.

I wrote this poem during a worship service and used it before we served communion.

A Prayer Before Communion
By larry r linville

O Christ we take your body broken
and your shed blood as more than token
of a love that is beyond all words
which loves as you do little birds.

We come with nothing as a price
knowing we can never be that nice
so bless this loaf and cup we pray
and place your love in our hearts to stay.

Please pick us up and send us out
to let our lives your message shout
and send us out to serve your people
under your great world wide steeple.

A Robin and the Blizzard of 2011
By larry r linville

I saw a robin a while back
I think in the month of December.
I asked why he came north so soon
he said he couldn’t remember.

I told him he may be sorry
because we’d likely have more snow
and I wondered if he’d given thought
to where he would decide to go.

He said his father brought him north
and thought they really should.
So he didn’t know his father’s answer
but he’d ask him first time he could.

Now we have a great big blizzard
with deep snowdrifts all around.
I’ve looked for that robin everywhere
and he is nowhere to be found.

I wonder if he talked to his father
and found out where he should go
and is safely in a safe warm place
or shivering in the cold, cold snow.

I hope to see him when the snow melts
and I hope that he’s okay.
Perhaps next year when he heads north
he’ll decide on a week’s delay.