God, my Tranquility,
my Peace, my Calm
You are to my soul
a healing balm.

You alone provide,
the rest that I need
when in Your Word
I graze and feed.

God, my Quietude,
my Repose, My Rest
Your love and mercy
keeps me daily blessed.

You silence my heart,
with Your still small voice
You are the reason
in truth I rejoice.

God my Tranquility,
my Comfort, my Lull
may my trust in You
never grow dim or dull!

~~~~~~~

Ecclesiastes 4:6

Better is an handful
with quietness,
than both the hands full
with travail
and vexation of spirit.

King James Version
Public Domain

Copyright 2020
Deborah Ann Belka

~ to GOD be the GLORY ~

When my cares,
on me weigh . . .
that’s when to God
I kneel and pray.

For when they stay,
heavy on my mind
there is no peace
that I can find.

When my worries,
creep into my life
that’s when onto Jesus
I give Him my strife.

For when they linger,
in my thoughts
they leave me weary
and oh, so fraught.

When my concerns,
weigh me down
I turn to God
for a heart sound.

For I know no other,
thing for me to do
but cast my cares . . .
Lord onto You!

~~~~~~~

1 Peter 5:7

Casting all your care
upon him;
for he careth for you.

King James Version
Public Domain

Copyright 2020
Deborah Ann Belka

~ to GOD be the GLORY ~

Happy Friday! Here’s a poem I wrote for my relatives for their 50th marriage anniversary. Being together (and happy) for fifty years is truly incredible, and their love story immensely amazes me! I hope you enjoy it, let me know in the comments below.

We fall in love
Hoping to share a life together
With someone special
Who will be there forever

An emotional bond
Where the hearts get paired
Where the bliss is shared
As well as each despair

Enduring life
The thicks and thins
The joys and sorrows
The losses and wins

To stick together
Through uphill climbs
And sharing laughter
In happy times

Love brings you sunshine
When all you see is rain
Love makes you smile
When all you feel is pain

Fifty years of togetherness
Bring out a meaning today
You both have truly shown us
That love can find a way

⁃ SaaniaSparkle 🧚🏻‍♀️

Whilst dabbling with alternative poetic forms I came across the Tetractys. This is a poetic form invented by Ray Stebbing, consisting of at least 5 lines of 1, 2, 3, 4, 10 syllables (total of 20). A Tetractys can be written with more than one verse, but must follow suit with an inverted syllable count. The Tetractys can also bereversed and written 10, 4, 3, 2, 1.

Double Tetractys: 1, 2, 3, 4, 10, 10, 4, 3, 2, 1

Dreamy Double Tetractys

Still

Golden

Ecstasy

Pause and recline

My open pores drink in the sun-drenched vibes

Whipped cream puffs scud through the true blue skyline

Be with the now

Trickle tones

Melting

Home

Faithfully God sends,
new mercy each day
lovingly He shines
a light on our way.

Diligently God provides,
for our every need
gently green pastures
He sends us to feed.

Generously God gives,
guidance when asked
openly He bestows
strength for the task.

Dependably God grants,
the power to trust
trustingly He watches
over each of us.

Faithfully God comforts,
with His grace lovingly
kindly He bestows . . .
new mercies tenderly!

~~~~~~~~~~

Lamentations 3:22-23

It is of the Lord’s mercies
that we are not consumed,
because his compassions fail not.

They are new every morning:
great is thy faithfulness.

King James Version
Public Domain

Copyright 2020
Deborah Ann Belka

~ to GOD be the GLORY ~

I left a message for you in a book.
It is like me to mark provocative phrases,
to shake them out in ponderous verses.
Do not read too much in the fallout,
the notes in the border are for nostalgia’s sake.
I dreamt of you again last night
my adversary
whose aura I barely recall.
My suffering is not in knowing what was real
but what was not.

Stars and Stripes, which dates back to the Civil War, has published continuously since World War II. In 2010, the paper won a prestigious George Polk Award for revealing the Defense Department’s use of a public relations firm that profiled reporters and steered them toward favorable coverage of the war in Afghanistan. In 2015, the publication broke the news that NBC anchor Brian Williams had exaggerated a story about his reporting in Iraq. Much of the day-to-day coverage is news of direct concern to service members and their families: pay and benefits, life on base and in the field, the real people behind the global geopolitics.

Central Command Area of Responsibility (Apr. 4, 2003) — Command Sgt. Maj. John Sparks, delivers copies of Stars and Stripes to U.S. Marines from Weapons Platoon, 3-2 India Company. The Marines are part of Task Force Tarawa, deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom…