My Savior's Arms

I don't have a date for this one, but I'm going to guess it was written in the early 2000's...maybe 2001. Trying to guess by the print on the paper which printer it came from!!! My friend Jen is right, I've been a very sad person in the past. I would give a pretty penny to know what was going on when this was written.


My Savior's Arms
by: R.A. Slater

I can not take it anymore
The pressure is too great, and I am being crushed.
I think I shall pull away -
And sit it the corner -
I will not make any noise and I will not speak -
I will not let what I hear effect me -
I will not feel -
I will not feel the hurt and the pain -
Nor the joy and the peace -
I will not express myself -
And I will not be me -
And as I sit here in my sterile and cold prison,
I feel tears upon my face that did not fall from my eyes.
I look up into the crying face of my Savior, and I too begin to weep.
He picks me up and holds me close.
He whispers in my ear and heart,
"It is alright to cry, daughter," He says.
"Do no tbe ashamed of your tears, for I cry with you,
Yes, your heart is hurting; I know this as My own pain
But do not try to hide yourself away, for this will only hurt you more.
Hide yourself in Me.
The frail walls you try to hide behind will fall down
But if you will trust Me and come into My presence -
You will be far better protected.
Stay in My arms -
And I will hold you as You cry."
And so I will,
And when the crying is done,
I will stay in the protective custody of my Savior.

At the Sound of Your Voice

At the Sound of Your Voice
by: R.A. Slater

Just the other day
Out of the blue
On the other end of the phone
A voice that belonged to you

At the sound of your voice
Time stood still
My heart skipped a beat
I even dropped the book in my hand!

All too soon the moment was over
And we had to hang up
We said farewell and goodbye
Until next time my dear

And though the miles may seperate us
It matters not to memory
For when I close my eyes
I can still hear the sound of your voice

I Can See You

Here was what came shortly after The Secret Me poem, so it was still October 2000. One of the few poems I've written from God's perspective. And honestly, going over some of these old poems where God has spoken to me is really kind of helping where I'm at right now.



I Can See You
by: R.A. Slater

I can see the you that you try to hide
Deep inside your wounded heart
The you that is afraid to be, afraid to fly
Yet who is in plain sight for all to see
For you cannot hide, least of all from Me
You cannot help but be the you that I made you to be
My hand did not hesitate at your creation
I formed every line of your being
I molded your body
I molded your heart and soul
With my own hands
I do not create lightly
And put much thought into you
I feel your pain and your joy
I hear your song in the silence
I see the dance when you feet are frozen in place
I hear every prayer and feel every tear
I hold you in the night, in the fiery trial
And bring your tremors to an end
I hold you close to My heart
For you are no secret to Me
I who created you, loves you
You are not alone and not forgotten
You are never far from My thoughts
You are My child, My daughter, My beloved
In You I have placed My presence
I am the One who placed the song in your heart
I am the One who put the dance in your soul
I am the One who formed the laughter in you
I am the One who gave you this great compassion
I am the One who gave His life for you
That we might spend eternity together
I do not make mistakes
I made you who you are, in that there is no shame
I take joy in you, My desire is towards you
You are my heart's delight, now, forever, and always

The Secret Me

The first part of a companion set. October 2000. Exact date is unknown, as that was the least of my concern at the time...I was just trying to hold on to life at this point. I'll try to post the second one tomorrow.


The Secret Me
by: R.A. Slater

There is a secret me, deep inside
Where no one can see
The me that cries when others laugh
As they inflict a pain they do not understand
The me that laughs for no reason
Except for the pure joy that laughter brings
The me that hides when others draw close
Afraid to be hurt once again
The me that is ignored
When others of greater import are near
The me that is often silent
Afraid to lift my voice
The me who is quiet when others are loud
And loud when they are quiet
The me who despairs over the injustices of this angry world
Whose only power is to pray
The me who rejoices over Your presence in my Secret World

In the night, in the stillness of the shadows
The secret me tembles and quakes
At fears and dangers unseen
I find comfort in Your voice
As You whisper Your love, from heaven above
From deep in my heart, where Your presence abides
Only You can see
The me that longs to be
The me that longs to love and be loved
The me that longs to hold and be held
The me that longs to sing and be heard
The me that longs to dance in Your presence
The me that needs to be, but is afraid to come out of hiding
Afraid to laugh, afraid to love
Afraid to cry, afraid to sing
Afraid to dance, afraid to be held
Afraid to be the me that you made me to be
Afraid to be

O God of my Praise

This was written 3-14-00 at 4AM as the first line can attest. It must have been a rough night. Sometimes, I still feel this way.


