Category: Poems

Climbing up the wood stairs in the Theodore Wirth Park,

Listening to the rain tapping on the leaves,

Treading like a cat carefully on the wet steps,

I heard the knocking on the door of my heart.

“Who is there? Anyone?” I asked.

 

Squinting the eyes of mind, I saw in the reminiscence:

Mom was climbing the Shoushan with me,

Where is also called Mt. Monkey, famous for the wildlife of macaques.

On that cloudy day, our four eyes eagerly searched for their shades.

Never seen one before, so I prayed: “God, please show one to me.”

Walking slowly but desiring eagerly,

Suddenly, out of nowhere, one macaque appeared a little distance away from me.

“O, did you see it?” we gasped.

Like a glimpse of a shooting star, Mom and I excitedly but quietly nudged each other.

A few minutes later, surprisingly, another macaque jumped into our sight.

I told mom that I prayed to God for seeing one.

“Me too,” Mom acclaimed.

One macaque showed up for answering Mom’s prayer;

Another one came to visit for answering my prayer.

***

I counted the stairs to the top, seeing no image of Mom and macaques,

Only thing I found was the abandoned little hut.

I recalled that day of seeing macaques and our hearts going pit-a-pat,

As rain pitter pattered on the umbrella at this moment in the park.

I turned around, strolling the stairs down.

I took out a pencil and started to sketch the green meadow before me.

Then, suddenly, out of nowhere, two deer appeared a little distance away from me.

One walked ahead and the other one followed.

The two deer reminded me of the two macaques Mom and I peeked.

The two deer resembled Mom and me.

Sweet memory was lingering in my heart,

So was Mom’s love.

***

In my imagination, I seemed to hear the doe calling from behind:

“Slow down, my little fawn.

The time will come;

You will leap big and jump high.

Until then, I will let you go and you will not have me by your side.

Just like Mom and me, sadly being separated by the sea.

 

At this moment, I seem to hear myself whispering from the deep:

“Take heart, my big kid.

The time will come;

You will extend your wings and fly high.

From now on, I will let you go and you will always have my prayer:

May God bless you to soar freely above like an eagle;

May God bless your feet to stride out confidently like hinds’ feet.

Just like me and my kids.

 

The generational change is like the tide’s ebb and flow.

But our hearts will bond in the spiritual realm, where there is no bounds by time or zone.

Holiness fits the saint,

Who has been justified by God’s righteousness through Jesus’ death and resurrection.

 

It cost Christ Jesus His precious life,

Telling God’s truth slant:

Father God aggrieves over His children’s wandering in darkness of sin.

Without making them holy, He can never embrace them again.

For at the moment He touches them, they will be consumed by His Justice like wood is burned down by fire.

Not terrifying the audience but just truly reporting about the spiritual reality,

Jesus, the Son of God, eagerly points the sinners to perceive the True God,

Is not only the fearful LORD but also the loving Heavenly Dad.

 

Not is Jesus, the Master, lacking wisdom,

But His disciple’s sin-warped mind needs time to be transformed.

So, Jesus, the Bridegroom, has been patiently waiting,

For His beloved bride to willfully put off his/her old flesh gloomy rags, and dress up with the new spiritual resplendent robe,

Tailored for him/her by His nail-pierced hands on the cross,

Where He also tore down all the accusation slips by the law and the devil.

 

Since then, the saint records what Jesus has been teaching him/her,

Tracing back to see how far He has directed him/her–

Through the valley of doubt and depression,

Along with His peace and compassion,

The saint finally arrives to sit beside the Fountain of life,

Drinking from the living water of delight,

Humbly building an inner altar to worship God alone,

Then the King Jesus gladly comes in to sit enthroned,

Leading the saint to enter the Holy of Holies through His blood.

 

Holiness fits the righteous saint,

Who sees Father God’s dazzle of integrity face to face,

partaking His glorious divinity day by day.

Turn my every breath to a praise,

To the Life Creator and Giver,

Who uses the offering of my little bread,

Along with another saint’s little fish,

To present in His Feast abundantly,

Let me see His glory every day to eternity.

Note: 我的朋友惠莉每天忠心寫下經文與禱告分享，我讀到今天她寫的以賽亞書40，受聖靈感動不已，因此寫下禱告祝福我的姊妹們。倩如說她大得鼓勵。我告訴惠莉不要小看獻上的五餅二魚，她說感謝主使用她這條小魚，我說自己則是小餅，她說我們互相搭配，我說對對，互相搭配讓主祝福成為豐盛宴席，使人吃飽。因而寫下作為感恩的記錄。

起初憑熱心走天路，

何等疲憊、焦慮、失望。

耗盡力氣後，surrender。

主來溫柔褓抱在懷裡，呵護藏在膀彎裡，

憑主愛與祂同行。

重新得力後， cooperate，

確知祂所有豐富應許，早已完全在主裡等候我支取，

何等喜樂、平安、自由

認識你，

不是單純的採訪

而是上帝預備你成了我的天使，

使我見證到：

一個身體流血受苦、對未來一無所知的弱女子，

卻誠實地向上帝呼求，

堅強地信靠上帝活下去。

你向我證明：

在苦難中能呼求主，

是因主耶穌給了恩典。

在灰心中能盼望，

是因主耶穌親自安慰。

在未知中能等候，

是因主耶穌給了平安。

親愛的姊妹，我為你深深向天父上帝感謝，

聯絡我們以信心彼此祝福。

自由，不是像在大海裡漂浮，似乎無重力，卻只能困在海中。

自由，是像飛機，突破重力，向上升起，飛到海角地極。

I know the fear when peace is stolen.

