#214: Sermon Haiku 12: John 11

This week's haiku is for Will Brown,

 a local kid, only 7 years old who drowned

last Monday at Steps Beach.

We long for the day when there will be no more death.

'Lazarus is dead.'

Jesus said,'I will wake him.'

But you said he's dead!

Lazarus' sisters:

Lord, if only you'd been here,

he'd still be alive.

Headed to the tomb

Jesus wept for their sorrow

Raging against death

He is Lord of life

Death can't hold out against Him

'Roll away the stone'

'Lazarus, come out!'

Lazarus follows the voice

blinded by cloth wraps.

Take off the grave clothes

I am the Resurrection,

Hear my cry, and live.

#213: Tropical Storm Irene: What all the wusses missed

We were ready:

Trucks protecting the Stop and Shop windows

 Sandbags at Cheryl Fudge dress shop, down by the harbor

Shops boarded up on Main Street

Not goin' anywhere...

 Warnings at Surfside--all the locals go to the surf beaches

to watch the waves...

Of course, it's not safe, but it's real.

That's what all those who scurried off the island missed.

The sand was blasting--it felt like being stuck with pins,

we had to turn around to protect our eyes,

sometimes real hurts!

This is as close as I could get to Brant Point,

the Coast Guard blocked access because the glass had

broken in their signal tower and it was blowing around.

God moves in a mysterious way;

His wonders to perform

He plants His footsteps in the sea

And rides upon the storm.

Hurricane Irene on Nantucket

Not yet.

The Steamship Authority is ready:

They did two extra freight boat runs Thursday and Friday night

to take care of Most of the Fleeing tourists' SUVs.

Only 117 standbys left.

I came in last night on the M/V Nantucket, kinda sparse:

My home harbor, quiet and welcoming:

The extra lights are yachts.

The fishing trawlers all went to New Bedford to tuck into 

her sturdier wharves.

#211: Calm before the Storm

There's a hurricane coming, so they say.

The last one, Earl, was just a breeze on Nantucket,

we tend to see more damage from nor'easters.

So, before the storm pictures,

calm:

Under the crabapple tree,

Overlooking the swampy place that the 

fire department used to flood every winter

so kids could skate and neighbors would bring hot cocoa,

Sits a bench where robins rest,

Placed a decade ago in memory of an amazing woman,

Madelyne Perry, the Town Clerk.

blooming with lichens,

have a seat and listen for the still, small voice of God,

whispering before the storm.

#210: Sankaty Light

The light under which my sister Katy lived

 when she married a Coastie from the old LORAN station.

The houses are gone but...

The light still shines.

Happy Birthday, Katy.

#209: Nantucket Garden Design

Island kids work in the summer.

They are valuable employees because they already have housing and,

if they don't play sports, they can work weekends in the fall.

One of mine works for The Garden Design Company.

This has been a boon for my yard.

Little corners are being transformed:

My mudroom step planters:

All they needed was the attention 

of my semi-skilled gardener-in-training

and the leftovers from Julie's planting shed.

Thanks, Julie!

#208: Off-island Trip

Sorry, folks, no sermon haiku today. 

I was off-island yesterday with David 

seeing Prairie Home Companion

at the Cape Cod Melody Tent.

Garrison Keillor is a extraordinary storyteller.

Cars headed to Hyannis:

Yay, lots of bikes on the backs. Next time,

you could leave the cars in America.

Cars headed out to Nantucket:

Plane and ferry are the only way to get there.

Unless you own one of these:

Opera House Cup races.

We watched from the ferry.
Flying on the sea.

#207: Three Sisters Garden

The Three Sisters Garden is growing strong:

 Come on in!

Sister Corn provides the structure for
Sister Bean:

Sister Squash covers the ground to
keep the weeds down:

 All three living together, each using her gift
to enrich the others:

Do I do the same?

#206: Tina Turner Chickens

Those of us with TinaTurner hair can relate

to my Polish Tophats on a rainy day:

Luna

Lizzy, Kitty and Tweedledee

All sitting backwards on the roost.

The Cochins may look pretty in this picture but 

their feathered feet are a mess, trust me.

We all have our bad 'hair' days.

Happily for these girls, they've been moved into the main coop,

where they get along fine with the older chickens.

And it doesn't rain inside.

The Nantucket County Fair is next month,

 we want them looking their best.

#205: Sconset Sunrise

People come to Nantucket to relax.

In August, when it's busiest, 

where do local folk go to relax?

Sconset, at dawn:

David and I strolled through Codfish Park

Not the only lovebirds

 (actually turtledoves but lovebirds is more poetical)

Morning dew reflects the sun

The sun rises slowly...

The heavens sing God's glory

Won't you join the song?

#204: Abbondanza

August is all about abundance!

Of fruit--Some to fry green, some to ripen

Fish--Cod heads to make fish stock for winter soups

And flowers--stargazer lilies, my favorite

Towers of flowers--Grandpa Ott morning glories

Between the harvest and the beauty,

 August is an easy month to worship.

You can see God's bounty and lovingkindness all around.

I sing with the psalmist:

Lord, you alone are my portion and my cup,

you make my lot secure.

The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;

surely I have a delightful inheritance.

#203: Is it food?

Some aisles of the Stop and Shop,

I don't even go down.

Not veggies because we grow our own,

and not this:

Because it isn't actually food.

Fruit doesn't grow like this:

Nor does it come in barrels:

Give me a homegrown tomato anyday.

My kids'll take real food in their lunchboxes, 

and (big) hugs from mom.

#202: Maybe

Maybe I 'll clean the sunroom.

 Or maybe I'll finish cleaning up the seeds I spilled all over.

 Or maybe I'll get an attention span or the ability to focus for longer than the life of a charm quark.

charm quark, charm quark, charm quark.

 Or maybe pigs will fly or maybe rainbows will fall out of the sky and turn the ocean purple and orange. Maybe I'll go for a bikeride.

Yeah, bikeride,
and pick the last of the highbush blueberries.

Maybe ...