O God of My Praise
by: R.A. Slater

Sleep hides in mockery and awareness taunts me hourly
Sins of old and long ago
Haunt me in the still and desert night
When flesh is weak and my defenses are down

O Lord...I want to stand firm on Your Rock!
Covered by Your blood, holy in Your sight,
Forgiven and redeemed
Humble and contrite

Condemnation must flee!
Fear and doubt can no longer keep me company!
Misery - your efforts to linger are in vain
For I am full of life and life abundantly!

Do not be silent - O God of my praise!
Raise Your banner and come to my defense!
Do not let Your enemies get the best of me!
Let Your shout of vistory echo throughout eternity!

Humble and contrite
Forgiven and redeemed,
Covered by Your blood, marked as Your own
O Lord, I come to stand Holy in Your sight.

A Life of Honor

This poem was originally dedicated to my pastors, my praise and worship leader, and my mentor. About May 17, 2005. I wonder if they remember this? Guess it doesn' t matter, it's still a good poem.


A Life of Honor
By: R.A. Slater

To many she was a lost cause,
Broken and shattered,
Wandering blindly through life.
But there were those who saw with Heaven’s eyes,
And saw through the filth and wounds,
Even through the façade she presented.
Together they worked to bring forth a life of honor,
That was hidden deep within the abandoned vessel.
Slowly but surely layers came off,
Sins by her and sins against her,
The garments of heaviness were being laid aside.
Through their acts of kindness,
And love poured in,
They led her to the One who could cleanse her within.
And she emerged in robes of white,
Clothed in righteousness and glory,
And they were not surprised,
For they had seen this long before,
The end which was the true beginning of her life.
And as this woman began to live,
Sometimes stumbling, with faltering steps,
She wished to honor those who had sown into her,
Those who continued to encourage and teach her…
So she wrote this poem.

The Ocean Between Us

Am writing this one - uhm - right now. Yeah, I know there is a novel with a similar title, but this title comes from........well, fact. There really is an ocean between him and I.



The Ocean Between Us
by R.A. Slater

Last night I dreamt that a miracle had happened
The world had shrunk in size
And there was no longer an ocean between us

I could hardly believe my eyes
As you stepped across the now minute span
And took my hand in yours

'Let's not waste this moment,'
You whispered in my ear
Drawing me close to you

I laid my head against your chest
And our arms wrapped around each other
As we danced barefoot on this sandy plain

It was over all too soon
You kissed me once and said goodbye
And the dream faded from my mind's eye

Gone was this miracle for the ocean between us had returned
But the reality of this was no longer harsh
Because I hold you in my thoughts

Diamond in the Rough

The date on this reads, July 8, 1999 [Now would be a good time to mention that I'm not doing these in the exact order that they're in my book] An early salvation poem.

Diamond in the Rough
by R.A. Slater

I am a diamond in my Master's Hand,
My shape is undefined and my light is dim.
My Master smiles as he carefully plans which cuts to make,
Only He can see the beauty that lies within
He loves me like no other and has great plans for me.

Others may be shocked at what the Master makes of me.
Some may be angry, grudges still in their souls.
A precious few will smile and say, "I knew it all along..."
All through this my gaze will be on my Master's smiling face
As He gently whispers with each cut, "I love you."

The cuts are painful, but necessary for me to shine
Each one cutting away the excess baggage of my life
I know that one day the cutting will be through
I will reflect my Master's light with glorious brilliance,
As I rest in the Hand of the One who loves me.

In the River

My first poem ever, back in 1996. I think I've gotten a lot better since I started.

In the River
by: R.A. Slater

In the depths of my soul
I am drowning beneath
The unbending surity that life must go on
Drowning in a bottomless well
Of unshed tears
Fears of a future unknown
And a past painfully known
I can't swim back up the River of Life
The past is the past
I can't go back to what I left behind
Or what left me behind
I can only hope and pray
And cling to the Savior
Who is my lifevest
In the turbulent waters of the River.

A poet by any other name

I have decided to post my poetry here. A lot of old ones will show up here too [I've been writing them for close to 10 years now.] Some new ones will still show up on my main blog. Just because I can.