Burning

Burning
by: R.A. Slater
09-22-07

I used to be
A brightly burning fire
For You my Lord
Bright and hot
Strong and true
Somewhere along the way
I let the fire dampen
And now I cry out
Lord, burn once again in me!
Burning blazing fire
Holy passion
Pure delight
Scouring
Purging
Enlivening
How I long for that life
Abundant life
To burn in me again
No longer hidden
Fire dripping from my fingers
Oh God, set me and send me
Set me aflame with Your love
And then where shall I run?
Where can I spread this life?
This life giving fire
Passionate delight
Air to the dying
Etnernal Flame
Holy Fire
Consume me
Let me be Your living torch
Here am I

Basking

Basking
by R.A. Slater
09-14-07

Sometimes life hits hard
Leaving me spinning
First one way and then the other
And I find myself wanting nothing more
Than a chance to sit at Your feet
And bask in Your glory

Brightly shining
Blazing and blinding
Warming the cold of my life
Comforting that which hurts
Seeking You, I find You
Sometimes quickly
Other times not

And we sit
Drawing near to each other
Renewing our communion
Taking me deeper
Burning me deeper
Changing me deeper

And as I bask in Your glory
Knowing You
I become discontent
And I realize
That there are others
In need of You

Desperate
Dying
Thirsting
Longing
Enslaved
And they've never heard Your name

It is not enough to bask
Not enough to reflect Your glory
You must shine from within me
Consuming fire
Burn in me
Consume me

Each time I bask
Soak deeper into me
Then push me to my feet
Set me running to the dying
Lead me, run with me
Dwell in me

Saturate me
Burn in me
All the way
To the core
All the way
I am yours

Light In the Darkness

Light In The Darkness
By: R.A. Slater
09-01-07

In the darkness I sat
Heart so cold
Lonely and afraid
Too tired to even call Your name
Lord how long must I wait
So long already
Your Voice silent
Here I wait longer still
Unwilling to give up hope
Though hope is gone
Resting...trusting...
Crying...waiting...
Breathing...quietly...
And then...there You are
Softly, gently, a light in the darkness
Your warmth spreading from limb to limb
Melting the coldness of my heart at last
Love renewed, a heart refined
Passion restored, all things new
Then...brightness explodes
Blazing glory
A fiery tornado
Oh how You consume me Jesus
Holy fire rushing through my veins
Not enough...never enough
Always wanting more
This intimacy
This deepness
That deepens
Hunger gone, thirst quenched
But always wanting more and more
Needing more
More of You

Figment 2

Figment 2

by: R.A. Slater

I awaken as though from a dream

Thinking I've held you near

Having felt your touch

Your voice caressing my ears

But as I push back the covers

The dreams are shattered

Reality sets in

The fog of uncertainty clearing

As my feet hit the cold hard floor

Darkness descends

Cold and hard as mountain bedrock

Traveling through my day

I realize that you were never there

That what we shared

Never existed

Created by my imagination

You turned out to be a figment after all

And I am left alone

Without even the warmth of hope

To wrap my heart in

Words

Words
By R.A. Slater
08-26-07

Words … words … words
Tumbling around my head
Aching … longing … needing
To find expression
To have a voice
To be heard
How does one describe
A pain this sharp?
Pointed … piercing … pounding
A heart rejected
Tearing … torn … to pieces
Bleeding all over the place
Into every part of life
No facet untouched
Aching … alone … a void
Unseen … unwanted … undone
A heart so lonely
A heart so scared
Frightened and terrified
Shards … seeping … seeking
Broken … bleeding … bruised
This heart of mine
Laid bare for all of you to see
And all I have are words
Which cannot describe
Cannot explain
Cannot fix

Pictures

Pictures
By R.A. Slater
08-25-07

I put your pictures away
A year ago today
Foolish I was
And foolish I am
Thinking I had found better
Not thinking at all
I got your pictures out today
Looked upon the face I adored
That I adore
Tracing its line with my eyes
Touching the picture
As though it were you
Smiling back at the smile on your face
Missing hearing that smile in your calls
I thought to pick up the phone
To hear your voice again
To let it caress my ears
As though it was my heart
To ask you
To beg you
To take me back
To love me again
But I know that I cannot
For last we spoke
You told me no
Breaking my heart
As I must have broke yours
Poetic justice perhaps
But my how it hurt
Hurts
So once again
I put your pictures away

Treasures Of Darkness

Treasures Of Darkness

by R.A. Slater

7-9-07

I will give you treasures of darkness

And hidden riches of secret places

So said the Lord one lonely night

Treasures of darkness? I reply

What treasure can there be

In this darkness surrounding me?

Hounding, invading, all encompassing

Until it is all I can see

All that I feel

All I can hear

Every breath I struggle to take

Is saturated with its clinging dripping weight

There are no riches hidden here

In this secret place of my despair

Where I wonder if You're even there

Where I ask if You remember me

Have You heard my cries?

