Frigid air that sears the lungs, Stings the nose and burns the eyes; Crystallizes air itself, Grows diamond reaching to the skies.
Category Archives: Peter’s Writings
Things Peter writes for his own benefit, not necessarily intended for or made available to the general public.
Abandoned
Far north of the sun on the sands of a beach A hulk lies half buried on land Who knows what it carried when last leaving port Now it's holds carry water and sand Abandoned in place when the sea broke it's back For decades it's been here and will Forever remain 'till the steel rots away Ground to dust in nature's great mill
Winter Watchman
Searingly cold, I am chilled to the bone Crystalline ice coats the ground Darkness paints over the bluest of skies Snow muffles the loudest of sounds Rational beings are tucked in warm holes To hibernate is natures great plan But standing here now, knee deep in new snow I marvel at a brazen lone man He stands there alone, protecting the globe Keeps watch with a resolute stance A sentinel silent, a witness as well He begs us to not miss our chance
Storytelling – Museum Motorcycle
One of my kids’ favorite activities when we have new visitors over for dinner is to try and get me telling stories. I’ve told many of these stories so many times that the kids like to start to tell them on their own if I don’t comply with their requests. I imagine some of these stories are among the things they will take with them long after I am gone, but to ensure that they are correct (according to my flawed memory), I’ve decided to write several of the more popular ones down. These stories are true to the best … Read the rest
Mumble grumble
Mumble grumble gripe and rumble Roiling waves of discontent Leave me be and let me simmer Since my patience now it's spent Don't expect commiseration Just because you love this stuff What to some is pleasure simple Can't be distanced far enough
What’s so wrong with not liking Christmas?
… Read the rest“Christmas a humbug, uncle!” said Scrooge’s nephew. “You don’t mean that, I am sure?”
“I do,” said Scrooge. “Merry Christmas! What right have you to be merry? What reason have you to be merry? You’re poor enough.”
“Come, then,” returned the nephew gaily. “What right have you to be dismal? What reason have you to be morose? You’re rich enough.”
Scrooge having no better answer ready on the spur of the moment, said, “Bah!” again; and followed it up with “Humbug.”
“Don’t be cross, uncle!” said the nephew.
“What else can I be,” returned the uncle, “when I live in
Book Burning
For most of the world, there is little thought that goes into disposing of something. You simply put it in the trash bin, set that bin on the curb roughly once a week, and it magically disappears. When you live where we do, though, there is more to it than that. For those in our “neighborhood” who elect to pay for regular trash service, they pay roughly ten times what it costs in the city for the privilege. As an alternative, we have the option of bagging our trash and hauling it off to the local dumpster once a week … Read the rest
What Do We Hunger For?
Today I was listening to a talk (or sermon depending on your faith tradition) and was granted a new insight into a scripture story I’ve read and contemplated many times before. The speaker brought up the miracle of the loaves and fishes, where Jesus miraculously fed the multitudes. Often this miracle is the focal point of the message. As the speaker continued with the story, I was struck by what followed.
In John chapter 6, we read about Christ feeding the masses with five loaves and two fishes. In addition to the marvelous teachings they heard, all who were there … Read the rest
Bag of Rocks
Many years ago, two intrepid scout masters took the young men from my church youth group on a week-long backpacking trip into an offshoot of the Rocky Mountains. One of the guys in our group was physically smaller than the rest of us and had a chip on his shoulder to compensate. As a result, and as matter of record, I didn’t have a lot of love for him. In fact, he had spent most of the last two years pestering and tormenting me — his apparent goal being to start a fight with me (beat me up) to prove … Read the rest
Unwanted
Life can be funny sometimes. Things we often tend to view in absolutes can become quite fuzzy or even inverted when the context is right. One example I’ve experienced very recently is an inversion of the concept that it’s bad to be unwanted.
Most of us spend a good portion of our lives trying to be something or someone who is wanted. We develop skills that are wanted by employers. We seek to be wanted by friends and love interests. We often find ourselves trying to acquire stuff and abilities that place us in a position to be envied. I … Read the rest