Purpose Waiting in the darkness is the catalyst for change. A seed hides just beneath the soil and toils to germinate. It breaks out of its hard, lifeless shell and reaches desperately for the sun. It takes root and won't stop until it's done flowering and offering exactly what it was born to give - beauty to the world. Justin Farley
Walking through the Forest – A Poem About Nature
To walk through the forest
and see sunlight shinning through the trees
is like a cool, refreshing breeze
to the spirit sweltering beneath
the heat of worldly troubles.
To walk through the forest
and observe nature’s mysterious order
is like a wall erected in the path of disorder,
calming the chaotic thoughts
in the mind of modern man.
To walk through the forest
and witness untainted beauty
is like relieving the watchman from his duty –
worry retreats into the void to sleep
while I gaze upon the work of divine hands.
-Poem Written by Justin Farley
I take my dog out the front door to do his morning business
and feel temperature change whip me in the face –
chilly air burning and freezing my nostrils simultaneously.
Overnight a lush, green carpet has transformed
into a frost-tipped arena of ice.
Blades of grass poke up like tiny daggers.
With each footstep, they pierce my hope for Autumn to stay.
The rays of the days have been wasting away –
dark by the time work’s done with no light for play.
And of Autumn, I fear she’s reached her death.
Frost isn’t welcome here.
But Nature defies my every command.
She controls the tides of the seasons
as an unseen, unstoppable force,
moving across the realms of life like an invisible hand,
brewing chaos and bringing order,
destroying life and creating life
without uttering a word.
Silent, but always heard
by all forces of life in this world.
I must cave to her order.
But admit I am not ready for when Autumn leaves –
when she packs up her warmth and color,
when the fiery flames of pumpkins are extinguished
by rot and mold,
when greenery withers in agony when kissed
by the north wind’s harsh breath.
But I must submit to Autumn’s death
because Winter comes without my blessing.
I see frost from my doorstep this morning
and know it won’t be long before Winter arrives.
Living in Indiana, it seems fall is always too short. It is by far my favorite season, and I feel I never get enough of it. Many years, by the time your notice that the leaves are changing color, the temperature is finally cooling down, and it actually feels like fall, a week later it’s bitter cold and snowing. As much as I hate the changing of seasons from fall to winter, I am grateful to live in a state where there are stark contrasts from season to season. With the seasons changing, it reminds you that nothing is meant to stay the same forever. The seasons change, and we must adapt, year after year, as we are called to do. They also humble us and remind us that there are greater powers in the world. But it’s never easy for me to see the first hard frost and know that fall is about over and winter is just around the corner.
You may also enjoy another of my poems about the changing seasons, “Frost of the Field” or you can find all of my poems on nature HERE
Everyday Miracles – A Poem About Finding God in Ordinary Things
The clamor of your wisdom claps
like a thousand hands in unison throughout the forest,
calling from every treetop,
and whispering within every breath the north wind blows.
Your wisdom can be found in the simplicity of a dew drop
and within the caw of a congregation of crows.
You are an invisible hand, always laboring,
opening and closing doors as you see fit –
not always on my time frame,
not always giving me access to the rooms I wish,
but often times I find ignorance is bliss.
For the paths I most yearn to walk down
you wall off, knowing they lead to my demise.
You are the wise King,
always leading, but serving unceasingly.
With each new day you bring,
I am astonished at your beauty –
as long as I make the time to open my eyes,
as long as my awareness is focused on you
and turned away from the desires of my mind.
Your miracles come in small packages,
constantly sent, but rarely opened.
I look for you in grandiose experiences,
but you keep gently tugging at my sleeve,
urging me to put on my leather gloves
and dig for you in the dirt of the garden.
If I’m not careful,
I can become oblivious to the everyday mystery –
the beauty of a daffodil,
the way sunlight rests upon my windowsill,
the spirit that speaks when my mind gets still,
and the non-coincidental meetings of strangers,
sharing the exact conversations I need to hear.
Open my eyes when they are blind to your majesty,
so that I may witness your glory
in every root, rock, river, and ravine.
May I read the love letters you’ve written
upon every stump I pass in the forest,
every deer that crosses my path,
and every squirrel that leaps from limb to limb.
May I marvel at your everyday miracles
and find your fingerprints upon every piece of evidence
in this case called life.
-Poem Written by Justin Farley
photo credit: Ontelaunee Creek Tributary (1) via photopin (license)
Cock crows resounding, penetrating
through dense clouds of moisture.
Silence stirs. Nature’s alarm clock has sounded.
Pellets of dew cover meadows in morning like a soggy wet blanket.
Forests are brimming with life
long before the sun wakes to greet the day.
The creatures of morning need no brewed elixir
to get themselves moving; carpe diem is the driving force of their DNA.
