How to read Awkward poetry

For a long long time (and sometimes even now) I didn't consider myself a poet.  I thought that giving myself that title would somehow seem prideful or like I was aspiring to a realm I didn't belong in.  My poems are awkward, sometimes trite sounding, often there is some cheesy line in there that ruins the whole thing.  But .. well, I write down about a tenth of the poems that tumble inside my head and since one or two people in the whole universe reads them I thought I should at least explain my writing style.

When I come across an interesting thought I play with it and chew on it.  I might handle it for a few days and then all at once the poem just comes to me and I write the whole thing out in one or two drafts but usually with few alterations.

Most of my poems have a few short stanzas or short lines followed by longer stanzas and a more regular rhythm until I sum things up with a two line stanza.

This is an exact representation of how I think.  There's that moment of inspiration, a word, a phrase, a spark, followed by deeper more organized thought and when I've thought through an idea straight to the end I usually summarized for myself an answer to the question, "So what?" or "where does this idea get me?"  "what is the point?"

It's not elegant, it's not smooth.  But it's me, and if you are reading - I thought you might want to understand.

(note: We just read "Love that Dog" as a family and if you hate poetry you'll identify with the main character.  I highly recommend it.)

The Notebook

Remember not too long ago

when I named your notebooks, lunchbox, coat?

when the sharpie wrote unbleeding

on everything from floor to ceiling?

when I brushed that hair and made that bed

and carefully chose the books we read?

This notebook pushed aside un-needed

in a bookshelf left un-weeded

is a picture of how tall you've grown

how strong you are, your mind's your own.

Childhood sheds it's coat of laughter

it's labeled toys, it's happily-ever-after

But one thing I ask - this is a must!

don't let your God grow grey with dust.

Your boyhood Savior and childhood friend

knows your begining and has no end

He named all the stars and after that, it's true,

He took out his sharpie and labeled you.

So grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord 

your childhood treasure, your manhood reward.

I found a notebook of Zak's from last year and read through some of his journal entries.  I had to stop when I got to the page that said  "Quick write: What is the meaning of Life".  This was his response:

"I think the meaning of life is a really hard question but it says it right in the Bible (I forgot where) but it says that we Christians are to make disciples of other people and to obey God."

personal camp cookstoves

(see full image)

We're gearing up for church camp in a couple of weeks and decided to try and make some camp cookstoves out of recycled materials.  These are good for one person to use and we have no idea how long they will last.

To make:
grab a clean tuna can
fill it with carboard strips the same height as the can
place a used birthday candle in the middle
fill the gaps with melted wax

Presto! a possibly functional little cook stove for the kids to roast marshmellows on!