BIRTH IN A BARN

No trumpets blaring

No drums snaring

Only silence greets

A homeless pair

Looking for shelter.

A crude barn

With a cow looking out

A pile of hay

On which they could lay

But soon a sound

Woke the world thundering

The birth of God’s son

Born while we’re wondering

What this meant for us

We poor ignorant cousins

Looking for hope

Of some kind to keep us

Safe from evil of a world gone mad

THE YEARS IN BETWEEN

He worked for his dad

Drove the Pharisees mad.

Looked for a reason to live

Found it in his willingness to give.

Leading friends to the sea,

Where he set them free

To follow his lessons,

To teach all to love one another

Child, Father and Mother.

But he found trouble in hate

He was destined to choose his fate

Of death on a hill.

He had work to do still.

When he came out of the tomb

Into a different room,

The disciples believed

The world was relieved,

He found us at last

Our troubles forgiven and past,

DEATH ON A HILL

He climbed that hill,

Knowing what he would find

That his guide on that climb

Had something in mind.

A Roman soldier with spear at the ready

Kept up with him

Walking slow and steady.

The morning sun shone bright

He continued to fight

Until mid day.

Three hours later

What can we say?

A man hung dying,

In a tomb soon to stay

But he outwitted them all

All men large or small

His father let Him go

To save us from woe.

AMEN

Jane P. Neale12/23/11



medley

THE YEARS IN BETWEEN

HE WORKED FOR HIS DAD

DROVE THE PHARISEES MAD.

LOOKED FOR A REASON TO LIVE

FOUND IN HIS WILLINGNESS TO GIVE

LEADING FRIENDS TO THE SEA

WHERE HE SET THEM FREE

TO FOLLOW HIS LESSONS

TO TEACH ALL TO LOVE ONE ANOTHER

CHILD, FATHER AND MOTHER.

BUT HE FOUND TROUBLE IN HATE

AND FELL VICTIM TO HIS FATE

OF DEATH ON A HILL

HE HAD WORK TO DO STILL

WHEN HE CAME OUT OF THE TOMB

INTO A DIFFERENT ROOM

THE DISCIPLES BELIEVED

THE WORLD WAS RELIEVED

HE FOUND US A LAST

OUR TROUBLES WERE PAST,

AMEN

.......................................................................................................

DEATH ON HILL

He climbed that hill,

Knowing what he would find

That his guide on that climb

Had something in mind.

A Roman soldier with spear at the ready

Kept up with him

Walking slow and steady.

The sun shone bright

He continued to fight

Until mid day

Three hours later

What can we say

A man hung dying,

In a tomb soon to stay

But he outwitted them all

All men large or small

His father let Him go

To save us from woe

..........................................................................................................................

I

ANGER AND RESENTMENT

DO NOT A HAPPY PERSON MAKE

BUT IF YOU TAKE SOMEONE BY THE HAND

AND HOLD ON TIGHT

YOU MIGHT FIND THAT ALL THAT BAD FEELING

WILL DISAPPEAR OVERNIGHT.

THAT SOMEONE’S HAND MIGHT BE IN TOUCH WITH GOD

SO KEEP HOLDING ON

UNTIL THE ANGER IS GONE.

II

GOD KNOWS HOW MUCH YOU ACHE

AND FEELS YOUR PAIN FULL WELL

BUT HOLD HIS HAND AND BE PATIENT

HE’LL BE WORKING ON YOU FOR A SPELL.

III

SHARE YOUR HEART WITH OTHERS

UNTIL YOU CAN LET GO

AND THEN ANGER AND RESENTMENT

WILL BE BURIED IN WINTER’S SNOW.

BURIED OUT OF SIGHT

YOU CAN’T EVEN SEE IT

THE SNOW HAS PURIFIED IT AND

RELEASED YOU FROM ITS SIGHT.

SO CLEANSE YOUR HEART AND MIND

TILL ALL IS LEFT BEHIND

YOU’LL BE A BETTER PERSON

WITH CLEAN HEART AND MIND.

Jane p. Neale 

THE DUCK WHO WALKED ON WATER

THE DUCK WHO WALKED ON WATER

With apologies to J. C.

