From chill@tri-lakes.netSun Feb 2 19:53:15 1997 Date: Wed, 29 Jan 1997 22:04:44 -0600 From: "Cheryl L. Hill" To: "David D. Eisenstein" , fellow-poets -- Dominic Lenk , Jeff Brotemarkle , Jennifer Lynn Melcher , Lauren Boland , Thomas Edelblute , Virginia Wayman , "Samuels, Vicki S." , Jonathan Speak , "Dr. Dave Finestead" , Uel Blank , Larry Hamilton Subject: Re: A poem. At 01:29 PM 1/27/97 -0600, David D. Eisenstein wrote a beautiful poem. I thought it was beautiful, and wanted to tell you all. I thought it was rather like an "individual psalm of lament" according to the way Claus Westermann classifies the Book of Psalms. This kind of psalm is found, according to Westermann in about 50 of the psalms, including Psalms 3-17 (excluding 8,9 and 15) 22-28 (excluding 24), 31, 35-43 (excluding 37 and 40A) 51-64 (excluding 60), 69, 71, 73, 77, 86, 88, 94, 102, 109, 120, 130 (reference from page 53, of _The Psalms: Structure, Content & Message,_ Augsburg Publishing House, 1980). >======================================================= > Broken Toy > >Am I like a broken toy? > To be discarded with the rest? >Am I like a broken toy? > Just because I am depressed? > >Have I lost my power to be > Pleasing to another? >Or is it only my lot > To always run to Mother? > Psalm 13 (NIV) 1 How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? 2 How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and every day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me? >I read about responsibility > And hear how I am to be >Careful of what I think > Of what I do in being me > >And know it to be the truth > To take care of others' feelings >But where are the others > To take care of mine? > >We discard one-another, > Like broken toys >And fail to find the beauty >That lies in the heart of imperfection-- > in the heart > of being human. 3 Look on me and answer me, O LORD my God. Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death, 4 and my enemy will say, "I have overcome him"; and my foes will rejoice when I fall. > >Dear God! Help me to accept-- > who I am -- who You are -- >And who my fellow humans be > so I too can love in harmony > >With all creation, great or small, > With all the toys (You've made them all) >And finally so I can live with me > In love, truth, and reality. > > --David Eisenstein > Thu May 5 11:09:03 CDT 1994 > >Copyright (C) 1994, David D. Eisenstein. > 5 But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. 6 I will sing to the LORD, for he has been good to me. A wonderful contemporary psalm! cheryl ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ *Because I am Christ's, I am yours, truly,* Rev. Cheryl L. Hill, OSL Pastor Blue Eye United Methodist Church chill@tri-lakes.net http://www.webspawner.com/users/BEUMC/ +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ *a salutation quoted from Rev. Charles Wiggins, O.S.L. Grace United Methodist Church Rogers, Arkansas*