Tag Archives: Poem

The Cloud of Unknowing A Poem on the Dark Night

Posted on by under Poetry, Spirituality 
The Cloud of Unknowning

To be free from the desires of the mind
step out into the night,
outside of space and time.

Wear the darkness, clothed like a dress.
In your unknowning,
you're truly blessed.

What you seek lies farther than eyes can see - 
step after step
faith must lead.

Like a flower, like a seed,
in the darkness
is where roots feed.

We need not act but only be open to receive
gifts that are imparted
but which the mind is unable to perceive.

Justin Farley






Hello, everyone! I have recently published my first chapbook of Christian poems titled “A Voice in the Wilderness – A Chapbook of Poems about God”. This has been developed and polished over the past six months or so. I am happy with the final product and hope you find encouragement in the poems but also a validation that the spiritual life is not all sunshine and rainbows. We all struggle. We all have periods of questions and/or doubt. But it is the yearning that keeps us coming back for more and allows us to experience joy.
You can purchase either on Amazon or on my own bookstore (it is cheaper and has free shipping on my store) and is available on the Kindle and in paperback.
Amazon: Kindle Paperback
Inkspiration Books (my bookstore): Paperback
Thank you for your support!






			

			
						

	
	



				
					


	


		
Poem About Nature, Creation, and God

				

			Posted on  by  under Poems On Nature, Poetry, Spirituality, Uncategorized					

		
	


		

		











The Wonder of Creation

I'm not ashamed to admit
that I'm in love with creation - 
not for its own sake
but for what it tells me about you.

The mountains may move me,
my spirit may rest in the river's bed,
and the birds of the air may fill me with wonder
but all because their beauty
points beyond themselves
and leaves me gazing at the Master's hand,
awed by his artistry,
lulled by his love.

Nature is a sweet song,
a familiar melody on the tip of your tongue
whose origins you can't quite recall
until you join in the chorus
and with a bittersweet longing remember,
feeling the Spirit gather around you.
Your soul recognizes the mother
who birthed its existence...
the source of all love...
the source of all beauty...

We are all drawn to the wonder of creation
because it offers us a glimpse,
a taste of what's to come.
You feel eternal power in the forest.
You find something supernatural 
looking in the clear, cool stream.

So I'm not ashamed to admit
I'm in love with creation
because it's your work,
close to your heart,
and you love it
like any artist loves their work.

But most of all I love it
because I find you there,
because my heart hears you the loudest
among the pines and oaks of the forest,
swimming with the minnows of the creeks,
dancing with the fireflies in the summer skies,
and scurrying with the squirrels
up trees and jumping from limb to limb.

Justin Farley






Hello, everyone! I have recently published my first chapbook of Christian poems titled “A Voice in the Wilderness – A Chapbook of Poems about God”. This has been developed and polished over the past six months or so. I am happy with the final product and hope you find encouragement in the poems but also a validation that the spiritual life is not all sunshine and rainbows. We all struggle. We all have periods of questions and/or doubt. But it is the yearning that keeps us coming back for more and allows us to experience joy.
You can purchase either on Amazon or on my own bookstore (it is cheaper and has free shipping on my store) and is available on the Kindle and in paperback.
Amazon: Kindle Paperback
Inkspiration Books (my bookstore): Paperback
Thank you for your support!













        
    
			

	
	



				
					


	


		
Plucking Beauty – A Poem About Life and Eternity

				

			Posted on  by  under Poetry, Spirituality					

		
	


		

		






Plucking Beauty

I once plucked beauty
out of experience
serendipitously like wild flowers in the country,
delighting in what new joy
life was going to allow me to discover
and show off in vases upon my windowsill.

But my curiosity is stagnant
and often vanishes, jaded
over what I know I'll find -
that everything alive is already withering,
beautiful for an instant
but quickly crumbling to dust.

And yet, it is not beauty
that has changed.
It still shines as bright
as when the Logos called it
out of the void.
It is my limited vision,
this human decision
to make everything about me
and interpret the world
through selfish eyes.

In an instant gold is tarnished,
gifts become entitlements,
and beauty looses its brilliance
when it's used for self-indulgence.
I once looked for beauty
because I found you there.
You spoke to me out of your creation
like any great artist does.
Now I find myself tumbling off the path
and stumbling towards naturalism.

Beauty is not beautiful
because it is fleeting.
It does not speak to the human heart 
because it is temporary.
No. Beauty speaks because it's divine intuition,
nudging us towards the eternal reality,
reminding us that there is something
beyond the material world that 

Never dies,
Never withers,
Never decays,
Never says good-bye.

Life loses its luster
when our lives are reduced
to merely grains of sands
upon the beach of time.
The breath of God
resides within each one of us;
never lose sight of paradise.