Chirping can be heard throughout the wood
and feathers take flight from twilight roosts.
Deer scatter from their beds of dense undergrowth
and search the farmer’s field for breakfast.
Nature’s spectacle concludes with Aurora’s grand finale.
And I, well I sit back and watch in wide-eyed wonder.
-Poem Written By Justin Farley
If you enjoyed this post, I would greatly appreciate it if you like, share, or comment on it. Follow my blog to receive notifications when new posts are published. You can find my other Christian poems, Lent poems, love poems or inspirational poems at https://alongthebarrenroad.com/category/poetry/
photo credit: Sun Getting Out Of Bed via photopin (license)
A house sparrow is busy outside my window
Gathering bits of grass in his beak –
Supplies needed for this year’s nest.
Some biological impulse is pushing him,
Performing actions he doesn’t even understand,
An invisible hand directing his reason.
It doesn’t take microscopes, telescopes, or theories
To explain the universe.
The designer reveals himself in the simplest ways.
But you will remain blind
With open eyes and a closed heart.
Purpose parades in even nature’s smallest towns
And down its cities’ streets.
Some may call it evolution,
But I call it intelligent design.
Either way, there’s one thing we can agree on…
The complexity of life is beautiful.
-Poem Written by Justin Farley
If you enjoyed this post, I would greatly appreciate it if you like, share, or comment on it. Follow my blog to receive notifications when new posts are published. You can find my other Christian poems, Lent poems, or inspirational poems at https://alongthebarrenroad.com/category/poetry/
photo credit: Female House Sparrow #3 via photopin (license)
White winged wonder wandering,
wobbling west beside water.
Flitting feathers flying –
flocks fleeing for fields of gold.
Sun shinning. Stream shimmering.
Chinook salmon swimming, spawning sacks, spewing semen.
Man musing merrily, mindfully mapping manuscript
In a mad, maniacal manner.
-Poem Written by Justin Farley
If you enjoyed this post, I would greatly appreciate it if you like, share, or comment on it. Follow my blog to receive notifications when new posts are published. You can find my other Christian poems, Lent poems, or inspirational poems at https://alongthebarrenroad.com/category/poetry/
photo credit: Salmon run at Adams River 2010 via photopin (license)
I look out into the morning sky,
Waiting for the curtain of night to lift,
And the same questions I’ve sought answers
To for ages keep rolling through my head:
Why can’t I accept grace as a gift
And not as a reward to be earned?
Why do these doubts keep nagging at me,
Even when the truth has been revealed?
Why do I have to examine and scrutinize
Every minuscule detail and refuse to believe
Unless I can see and touch you with my eyes and hands?
Why do I continue to play you,
constantly trying to solve your mystery
And needing to know all the answers?
Why do I still not trust you,
Even though you’ve shown me no reason to be alarmed?
And why do I continue to push you away
When my soul longs and years for you love?
My pondering has almost made me miss
The beauty of the sunrise.
I look out in the morning sky,
Admiring the beauty of your creation,
And for a moment, my questions become irrelevant.
-Poem Written by Justin Farley
If you enjoyed this post, I would greatly appreciate it if you like, share, or comment on it. Follow my blog to receive notifications when new posts are published. You can find my other Christian poems or inspirational poems at https://alongthebarrenroad.com/category/poetry/
The wind whips against the shutters.
Brutal blasts of cold swirl in the breeze.
Hope seems tattered and scattered,
lying buried beyond the brink of spring.
As I gaze out from within my frozen fortress,
I square off, locked in a duel with death.
Fighting against the feelings of emptiness
lodged deep within my breast.
Void of a guiding and burning passion –
A fire whose flames lick and warm my heart.
Void of all willpower to take action –
left to remain shivering in the dark.
The lingering darkness leaves me blind –
unable to see beauty from my eyes.
The mundane landscape manages only to supply
drab and dreary images of black and white.
A long and trying winter,
starving and salivating for a feast on light.
Restlessly and ravenously awaiting spring’s dinner,
to sink our teeth back into life.
Photo Credit: wow_wa_cow via Compfight cc
There’s beauty on the horizon,
the cock’s announcing the resounding crow.
The wisps of night fade away,
replaced by dawn’s early glow.
The treetops shake off their early shower,
still covered with dew drops from leaf to branch.
The birds of the forest push play on melody’s record,
inviting you to join their dance.
Get up! Get that coffee brewing.
Don’t miss your chance to catch the morn’.
When mother nature wields her magic
and the veil of night is vanquished and torn.
Don’t be afraid to trade your comfort of slumber.
Don’t hit snooze, roll over, or pull the window shade down.
For the early hours of morning hold
the greatest spectacle in town.
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Photo Credit: joiseyshowaa via Compfight cc
