Haiku

I first read about Haiku (a short form of Japanese poetry) a few years ago and became fascinated with that style of poetry. I spent a good deal of time trying it on and even encouraged a few friends to try their hands on it – the outcomes were quite encouraging. I have recently tried to write a few more and I thought I’d share them here. 

Thin sheets of ice are
Melted by the fiery heat
Of an angry sun
 
Reddish desert sands
Blown around by endless winds
Thirsty for the rain
 
Yellow petals lure
Through the charm of their perfume
Hungry insects near
 
Dark and rainy nights
Old men reflecting at dawn
Precede brighter days
 
The wisdom of youth
Coated in dazzling colours
A sight to behold 

I look forward to hear what you think about them. Till next time, take care and bye! 😊

P.S. The header picture is a reference to a scenic hiking trail in Hawaii, named “Haiku stairs”. The stairs and the poetry style have no relationship whatsoever. It’s just plain coincidence of language. Or maybe not…

Photo by Chad Greiter on Unsplash

A Prayer for You

Hello, dear friends! I wish you a happy new month of September. I’m grateful to God for the gift of life and the blessing of family and friends. I am especially grateful for God’s gracious gift of eternal life, freely given to those who believe in Jesus Christ our Lord. May His name be praised forever. As though in a flash, eight months of the year 2020 have flown by, and we are now set upon the last few months of this extraordinary year that has brought the most unprecedented changes to our lives.

I want to encourage you to set out this new month with determination and devotion to pursue whatever your heart is set on. Do not dither, waver or be idle, but act with commitment and give your best. As they say, procrastination is a thief of time, and time waits for no man. Great things are achieved when we commit to action, one day at a time. COVID-19 has been a great disruption, but our lives go on, and many are making progress. Whatever your hand find to do, be sure to do it wholeheartedly.

This is my prayer for you – that your hand will be strong to perform the tasks God has called you to, that your vision will be clear in times of uncertainty, that your perception will be accurate in the presence of deception, and that your heart will fully embrace all that you are called to do. I pray that God’s Holy Spirit will order your steps into His perfect will, and that you will look back on this month with praise to God. All of this I ask in Jesus’ precious name. Amen. Have a blessed month ahead of you!

I Judge Him Faithful

By faith Sarah herself also received strength to conceive seed, and she bore a child when she was past the age, because she judged Him faithful who had promised. Hebrews 11:11

Somewhere between God’s promise and its performance is the necessity of faith, or the act of believing and acting on what God said. While God’s promises are a function of His covenant mercy towards man, the manifestation of those promises are often a function of our response to Him in faith. This means if no one believes the promises of God, there is no certainty the promises will manifest. Which is why Jesus asks: “When the Son of Man comes, will He find faith in the earth?”

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To The Immortal One

To The Immortal One

To the Immortal One
Who dwells in light unapproachable
We bring our praise

To the Invisible One
Whose throne is founded on justice and righteousness
We lift our hearts

To the Unchangeable One
Before whom darkness is plain as light
We raise our hands

To the Blameless One
Whose holy eyes cannot behold iniquity
We bow our knees

To the Eternal One
Who holds all of creation to account
Our tongues confess

To the King,
Who was, and is, and still is to come
We proclaim that you are God!

Toyin Taiwo, Aug 2020

Kindness

It is the first time in years
That we have a place to shelter
Show us some mercy
Do not expose our fears
To those people who despise us
Pray, look upon our faces
And be merciful to us
 
Our journeys have been hard
In the many places we have lived
Give us some respite
For our bodies and our souls
Have taken on a bit of batter
Pray, spare us from rebuke
And let us find favor with you
 
We have long hoped and prayed
Finally, grateful to arrive here
Do let us take solace
From the storms and disasters
Always looming in the distance
Pray, forgive our many failures
And show us a little bit of kindness

Toyin Taiwo, Aug 2020

Endurance

Face down, body still, unsure what is next. Until the kneading slowly begins. And the pains flash in and out. It is bitter-sweet. You know you need it; you are sure you want it. But in the heat of the moment, you are undecided how you feel about it.

Beaten down, to the barest ground. Stood still, like you never thought could be. You could almost deny any of this happened. To give your ego some break from the bashing. But this – it is too real to ignore, too present to deny. You cannot but wonder: how on earth am I here?

But this is your moment, this is your race. This is your hour, time to stake your claim. Head in the game, mind on the road. You are going on the journey, taking it in stride. Your reward is waiting, far down ahead of you. The light beckons you home, beaming with smiles.

Thirty-Two – The Encounter

Yesterday, I turned thirty-two. By design, I was off work – I definitely like to take some vacation days around my birthday to rest and reflect on the past and the future. So, once again, happy birthday to me! For the past few weeks, I have been reading from the book of Genesis, one chapter a day. It has been quite insightful journeying with ancient Bible characters and standing in their shoes as they tried to make sense of their lives and purpose. Yesterday, it was time to read chapter thirty-two, and I thought that was an interesting coincidence.

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People

Funny Face made a silly joke
Brown Tooth laughed hard as
White Shirt became upset with
The sudden loss of decorum
Madam Counsellor spoke up as
He wondered what was funny
Reminding him that life is short

And the days have been tough.
Almost every one of them agreed
The economy would be better off
If Lying Lips had won the elections
Everyone, except Saint Integrity
Who could never share that view
Even if his life were under threat.

Toyin Taiwo, Aug 2020

Photo by Ryoji Iwata on Unsplash

Days of our Youth

Hallos! Thank you for coming by. The last few days have been quite busy for me – trying to keep up with work and catch up with other commitments. Who said working from home was easy anyway? Far from it! I put in far more hours than an average day at the office. Right now, I am just going as slow as I can and resting as much as possible. Yesterday, I had the privilege of speaking with a few friends on the dangers of youthful exuberance, and I would like to share four points we discussed at that forum; you will find them helpful regardless of your age.

Continue reading “Days of our Youth”