Do Not Go Gentle into that Good Nap

Photo by Bastien Jaillot on Unsplash

 With apologies to Dylan Thomas. His poem is much better and much more serious than mine.

Do not go gentle into that good nap,
Babies should burn and rave at onset of sleep;
Rage, rage against the swaddled wrap

Though wise parents know the cradle trap,
Like a conspiracy leads to slumber deep,
Babies still do not go gentle into that good nap.

For when sleepy eyes close, a cry:  Recap!
Their frail frames squall and flail and leap.
Raging, raging against the swaddled wrap.

Wild babies caught in soporific blanket scraps,
Learn too soon to wail and weep;
They do not go gentle into that good nap.

Drowsy babes, near sleep, still court mishap
With groans, laments, and fretful peeps,
Rage, rage against the swaddled wrap.

And you, my babe, upon my lap,
An impassioned, wakeful heap.
You do not go gentle into that good nap.
Raging, raging against the swaddled wrap.

Shared with dVerse.

 

Symbols of the Dogwood

Photo by SilverGardenia

Out in the garden at Eastertide
flowers point to Christ and how He died
so look upon the dogwood tree
with its living symbols three,
for within the flower’s center lays
the thorny crown of former days.
and whose petals bloom crosswise
raising the cross to the azure skies.
And each petal bears a reddened pleat
where our Savior’s loving hands and feet
were pierced by unrelenting nails
yet over all these He eternally prevails!
So every blossom tells the story
of Christ who died and rose in glory
thus when the dogwood tree is nigh
it points us to our Lord on High.

 

Dogwoods are some of my favorite flowers! The Legend of the Dogwood says that the dogwood was the tree used to make the cross that Christ was crucified on and that afterwards, Christ gave it flowers that resembled the cross, the crown of thorns, and the marks in his hands and feet. Dogwoods are native to the Eastern United States and don't grow in the Holy Land, so it's very easy to disprove this legend. But the symbolism is still beautiful.

The Fairy's Shopping List

Photo by Alfred Schrock on Unsplash

Spider silk and milkweed fluff -
Is twice as much of me enough,
to weave a fairy gown?

Next I’ll need an acorn cap,
a bit of grass to make a strap;
won’t it be a handsome hat?

Around my neck some lilac blooms
rich with sweet ethereal perfume.
Are there grander gems than these?

Then when all my shopping’s done
I’ll dance beneath the morning sun
The finest fairy you ever saw!