SHE HAD NO NAME

BUT SHE HAD FAME

FOR SHE KNEW HOW TO WALK ON WATER

She told the drake “I am sick of swimming

I am doing a new trick

Feet out of water Like that man in the Bble.

She wanted to be known

As the duck who walked on water. The drake thought

“ She is crazy” did not know what she meant

Was sure she had lost her mind

She chose to leave him behind

And jumped off the shore landing on top of the river

Instead of in paddling as usual

She got her wish flew from shore to the top she became the duck who walked on the water.

J.P. NEALE

Birth in a Barn 12/23/10

No trumpets blaring










No drums snaring










Only silence greets










A homeless pair










Looking for shelter.










A crude barn










With a cow looking out










A pile of hay










On which they could lay










But soon a sound










Woke the world thundering










And it was God’s son










Born while we’re wondering










What this meant for us










We poor ignorant cousins










Looking for hope










Of some kind to keep us










Safe from evil of a world gone mad










jpneale 12/22/10
































































Merry Christmas is here. Amen.

Trilby and the Roaring Rumbling Runaway River

He knew Spring was on the way, the ice was melting and the water began to move around him. He stretched his topmost fin and tested his swimming power. All systems in working order but now he had to eat. Too early for fishermen and their live bait and it was too early for the men from the fish hatchery. Trilby was always happy to see his new cousins pile out of that big noisy truck from the hatchery. Then the spring rains began and he had to swim for his life, the water was coming faster than he could swim so he relaxed under the hidden shelf of the riverbank and let it flow by him. The mother deer that lived in the neighboring woods came by with her fawn to have a drink; she spotted Trilby and winked at him. He did not want to leave his comfy hiding place, he knew if he ventured into the rushing water he would be pushed along so swiftly he might lose control and decided to try and for almost a day he let the water take him and the wooly bear that landed on his back onward. The caterpillar had wisely jumped to a leaf to keep her feet and fur dry and before they knew it, they were in the reservoir at West Boylston. Trilby looked around and saw some of his missing cousins who left home in Quinapoxet just before the freeze. They were glad to see him and took him to their favorite shelter under the shore away from people. Fishing was actually restricted at water supply lakes making this lake almost without fishermen and Trilby was very hungry. So his cousins took him to their secret eating-place. There were all kinds of mayfly nymphs waiting to hatch and be caught. It wouldn’t be long before the air would be alive with mayflies skimming over the water. Trilby’s friend Bill a favorite angler would soon be arriving with his boots and poles and fishing lures. He liked this man because he did not fish to feed himself but for the sport of catching a fish and each time Trilby was hooked on his lure, Bill reached down and carefully unhooked him setting him free. Part of the fun of being caught was to see the colorful flies that Bill made.

The brown trout cousins did not appreciate Trilby’s liking for this fisherman and decided to play a trick on both the man and the fish. A special place down by the pumping station had some big brown sticks that looked like fish so they pushed and shoved with all fins working until finally the sticks were arranged so that even Trilby thought they were ugly brown trout. He, of course was a Rainbow and proud of it.

A car stopped on the road above the reservoir and sure enough a fisherman came down the path whistling. Most fishermen whistle, there is something about fishing that makes men and boys happy, Trilby thought maybe that was one reason he did not mind being caught.

The fisherman, this time another Bill, got all his gear ready, waded into the water not too far from the fish-like branches that were so carefully positioned. He had a gleam in his eye, could not wait to get his lure into the water and catch one of those brown (branch) trout. The trick meant for Trilby was about to backfire. Bill’s boot hit one of the branches and when it did not swim away he realized he was being tricked. Then Trilby did one of his famous leaps out of the water just like Winslow Homer’s painting, diverting Bill’s attention; the day was saved! Trilby found more mayfly nymphs attached to the fake fish branches. The disgusted fisherman walked out of the water and made his way up the path, angry that he had been tricked. He drove away toward the river and left all those fish behind. He knew a better place to fish upstream of the reservoir. Where do you think that was? You are right! up the Quinnie River. Soon he was happy to see mother frog leading her tadpoles to their new home upriver. As they swam along people appeared at the entrance to the town well property. There was an opening in the bushes where they liked to come in the early winter for black alder berries and in summer to see the bottle gentian, a rare treat.And Trilby swam back up the stream to his hiding place under the shelf and continued to watch the world swim by.


J.P. NEALE