In our bodies we shall see God

. . .  wherefore I know that ye know that our flesh must waste away and die; nevertheless, in our bodies we shall see God.
2 Nephi 9:4.

The time will come

when wasted flesh,

the dead cells now revived,

will of the Spirit

of our Lord

no longer be deprived.

And in our bodies

we shall see

the God of Israel --

and know at last,

as at the first,

that with us all is well.

Of life and death

 the master,

He alone will resurrect

our spirit

and our body so we

then will be perfect.

When all the world was styrofoam

Cities and states are increasingly banning . . . foam food and beverage containers, which can harm fish and other marine life. In December, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo of New York proposed a statewide ban on single-use food containers made of “expanded polystyrene” foam, more commonly . . . known as Styrofoam.  Maine and Maryland banned polystyrene foam containers last year, and nearly 60 nations have enacted or are in the process of passing similar prohibitions. Some elected officials and environmental groups say polystyrene containers are difficult to recycle in any meaningful way.
Michael Corkery. NYT.

When all the world was styrofoam

and you were sweet sixteen;

we tossed our cups with carefree joy,

and sparkled like caffeine.

Those happy days saw plastics rain

upon our giddy heads;

'disposal' was our watchword,

from beer bottles to torn Keds.

Ah me, how oft we cast away

a light bulb or a can.

And ate but pure white flour,

casting off the nasty bran.

Hand in hand, with plastic bags

that stuck right by our side,

we raced the fleecy cloud banks

and then watched the oil slicks glide.

But now, my love, the world grows old

and crowded with much rubbish;

it hardly seems the place that we

enjoyed as so golf clubbish.

Perhaps the two of us can fly

away up to the Moon,

to watch the litter falling soft

until it forms a dune . . . 

But they mocked the messengers of God

But they mocked the messengers of God, and despised his words, and misused his prophets, until the wrath of the Lord arose against his people, till there was no remedy.
2 Chronicles 36:16

Some people make good livings

off contempt and ridicule.

They find it pays to sabotage

the crucial Golden Rule.

There is no remedy for their

impossible conceit.

They live and die by hectoring

through word and act and tweet.

Leave them to God, and stay thyself

on Christ the living Rock.

His judgement and his mercy

overcome all those who mock.

The True Gift of Prayer

“The true gift of prayer is knowing we are not alone when the world literally brings us to our knees."
Bonnie H. Cordon

No prayer stops short of heaven,

not from sinner, saint, or child.

They all come to the Father,

who is powerful, and mild.

A few words prayed in sorrow,

or a symphony of praise --

He has regard for all of us,

no matter how we phrase.

Remember, in your darkest days,

you never kneel apart;

The Lord God always hears you

and will take your words to heart.

Photo Essay: The Forecast -- Blank, with a chance of nullity.

02/09/2020

The forecast:
Blank,
with a chance of nullity.



02/08/2020

Clouds

on their way

to the gym.

02/07/2020

Despair
never looked so
noble.


02/05/2020

The mountain brings

iron resolve

or rust.

02/04/2020

The light

descends upon

my mountain.

02/03/2020

Today you

draw the

blinds.

The Ballad of Ed McGinty.

😈😈😈😈😈😈😈😈😈😈😈😈😈😈😈😈😈😈😈😈😈😈😈💬💬😇😡😐👿👿👿👿

There was a man, a single man,

who couldn't stands no more.

And so he marched around the town

with signs that said he's sore.

It was a peaceful kind of burg,

where nothing much occurred,

until old Ed McGinty got things

muddled up and stirred.

His signs proclaimed that Trump was nuts,

or that he was a liar;

and you can't do that anymore,

without you start a fire.

His neighbors turned their backs on him;

his children even wept.

But brave McGinty kept it up;

no guff did he accept.

The cops came knocking on his door,

and asked him please to cease.

He told them earthy things you don't

too often tell police.

The mayor of the village called 

a session to decide

how to shut McGinty up,

and all his signs to hide.

The counsel had the zoning board

find something petty, which

they used to bulldoze his poor shack

into a nearby ditch.

But still McGinty carried on;

you couldn't stop this man.

Possessions in a shopping cart,

around the town he ran.

"Impeach Again!" his sign now read;

he held it high and proud.

And that is why he was strung up

at last by some mad crowd.

McGinty's neck was very stiff;

it wouldn't snap at all.

And so the insane mob did try

to nail him to a wall.

The wall collapsed; McGinty lived.

You cannot stop a guy

when he gets old and adamant,

no matter how you try.

At last the town gave up on him

and washed their hands in wrath.

They let the great McGinty strut

around on his warpath.

I wish that I could say that he

continued to protest --

but when the spotlight disappeared,

he gave the thing a rest.

He took up golf and scrabble

and he bought a small RV.

He visits many grand kids

all around this big country.

When Ed McGinty passed away,

they called him a 'nice guy.'

And only Trump, in exile,

still was hoping he would fry . . . 

R.I.P., Orson Bean.

Orson Bean, the free-spirited television, stage and film comedian who stepped out of his storybook life to found a progressive school, move to Australia, give away his possessions and wander around a turbulent America in the 1970s as a late-blooming hippie, was killed in a traffic accident on Friday in Venice, Calif. He was 91.

In 1964, Mr. Bean . . .  helped found the Sons of the Desert, an international fraternal organization devoted to the films and lives of Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy. Named for the duo’s 1933 movie, it has a Latin motto: “Duae tabulae rasae in quibus nihil scriptum est” (“Two blank slates on which nothing has been written”).

Robert D. McFadden. NYT.

Now above the mortal fray,

with Stan and Ollie he might stay --

for just an eon, and not more,

to see if they still make 'em roar;

for clowns in heaven, I've no doubt,

make angels with much laughter shout.

The devils, too, just might sneak in,

while Orson meets 'em with a grin!

And in him shall they glory

And thou shalt swear, The Lord liveth, in truth, in judgment, and in righteousness; and the nations shall bless themselves in him, and in him shall they glory.
Jeremiah 4:2

Alive in truth, the Lord commands

we break our sinful, doubting bands.

In righteousness shall nations rise

to praise his name unto the skies.

And I, in this exciting scene,

have but to keep my conscience clean,

and then with saints and wise men I

am counted as the Lord's ally.

Making Federal Buildings Beautiful Again.

The Trump administration is now considering a draft executive order, “Making Federal Buildings Beautiful Again,” that would direct the use of traditional or classical architectural styles for nearly all new federal buildings and renovations . . .   The order would take aim at various forms of modernism and seeks to undo the widely admired Design Excellence Program of the General Service Administration . . . The program’s director, David Insinga, resigned last week . . . 
Michael Kimmelman. NYT. 

Stretching forth his godlike hand,

Trump proclaims his great command:

When you build a Fed eyesore

build it like a big box store.

Make it broad and make it crass,

and don't skimp on the plexiglass!

It must twinkle in the night,

and use a lot of Samsonite.

Keep it strong and raise it tall --

just like my dreamy Border Wall!