-Justin Farley





Hello, everyone! I have recently published my first chapbook of Christian poems titled “A Voice in the Wilderness – A Chapbook of Poems about God”. This has been developed and polished over the past six months or so. I am happy with the final product and hope you find encouragement in the poems but also a validation that the spiritual life is not all sunshine and rainbows. We all struggle. We all have periods of questions and/or doubt. But it is the yearning that keeps us coming back for more and allows us to experience joy.
You can purchase either on Amazon or on my own bookstore (it is cheaper and has free shipping on my store) and is available on the Kindle and in paperback.
Amazon: Kindle Paperback
Inkspiration Books (my bookstore): Paperback
Thank you for your support!






			

	
	



				
					


	


		
I Believe In Angels Now – A Love Poem

				

			Posted on  by  under Poetry					

		
	


		

		











I Believe in Angels Now

I was falling through black endless night
until you caught and tucked me
safely beneath your wings.
You brought me back into the light
where my heart once more
could rejoice and sing.

I believe in angels now.
For I wake next to one
every night and every day.
Of all the blessings God endows,
nothing compares to you
who offered a ship when I was a castaway.

Justin Farley






			

	
	



				
					


	


		
Deer Child – A Nature and Life Poem

				

			Posted on  by  under Poems On Nature, Poetry					

		
	


		

		
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Deer Child – A Nature and Life Poem


Doe and fawn

drink from the creek at dawn,

filling their bellies

to last out the noonday heat.


Doe protective and cautious;

fawn careless and unconscious –

unaware of the eyes

watching her from the bank.


Age brings wisdom and experience,

for the youthful heart is oblivious

to the dangers disguised as blissful indulgence

lurking in the field of freedom.

.


-Poem Written by Justin Farley

			

	
	



				
					


	


		
Short Poem About Self Esteem and Your Self-Image

				

			Posted on  by  under Poetry					

		
	


		

		
A Short Poem About Your Self-Image, Self Esteem, and Positive Thinking


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“The Mirror”


The mirror stands tall and peers with endless eyes,

full of the power to change your course in life.

It’s skilled in planting and sowing your demise,

yet is always willing to inspire and energize.

It’s the instigator of failure’s reprise,

or makes goals and dreams actualized.

The mirror grants the viewer a new image with each sunrise,

but only reflects back what the mind supplies.


-Poem Written by Justin Farley

			

	
	



				
					


	


		
A Christian Poem About God’s Love, Grace, and Renewal

				

			Posted on  by  under Poetry, Spirituality					

		
	


		

		
Jesus Poem About God’s Love, Grace, and Renewal


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Beyond the Break of Dawn


Beyond the break of dawn

Hope sings a renewal song

To start anew –

To begin a journey out of the darkness

of your past and into the now.


Beyond the break of dawn

is the unbreakable promise that my wrongs are gone,

that guilt will no longer hang over my head

like an ax-wielding executioner, ready to strike.


Beyond the break of dawn

lies the inspiration to carry on.

The crushing veil of night has been lifted

and my eyes are able to see a new day before me.


Beyond the break of dawn,

after a darkness fought so long,

after many sleepless nights beneath the shadow of hopelessness,

waits the gift of love, grace, and renewal.


The Son rises in his glory,

hanging high with outstretched hands,

and all of what once was is hushed to sleep.

Love rises out to meet us

on the road to freedom

and grips our hand with belief,

yet transcends the limitations of the human mind.

God rests us in the palm of his glory,

giving us the only promise we’ll ever need

and rewrites a once hopeless story.


-Poem Written by Justin Farley


Beyond the Poetry


God’s love transcends the vastness of our darkness, some of which we’ve created and some which is an inevitable part of life. One of the greatest gifts that Christianity offers is the promise of love, grace, renewal, restoration, and forgiveness. Dark days are followed by sunny skies and joyful living. It’s never too late to come home and accept the love and grace that is extended to everyone, regardless of race, gender, or age.


Dawn is a beautiful thing to witness. It goes deeper than beauty that you see in the sky. It’s a reminder that there is always a chance for a new day and that your life is not so broken that it can’t be restored. I think that’s a feeling that all humans feel, regardless of whether you believe in God or not. But the work and love of Jesus is an even greater dawn that pulls you out of a darkness so thick that it seems to be impossible to navigate out of. Jesus gives you a hope when hope seems lost. Jesus gives you a life when life once only felt like death.


The power of God’s love and transformation lies in the fact that we don’t have to fix all the damage that we’ve done; he’s done it for us. It’s a forgiveness of all our debts that we know are beyond the reality of ever paying back. It’s a loving hand of grace willing to completely wipe out the scoreboard and let us start over. Not once. Not twice. But every single day, we get another chance to accept God’s love and grace and leave behind the mistakes of yesterday.