I know the disappointment when faith is lost.

I know the pain when the evil attacks.

However, by recognizing and owning my weakness, I discover His strength in me.

Then I can testify what He promises: “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9)

 

我知道平安離開時的害怕，

我知道沒有信心時的失落，

我知道被惡者攻擊時的痛苦。

但當我看見並承認自己的軟弱，

我便經歷了來自神那出人意外的力量，

證實了祂必成就的應許：「我的恩典夠你用， 因為我的能力是在人的軟弱上顯得完全。 」（哥林多後書12:9）

I know the fear when peace is stolen.

I know the disappointment when faith is lost.

I know the pain when the evil attacks.

However, by recognizing and owning my weakness, I discover His strength in me.

Then I can testify what He promises: “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9)

 

我知道平安離開時的害怕，

我知道沒有信心時的失落，

我知道被惡者攻擊時的痛苦。

但當我看見並承認自己的軟弱，

我便經歷了來自神那出人意外的力量，

證實了祂必成就的應許：「我的恩典夠你用， 因為我的能力是在人的軟弱上顯得完全。 」（哥林多後書12:9）

In the beginning, the earth was formless and empty, darkness.

In the city Jungle, cement skyscrapers rise from the ground,

No sunrise or sunset can be seen on the horizon.

The sky overhead is shaped by the edge of buildings.

My soul was trapped, couldn’t breathe, just like the cement.

 

Day 1: “Let there be light,” said He. And it came to be.

The world told me to stay put, as being stuck in the tar.

But my heart longed to breathe fresh air;

My legs longed to run free;

My mouth longed to shout in joy.

I wanted to see the bigger sky.

 

Day 2: “Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear,” said He. And it came to be.

Farewell, my clans.

The wind of the Spirit uprooted and carried me to the new land.

Being transplanted in new soil, temperature, and climate,

I was shocked, adjusting, adapting, and assimilating.

 

“Let there be a horizon in the middle of the water in order to separate the water from sky,” said He. And it came to be.

Among the unfamiliar languages and cultures,

A park in the city became the vital oasis.

Paddling on the lake, drifting on the water,

Swinging like a baby in a cradle, calmed by softly singing Mother Nature.

Listen, the Creator’s whisper,

From the heavens and the earth.

My soul was stilled and quiet like a weaned child.

 

Day 3: “Let the land bring forth grass, the herb yield seed, and the fruit tree bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds,” said He. And it came to be.

Walking on the ancient Quaking Bog in Theodore Wirth Park, the floating boardwalk sustained by tiny sphagnum moss,

So little to be noticed, but so strong to hold your weight.

Biking the trail, bathed in the sun, caressed by the wind, canopied by overhanging trees,

My pores opened up like leaves, inhaled all the oxygen exhaling from the greens.

 

Day 4:”Let there be lights in the expanse of sky to separate the day from the night,” said He. And it came to be.

The sun and moon are the same,

From where I came from to where I stand.

A full moon symbolizes the reunion of family,

Always shining brighter in my far-away clan.

 

Day 5: “Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds,” said He. And it came to be.

A tempest came, rousing big waves on the lake, shaking my boat, like an earthquake.

Who am I? What am I?

I heard the pounding waves shouting “Go back to your country,” indicting me for being an invasive plant.

Should I feel guilty for taking a little space among the native species?

Do I have a right to protest against the labeling?

Can I belong to this land?

I could not breathe. I hid. I longed for friends.

 

Day 6: “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over all the earth,” said He. And it came to be.

Sometimes, you need to travel far away, out of the echo chamber,

To listen to the sound you never heard,

To ask the questions you ignored,

To appreciate the ordinary days you took for granted.

Each man is but a breath.

Humans come and go, return to dust after death, just like plants.

So I was humbled, buried in my pride, died like a seed.

 

So God created men and bless them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number, fill the earth and subdue it.” God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.

Who am I? What am I?

Not a creator, but a created being.

Not being in the center of the universe, but being a divine workmanship with divine destiny.

The blind eyes of heart were opened and see:

My identity was created by God, just like any creature in the park.

However, I was not a plant, but a life with a soul.

He meets me where I am.

He chooses me and plants me in His Garden, just like in the beginning of the world.

And He plants me with the companions after all kinds,

So we benefit from the uniqueness of each other.

I breathe. I run. I sing.

I am who I am. I am what I’m meant to be.

 

“Rise up. Be bold,” said He. And it came to be.

The old has gone. The new has begun.

The sunbeam of His love falls on my full sail,

Being empowered by the wind of the Spirit,

I sail out with full confidence and hope,

In Him.