Sitting Under My Little Tree

A Thursday in July

Sitting outside
Among the green trees
Casting out from themselves
The fallen leavings
Floating away, twirling to the ground.

The lizard slithers
Under the generator,
Slinking across the left over brown leaves
From winter past.

The wasp flitters about
The grass in search of something sweet to eat
And suckle its contents
While at play in the day.

I sit with a book,
“Little Bee,” by Chris Cleave,
Heartbreaking and hauntingly masterly written
Against the backdrop of pride and prejudice,
Sorrow and lost,
The crudeness of life spent
In Imprisonment
Where waving the flag to the Queen
Is one man’s dream
And another man’s disaster.

And so I say to the Lord,
Release me from my own cell
Into the light of this glorious new day
I pray,
To greater serve you well
In all that I do and say.

*********

The clouds bask in the sky
Overlooking the valleys low
Clustered about
Like candy coated kittens
Wearing white colored mittens
Entering into the crevice
Of the life Giver
As rain forms in wet blankets
To sprinkle the earth with its dew
To renew
Our earthen walls,
Who calls…
“Come forth
And refresh me.”

*********

It’s thundering now -
The call of the wild -
Around about where I continue to sit
Under my small Little Bee tree,
Eating raisin bread and cold chicken.

It’s gonna rain chilllun…
God’s gonna send the waters from Zion.
It’s gon rain
O My Lord,
It’s gonna rain…

Praise God
For the rain
Which flows and rushes
Against river banks
Out to the sea
Where the wind carries
My soul onward to Thee.

Glory hallelujah to ya, Lord!

*********

I just felt the first faint drop.
It was like
A tick without the tock.
The clouds cover and hover about the sky space
In gray swelled baskets
Bursting to give a cup to the earth’s thirst for water.

“Water! water! Give me a drink
Before I faint!”
Says the little speck of ant.

Yeshu’ah, the Deliver,
I call His name…
I hope not in vain,
To bring the rain
In Spain
On the plain
Again
Today.

While the little birds stay
Nestled in the bush leaves
Taking shelter from the coming reprieve.

The squirrel
Squirrels away…
Stopping to listen to the drumbeats of thunder’s voice
To when it is he will crack open the clouds
And splatter rain matter onto his empty platter.

And the thunder beat goes on..
Clapping hands like a rock band
As the lightning skips
Zip pi di do da
From afar.

Not yet…not yet…
But don’t fret,
Speaks the song
In the summer wind.
Your needs will be met.
Hold on, I’m coming…

The little birds chirp in their own request…
Tip toeing through the tulips.
…Til the rain began its holy descent…
The flip flop plops
Coming now in plentiful drops
As the soft breeze from the summer seas
Sweeten the trees with wet tears
Streaming from irises eyes
On mountain skies.

The sun peeks out
And alights about the trembling branches
Of waiting tree limbs
Waiting yet another minute
To be caught up in the rapture of love
In the air
Like Paris blues
Bringing the
Raindrops falling on my head.

I don’t want to go in yet.
Maybe this small tree
Will shelter me from the shower’in heaven’s dew
For a few.
So I can sit and smell the place
Where my Mama came to rest
In the dust
On the earthen floor
After she was no more
Walking in the rain with me
In the dust tracks we made
On the road to Tripoli.
Even though it was really
Georgia on my mind.

*********

The rain has stopped…
After only a few sprinkled minutes.
The horizon’s skies move into other forms
Of nature’s glory here
On this heavenly planet earth of our blessed birth.

This is the day
This is the day
That the Lord has made
That the Lord has made
We will rejoice
We will rejoice
And be glad in it.

(Special note: As my daughter, Vanessa was driving home,
at the time I was sitting under my little tree,
she saw a perfect rainbow cast in the sky,
and saw a cluster of bright white clouds in the midst of the dark clouds...
which brought forth the sun. Praise God!)

Amen, amen, amen!!!


Morning Time

I just want to share with you my morning time,
which stemmed from last evening
being in the presence of God.

This is what I wrote...

I was sitting under a small tree
reading "Little Bee." (Written by Chris Cleave)
The rain clouds threatened,
and then un-threatened to send the rain on the plain.

Again the clouds darkened,
the wind whipped up a little stronger
under my tree
with its wide-armed dress skirt
flared out over my head.

When I reached the last line in my book,
the rain showered out of the clouds
pouring down around me
under my little tree.
At the same time,
the sun shone in
through the expanse of clouds -
making the scene as that of light rays
splayed upon the soil and the grassy mounds
upon the ground where
I am found.
It was as if it were baptismal showers.

I folded the book and my notebook in my arms,
and hugged them against my chest
to keep them from getting wet...
as a few drops fell here and there on and about me.

I sat looking out...
thinking about the story of Little Bee,
a young girl forlorn and torn against the torn fabric of society
within her native Nigeria.
It had left a saddened and haunting affect on me.
Yet at he same time,
seeing God
in His dwelling place
shining His glory on us.
And saying to me,
"I know its a tragic story.
I hurt for the child as you.
But My light shines in the darkness,
and the day is dawning
when the light will cast out the darkness
and all will be new.
Just you wait
and see.
I am He who casts the sun
in the midst of the rain."

God said this morning
as I took my place in His loving arms,
sharing the thoughts which abound,
"I can break through storm clouds.
I am the mighty God.
The dark clouds separate
at My Presence.
I am almighty God.
Though the storms roar all about,
I am in the midst of thee
and I am MIGHTY!!
Even when the storm clouds
gather across the land,
the sun shines still
over behind the clouds.
Always
the sun shines.
The sun never ceases to shine.
God Almighty is as the sun
shining behind the clouds.
He breaks through
in the midst
and His glory is present in the midst,
as He is the Almighty
one sun -
as the Son of God, Yeshu'ah - the Deliver of light
is the Lord of the universal forces.
His power is from cover to cover -
every cover of the globe.
He is the light of the world,
and all of nature is the witnesses
to His glory.
The rainbow speaks My voice across the sky,
saying, yes it is I.
I am the Lord of all.
I am the Creator of the heavens and the earth.
And all that dwells within."

My response being,
This is the day that the Lord has made.
I will rejoice and be glad in it.
Hallelujah!! Judah inhabits the praises of the Lord!!
So be it.
Amen.
(9:18 on Friday on the A.M. time,
July 24 2009)

Then I said the prayer (in song) given to us by the Lord,
Our Father....
Who art in heaven,
hallow be Thy Name,
Thy kingdom come
....Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven....
Give us this day,
our daily bread (all that which we need in body, mind, soul and spirit)
Forgive us us of our debts, our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
Lead us not into temptation.
And deliver us from evil...
for thine is the power
and the glory
forever. Amen.

My Love, Ruth