You may also enjoy some of my other Christian Poetry.

			

	
	



				
					


	


		
Today – A Inspiration Poem

				

			Posted on  by  under Mental Health, Personal Development, Poetry, Recovery					

		
	


		

		
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Today – A Inspiration Poem


The sun is rising.

Open your eyes to the possibility of a new life

That waits for you upon the horizon.

Let the aroma of fresh brewed coffee stir you in bed

And lead you from where dreams remain fixed in your head

To where they are transfigured in motion through action.


Today we set course for the future;

We throw all past failures overboard

And load our cargo of dormant potential in the hold.


Today we set sail to new destinations

We’ve been planning for years,

But never had the courage to leave the comfort of familiar harbors.


Today we become masters over our inner self

And shed the shackles of slavery,

No longer submitting to the will of our weaknesses.


Today is the first day of your new life –

Reborn, awoken, reformed into the image

You’ve always desired and known you’re capable of.


Today will find us working

And not bewildered by fear or past distractions.

We will set course on a path of purposeful, rigorous action.


Today we set sail for the future,

Which does not come to us,

But we confidently create and seek.


Today is the only day of your life that’s guaranteed.

So pull yourself up by your bootstraps.

Smile, don’t fret. Let’s make it one for the ages.


-Poem Written by Justin Farley




 


photo credit: The Grassy Knoll via photopin

			

	
	



				
					


	


		
Growing Pains – A Poem

				

			Posted on  by  under Personal Development, Poetry					

		
	


		

		
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Growing Pains – A Poem


Why are these dreams that stretch out across my heart’s field of desire,

That glisten Like droplets of drew sparkling on the morning grass,

So hard to obtain, so hard to take to take hold of,

And so hard to lasso and pull close to reality?

The burden is bearing the tragedy of it all,

Knowing what you want, what you need,

Lies just beyond the forest and through the trees,

But you seem unable to put those desires into action.

So often I’m fixated on distractions that pull me off-course,

And get me lost on side paths instead of trekking onward

Towards goals, aspirations, and destinations.

It drives a person mad, carrying around bags of frustrations,

Grueling through labor day after day,

Counting the minutes, knowing there has to be another way.

But the Way is left without footprints, often prepared for

But never ventured and what’s left of hope slowly fades away.

There’s a demon inside of me that seems unable to be controlled,

Scoffing at dreams, content to let life pass me by,

Trampling on schedules, and consistently cursing meaningful causes.

Claws strike out at my fingers each time

I reach out to grasp my true potential.

I now know the paved road to success doesn’t exist.

You must venture through the dense forest,

Fight through the clinging vines, and thrash through the sticks.

No, to journey with intention is no vacation,

And the mess inside me, always attempting to misguide me, is no easy fix.

But the trail to nowhere is covered by countless footprints

And paved with the trampled dreams others have left behind.

The alarm clock beckons.

Wisdom speaks.

My souls shrieks.

But for some reason I have yet to understand,

I hear, but refuse to listen.


-Poem Written by Justin Farley




photo credit: After the rainfall via photopin (license)

			

	
	



				
					


	


		
Eclipse – A Poem

				

			Posted on  by  under Mental Health, Personal Development, Poetry					

		
	


		

		
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Eclipse – A Poem


Two sides of a conflicting coin

Flip like faces in a dramatic act.

Two intricate and separate forces entangle

In a bitter struggle, leaving Earth cloaked in black.


How can such a powerful light

Be smothered by such a small, sinister hand?

A visceral visual of what evil can accomplish

When given the freedom to take root in the heart of man.


In a matter of seconds the cosmos is silenced

By the veil of darkness and death.

The yang captured beneath the yin’s net;

Hope and light suffocating and gasping for breath.


What once was so beautiful,

Shining in the sky’s endless sea,

Has now turned into a lifeless puppet,

Bound and animated by dark, dominating strings.


You were once a blazing beacon –

A fire of hope that lit up my nights.

But now, my once glorious sun,

You’ve laid down, surrendered, and given up the fight.


I only hope this is but an eclipse

And shortly you’ll come forth from hiding behind the moon.

For life is but a quick, short breath

And will not wait while you wallow woefully in your room.


Two opposite forces fight

In the face of the atmosphere;

The moon is not a worthy opponent

But kills all light when the sun hides in fear.


The moon hangs with no power,

But becomes master when the sun submits.

Defy the rebellion, do not yield to your captor.

Emerge as the victor in your heart’s eclipse.


-Poem Written by Justin Farley


photo credit: Lunar Eclipse via photopin (license)