Saturday, March 23, 2013

At the Cross

I huddle at the foot of the Cross.
My arms stretch to encompass it around--
my head bowed,
eyes pinched so tightly they hurt.
Silent sobs wrack my being.

The men are gone.
The Brotherhood, save one, has forsaken the Master.


Other women stand,
bow,
lie prostrate nearby,
each alone,
forsaken,
desperate,
desolate.
I hear their weeping off in the distance,
at the perimeter of my own sorrow.

Roman soldiers stand silent,
stone-faced,

trying to understand,
yet bound merely to duty.
Scribes, 

Pharisees, 
Sadducees
cluster together and mutter into their self-righteous beards,
rehearsing their excuses.
Their mumbling blends, segues 

into the rumbling of a gathering storm.

Messiah, on the Cross, lifts His head to Heaven.
With one last lingering remnant of strength,
He pushes against the spike that impales His feet,
pulls up on the nails that pierce His wrists,
draws in a gurgling breath,
licks His lips to moisten them, to make speech possible,
And cries out to the Father Whose Face is turned away.

"It is finished!"

A pronouncement that will echo throughout Eternity.

I look up as His weary, abused head
sinks to His bosom,
where so many children had rested their heads
and received His blessing.

A drop of His vermillion Blood
rolls down one of the thorns
that comprises a crude crown.
In one interminable moment,
I watch it
fall;
I tip my face downward in shame,
knowing my own unworthiness,
yet yearning for His anointing.
That Sacred Drop
Splashes on my head and covers me o'er.

A mourning veil shrouds the sky.

Night invades midday. 
The Earth begins to tremble.

Copyright 2007 by Sharon Kirk
Clifton

Monday, March 18, 2013

Poetry Break: "Problem Child"


She's a problem child, all right--
always has been,
always will be.
Dreams!
That girl can dream
like no one I've ever seen.
"Wouldn't it be great," she says,
"Wouldn't it be grand," she dances,
"to do something for God?
To bring souls to Him?
To help enlarge the House of the Almighty?
To go to all the world?"
She sings her joyous plan to all
who will listen.

Thank goodness for the small thinkers,
the micro-dreamers
who shove her and her visions
back into a tiny box
where the corners squeeze out hope
and squelch missionary zeal.
If she and her ilk can be
controlled,
the Church can remain contained,
tidy
for a chosen few.

What?
What's happening?
Lord, is that You taking that lid off
again?

~Copyright 2001 by Sharon Kirk Clifton

Monday, March 11, 2013

Playing Catch-Up

Can it be that I haven't written a blog entry since Christmas 2012? Sometimes life intervenes and turns our plans topsy-turvy. Such is the case. By way of catching up, let me wish you, gentle readers, a very happy new year, happy Saint Valentine's Day, and a meaningful Presidents' Day.

Whereas I haven't accomplished much in the way of writing on my third middle-grade WIP, I have been writing and researching. I wrote one 5,500-word creative non-fiction article for a Christian publishing house. I've also been researching for a historical romance that has been niggling around in my brain for at least a year. I had thought to write the MG novel first, but this one won't let go. I have it thoroughly plotted, and it's begging to be set to paper.

When a writer begins to research a story, the journey may take her on some unexpected byways. For this one, I'm learning to paint as an Impressionist. Though I'll never be good at it--my older brother and my younger daughter are the professional fine artists in the family--I can learn the basics so that my MC can speak the language.

In early February, I underwent a bit of major surgery, which tied up a chunk of time, what with the event itself and subsequent recuperation and therapy. Though I didn't get any writing done during that time, I read a few excellent books, including:
  • The Bone Box by Bob Hostetler 
  • Diamond in the Rough by Lisa Karon Richardson and Jennifer AlLee
  • A Quaker Christmas by Lauralee Bliss, Ramona K. Cecil, Rachael Phillips, and Claire Sanders
  • Heart's Heritage by Ramona K. Cecil
  • Instant Menace by Jerry Jenkins and Chris Fabry
Now, I'm preparing a storytelling session for Hoosier Recreation Workshop, to be held in mid-April. I'm also looking forward to Resurrection Sunday and the events leading up to that great day--my favorite of the Church year.

It's great to be writing a blog entry again. Thank you, readers, for your patience during this silent time.

Write on!
Because of Christ,

Sharon