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One day upon stone road in Spring
Walked I beside stream
And bank
Passing currents of people and water
Fathers and daughters
And boats
They take not notice of my laughing heart
Smiling at their truest art
Hanging on the walls of the world
Crossing river upon bridge I turn
Walking along the other side to learn
More of this people and place
anthony forrest
Gifts that shine so brightly
And outshine the daily fare
Like magic fruits of healing
God’s own hand of care
anthony forrest
Somewhere a walk awaits my walking
A rail awaits my ride
An unfamiliar bed awaits my sleeping
Though early will I rise
Somewhere
My foreign coin will buy foreign coffee
Distant sunrises delay
And early morning markets beckon
To buy more than I can pay for something
Someplace else on other streets
I haven’t talked with friends
Old and new I’ve yet to meet
And with them take it all in
Then later do it again
Somewhere
anthony forrest
Unearth daily treasures
And unearth hopeful joy
Chip away at tomorrow’s sorrows
Serenity employ
Unearth the backward war
Seeds of trouble un-sow
Seek not strife and mischief
Un-fight friend and foe
Unearth something different
New and not imperfect
Unearth daily treasures
And unearth hopeful joy
anthony forrest
My heart tires of these needless worries
Backward care of this sick-sodden soil
Daily focus so earthly bound
The needless walk of human toil
That peace so longed for rarely found
Though searched for in every wrong place
Things and people and pleasures
None can satisfy
Only his grace
anthony forrest
Black it starts
Unwritten and without ink
Before the words of birds and man
Yesterday’s tomorrow on the brink
Of beginning
anthony forrest
Walk with me
Where cobbled stones abound
Cross the street
To the tower
Soon, the hour
Will sound
Wait with me
On a courtyard seat
Under the tall
Dark tower
Soon, the hour
Will beat
Listen with me
To the ringing knife
Cutting hearts
Echo the bells
The song of life
anthony forrest
Heavy hung branches tremble and shake
Thawing sunshine beams down to awaken
The trees from icy sleep
The old shed’s corner drips and drips
Newborn warmth builds as winter’s grip slips
Away and away
Unremembered songs of birds returned
From Southern concerns
And stays
Door soon closes to waiting, waiting
Cold days over now—ready for Spring
To begin
anthony forrest
My feet from under cover
Step with a new day
In the warmth of sunrise hope
Seeking a sunset peace
anthony forrest
Beyond a doubt, one of my favorite places to visit is Japan. Smiling faces, terrific food, ancient structures, mystical remnants of forgotten wars, and friendly people make up a culture that warms my heart each time I go.
Most of the people in Japan observe Shinto, a religion made up of mysticism, spirit worship, and ancestral longing. On the outside, Shinto is beautiful. I travel to Shinto shrines every day I am in Japan. Towering pagodas and looming archways beckon followers to bow, clap, buy luck, and recite prayers.
Albeit beautiful, every time I visit a shrine, I walk away with a sense of emptiness. All the ritual practices and rigid rules leave the worshiper fallen short of perfection. In a sense, Shinto is puzzle missing pieces. It is up to man to maintain a connection to their ancestral past. It is up to man to live up to expectation of Shinto. It is all up to man. Hopeless, graceless, and endless. If man is the end all be all, count me out.
The God of the Bible gives hope, grace. Second chances and forgiveness abound. It doesn’t come from me. And that’s a good thing.
anthony forrest
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