God's House

God’s House

 

 

some things from the past

live in memory forever,

like classic Chevrolets

and old churches.

 

i came upon an old church

while living in California

its windows were boarded up

fissures could be seen in the walls

and its foundation

wildflowers and leaves

littered the path to the concrete steps

 

but it was the steeple

that gave affirmation

to the antiquity that stood  before me,

that this was once God’s house

 

where every Sunday

a congregation would meet

with rosaries in hand

where a pipe organ could be heard

playing hymns of salvation,

giving praise to the Lord.

 

there i stood with my Starbuck’s in hand

on the very ground it was built, in 1897

now in severe decay awaiting demolition,

it was a pale configuration

of what used to be.

 

where a congregation would meet

every Sunday

“…in the name of the Father,

the Son and the Holy Spirit…”

 

where a steeple on high

gave firm affirmation

that this was God’s house.

 

 

Reviews

[JessyJacob]

Happy holidays dear Kelly!! Hope you had great time with family for Christmas 🎄! I was sick couldn’t wish you ahead. Hope this New year brings many more surprises and success to you! A very happy new year 🎊🎆 2024! I think mine is the first wish for you new year and I’m sorry for any inconvenience so far caused but it is only love for family. Do you think I was wrong just a casual question like a elder one I am asking. But definitely you can handle that risk elegantly I have lot of hopes and trust on you. Everyone has a problem but the way they keep going makes difference and you are best at it and hope a little encouraging always helps to breathe a second in this fast choking environment where har koi chahtha hai and poke in, and try those f*****g means and never hesitate for their ways, but God always remains with those who really care and love ❤️ the family and home.
Thanks for reading
Regards,
Jessy Jacob!

[Kelly Scheppers]

Thank you most kindly, Jessy! Happy New Year!

[JessyJacob]

I love you ❤️!

[JessyJacob]

Hi dear Kelly,
Hope you are having good start of new year,
I have a news to share on pre announcement of my writers website, “WritersCastle”, hope you visit John the Baptist, his chapter Nothing, I shared the news there, hope you drop a review there, and please be my guest of honor to create your first login in my website which I am planning to release on Jan 31, 2024.
Love you dearest,

Thank you,
Jessy Jacob. ❤️😃.

[JessyJacob]

Hi Kelly, if time permits try to login anonymously, or browse my site on feb 14, www.writerscastle.com, a small token of love which i could afford to my family and love.

[1809 Black Plague Decem..]

Kelly Scheppers, Hellos, love this poem,
I love the fact that you love Churches,
and that it became a province (a place to keep) a haven,
then the prayer just made it perfect,
enjoyed it very much, :O) -----Maynard

[Kelly Scheppers]

Anything old or antique I simply gravitate to. Thank you Maynard! Best wishes for a happy new year!

[1809 Black Plague December]

Most Welcome Dear, I endulged. Sometimes the olden awakens an outward feeling or moment. Walking into something relicious, wins my greatest curiosity. :)

[C. M. Miller]

A steeple. Yes, we look up . . . or we use to. Now we look down and miss so much because we see more into our cell phones than we see of the world around us. Can we place our cell phone in a drawer for a day, and go for a walk? Can we then pause and look at this steeple and capture its significance, its history, in the shutter of our minds eye? Oh, goodness . . . and to think, it never needed batteries to tell its truth.

[Kelly Scheppers]

Thank you, Charles. So sorry I'm late in wishing you a happy holiday season! Can you believe we're heading into 2024?

[C. M. Miller]

Absolutely, poet! "Late" is better than never, yeah? Your poet walk in 2024 is going to be fun to follow wherever your verses lead us. Wishing you well, as always.

[C. M. Miller]

Looking forward once again with my hungry eyes to feast upon your next meal of a poem . . . . yes, I know that sentence was entirely derivative but it's an early year and I've misplaced my thesaurus!

[C. M. Miller]

Where are you, dear poet? Wishing you well.

[An owl on the moon]

Truly moving... beautiful and bittersweet. I was born and raised in California... and I should add, born and raised in church... where everyone was considered family... and even in the little church, we had more than enough... and God was there watching over us.

[Kelly Scheppers]

As a child, it's hard to appreciate the importance a church community has to offer in your life. Looking back, I am most thankful my Mother raised me that way, and the significance it continues to bring to my life! Thank you, Craig!

[An owl on the moon]

Yes... it is true... for me, it was perhaps one of the few safe places... I was treated horribly in school... so I still look back and see the love of the people there. Glad your Mother raised you that way!

[Ken Simm.]

This is like a painting. Almost Andrew Wyeth in its realistic texture and Americanism.

[Kelly Scheppers]

Thank you for a most kind comparison to Andrew Wyeth, Ken! I am flattered my words took you there!

[Dave]

There is something so special about any old building, but especially a church. The lives it has lives seen, the lives it has affected. The comfort it has provided to those in need. The prayers it has offered to those seeking guidance. The happy union it has given to those couples marrying. The promise of life eternal to those who departed. Old or not, there is something very special about a church or any place of worship.
Take care - Dave

[Kelly Scheppers]

Thank you, Dave! Good to see you. Hope you have a wonderful day!

[Dave]

It's good to be back and to see you here.
Take care - Dave

[Mauricio Montoya]

wow deep some people have no respect for God but yes his house is where we can find peace no matter what religion you believe in. thank you for sharing.

[Kelly Scheppers]

Thank you!

[Vol]

Kelly,
I found a similar church down some isolated country road. There was a wrought iron fence enveloped by vines, a sanctuary clad in clapboard that showed only scattered flecks of white paint. The pointed windows are still intact. Most intriguing of all was the cemetery. It was only by walking through a young forest that had grown up to the walls was there any hint. After maybe fifteen minutes, I had found about thirty grave stones some legible, some not, all askew from roots and minor vandalism. Like you, when I stood at the doorway I could hear the refrains of old hymns... "Rock of ages, cleft for me, let me hide myself in thee..."

[Kelly Scheppers]

Vol, what a fabulous review. You really should put this down in a poem! Thank you for your kindness of words.

[W. Barrett Munn]

This is fascinating. I read this just after listening to Critique of the Week with Tim Green editor of Rattle poetry magazine and one of his most important areas of emphasis was write like you speak-and you did that perfectly.
Excellent work

Winston

[Kelly Scheppers]

I am deeply flattered. Thank you, Winston!