Have You been listening?

Were You there to catch my tears

To store them in Your bottle

Like Your Word says?

I am weary with my crying

Day in and day out

With no sign that You've heard

No sign of Your promised comfort

Where is this hidden treasure

That I have sought after

Groping about in this blinding darkness

And when I paused...

Breathing...Crying...Straining to hear...

Hoping to hear...Longing to hear...needing to hear...

I Am right here, He whispered

By your side

I have never been far

And have held you often

As you shed your tears

Catching each one in My bottle

Just as I promised

For I am a keeper of promises

Which you are still learning

Which is the treasure of this time

Though you do not see it yet

Nor its end

But I do, precious daughter of mine

I see the darkness' end

And its hold on you

And the joy that awaits you

As the darkness shatters all around

My light reflecting off the jagged edges

And you and I shall dance

As never before

Victory in the keeping

What intimacy we have had in this darkness

As the secrets of your heart have been laid bare to Me

For the darkness does not hide you from Me

For where you grope blindly

I have held firmly

What intimacy is yet to come

Once you learn these treasures

And let go of the darkness

And cling to Me

Day And Night

Day and Night
by: R.A. Slater
6-28-07

Day and night, night and day
There is a clamor that none can hear
Save heaven's ears
The innocent that cry
As their lives are cut short
The silent children
Who never see the light of day
The forsaken ones who are thrown to the side
Living a life or torment and shame
Without ceasing their voice cries out
Without ceasing new voices are added
To the ever increasing throng
How long, O Lord?
Until enough is enough?
Which voice added will be the one,
That spurs Your hand into action?
Is it mine?
Then hear my cry
As I lift my voice
And add it to the cacophony
That reaches Your ears
Day and night, night and day

Wandering

Wandering
by: R.A.Slater

I feel so lost
As though I wander in circles
Running into invisible walls
That bar my escape from this madness
Who searches for me?
Anyone?
I know of One
Who hunts for me with dogged persistance
I wish He'd find me
Before this wandering
Gets the best of me

Broken Silence

Background: this is based on what I felt during a brief spring snowstorm early on the 12th. See the poem entitled "Silence" a few posts down.

Broken Silence
by: R.A. Slater
4-12-07

Alone I stood in the storm
The deadening silence echoing around me
Filled with the sounds of falling snow and rain
As a child I lifted my face
To gaze upward in the night
Ever upward
Into the onslaught
Such beauty raining down on me
There was nothing gentle about it
For the snowflakes mingled in the rain
Were heavy and wet
They streaked by me like meteors in the night sky
It was then that I felt You
In this moment made for romance
The snow and rain catching in my hair
Were Your fingers caressing me
Each snowflake, each drop of rain
That pelted my face with wetness
Were Your ardent kisses
Though You said not a word
Letting the tinkling sound of the falling snow
Fill my ears as You filled my heart
In that eternal moment
I knew that the silence
The terrible aching silence
Had been broken

Robin's Psalm II

Robin's Psalm II

"Clinging"

by: R.A. Slater/1-22-07

The pillars of heaven and earth did shake

And the gates of hell flew open

The forces of evil assaulted me without mercy

And to my shame...I was afraid and I did tremble

I fell beneath the onslaught, neglecting to cry out for help

I cowered in fear and shame, my tears mingling with the falling rain

Beneath my hands as I pounded my fists in anger

I felt the cool wet Rock

Greater than my shame, was the shame I had brought Him

But in my despair, I clung to Him

Knowing Him just well enough to know that He was still there

Still my salvation, still my fortress, still my refuge

I poured out my tears to Him, told him my heart, shared my fears

And I found, that although I fell down

I was not moved as I weathered the storm.

Robin's Psalm

This one is dated 11-7-98.

It's not bad for a novice.

Robin's Psalm
by: R.A. Slater


Though the pillars of heaven and earth shake
The gates of hell fly open and the forces of evil assault me
I will not be afraid and I will not be shaken
No, I will remain standing and I will stand boldly and bravely
Because the foundation upon which I stand is that Rock that can't be moved
Christ is that Rock
He is my salvation, my fortress, and my refuge
In Him I will stand and not be dismayed
I will weather all storms and not be moved.



Are poems allowed to have 'sequels'? Because as I was typing this up, trying really hard not to "polish" it up, I felt a part two begin to brew. I'm gonna go work on that now, I'll post it later. :)

Fire in the Sky

Fire In the Sky
by: R.A. Slater
1-18-07

How I long to see Your glory invade my life
As the rising sun stretches its far reaching fingers across the darkened sky
Each ray driving away the darkness
And warming the heartless cold of night
Won't You turn Your face to me
So that my dry and thristy heart
Might drink in Your fiery gaze
To set my ablaze with Your glory
And set me running to tell of Your love
Making me as fire in the sky in someone's darkened night.