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“The Immortality of Love” copyright 2013 John J. Rigo, upcoming poetry book, “Passion Amidst Apathy”

March 21, 2013 by John J. Rigo, Texas' Poet and Commentator

Stained glass at St John the Baptist's Anglica...

Stained glass at St John the Baptist’s Anglican Church http://www.stjohnsashfield.org.au, Ashfield, New South Wales. Illustrates Jesus’ description of himself “I am the Good Shepherd” (from the Gospel of John, chapter 10, verse 11). This version of the image shows the detail of his face. The memorial window is also captioned: “To the Glory of God and in Loving Memory of William Wright. Died 6th November, 1932. Aged 70 Yrs.” (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I have been blessed by being loved by many woman.
The love I shared came over a lifetime of seventy plus years.
Each of these loves brought an aspect of God to my heart.
 
As a man I grew with each experience of being in Love.
Each were comforting fires on cold nights of my life.
Each experience brought me closer to the truth of life.
 
I now know that upon my death
I will rejoin the ultimate love of my life.
That Love will be Jesus Christ
Lord and Savior of my life.
 
If in your own life
you should be blessed in being loved by another
treat that love with the gentle hand of kindness.
 
Be not unkind toward love or resentful of love
but thankful each day that love is given to you.
Love is but the gentle breath of God upon your soul. 
 
 
 

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“Remembering The Moment” copyright 2010 John J. Rigo, upcoming book “Passion Amidst Apathy”

March 20, 2013 by John J. Rigo, Texas' Poet and Commentator

 

 
Courtesy of asmp.org

Courtesy of asmp.org

I am glad I am here to remember this moment.
There were dreams that I did not want to awake from.
There were days with those that I knew truly loved me.
 
They were days I did not want to end.
At times in the remembering there are tears.
The tears are not from sadness
but for the happiness of the moment.
 
Will those dreams ever come again to me?
I think not for the flowers of youth bloom but once in our memories.
Precious memories that we hold on tightly close to our hearts.
Thank you for this day in my gift of rememberance.

Posted in A Poem of Memory by McKinney Poet John J. Rigo, upcoming book "Passion Amidst Apathy" | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

“The Gift of a Stranger’s Smile” (Revised) copyright 2005 John J. Rigo “Roses Amidst Thorns”

March 19, 2013 by John J. Rigo, Texas' Poet and Commentator

  

Courtesy AngelsByEve.com

It was one of those days that nothing seemed to be going right.

My mind filled with racing thoughts

going different ways

Questions, questions with seemly no answers

as I pushed through the crowd

of wherever I was going.

Suddenly  in my own world

I looked up

and there you were

passing me ever so quickly.

The smile that you gave me took my breath away.

A stranger’s smile in a maddening world. 

There was such kindness in that smile of yours.

The warmest of feelings overcame me.

Peace and Joy was brought to my racing heart.

Long after you were gone

I tried to remember

what you looked like.

Were your eyes Blue or Brown?

All that remained in my mind’s eye

was the memory of that very special and endearing smile.

A smile that brought a smile to my own lips.

With a nod of my head

I gave thanks and appreciation

for this gift from a stranger.

 

Long after this time

a strange thought came to my mind.

Could angels be walking this earth

to remind each of us

that love can be

the gift of  the day? 

 

Posted in Are There Angels on the Earth?, Poetry, Poetry From McKinney Texas, Selection from "Roses Amidst Thorns" published in 2005, Texas' Poetry | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

“True Forgiveness” copyright 2011 John J. Rigo, upcoming poetry book, “Passion Amidst Apathy”

March 18, 2013 by John J. Rigo, Texas' Poet and Commentator

 
 

Courtesy of jennfrancesca.blogspot.com

It was a long time ago that I hear this story about “Forgiveness.”
It was said that when we ask God for forgiveness
then all memory of our sin is totally removed from the memory of God.
 
What a beautiful thought
to think that the creator of everything
can wipe His Eternal Mind of all memory of our transgressions
once we seek His forgiveness.
 
Each day of my life
I am constantly amazed
in how many claim to follow the Lord.
 
Yet in their daily actions
as so-called Christians
their hearts are not truly sincere.
 
Remember this day
to be the Christian you claim to be.
When the one closest to you reviews their past in conversation
please do not take joy in reminding them of their past sins.
 
If God can forgive and forget
then you should also be able to do the same.

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“Sorry you Married a Jerk” copyright 2013 John J. Rigo, upcoming poetry book, “Passion Amidst Apathy”

March 16, 2013 by John J. Rigo, Texas' Poet and Commentator

 
 
Perhaps a good book to read before marrying that second partner?

Perhaps a good book to read before marrying that second partner?

The scene is familiar.
A local restaurant.
The couple came to enjoy breakfast.
 
A woman joins the couple.
She is unfamiliar to the husband.
Introductions are made.
 
During the course of conversation
between the wife and woman friend
mention is made of several occasions
where the husband of the wife
is made to look like a jerk. 
 
As the husband listens to these
indirect insults by his wife
his mind travels back to his youth.
 
Memories fill his mind
in recalled memories of his
first childhood bride
who always treated him
with pride before others. 
 
An inner voice rings in his head.
The voice tells him he lacked maturity
in keeping his childhood bride.
 
He now realizes he is at the end of his life.
He is now married to a Jerk for a wife.
Lord….save us from our own stupidity. 
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“Am I Now Lost to my Time?” copyright 2012 John J. Rigo, upcoming book, “Passion Amidst Apathy”

March 16, 2013 by John J. Rigo, Texas' Poet and Commentator

English: Barack Obama delivers a speech at the...

English: Barack Obama delivers a speech at the University of Southern California (Video of the speech) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

With his family by his side, Barack Obama is s...

With his family by his side, Barack Obama is sworn in as the 44th president of the United States by Chief Justice of the United States John G. Roberts, Jr. in Washington, D.C., Jan. 20, 2009. More than 5,000 men and women in uniform are providing military ceremonial support to the presidential inauguration, a tradition dating back to George Washington’s 1789 inauguration. VIRIN: 090120-F-3961R-919 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Courtesy of freerepublic.com
Somewhere along my journey I stepped into a time machine.
I do not remember exactly when it happened.
I stepped forward in a strange land where a language
was spoken that did not sound like any tongue I knew.
 
The beings looked like me.
The planet seemed the same
but it was not.
 
There was a new God
in this land
in this dimension.
His name was Obama.
 
I looked closer at the eyes
of those about me.
Their was a strange blankness
in their eyes
an emptiness of spirit
I could not explain. 
 
I eagerly sought a sight of a flag pole
to see what land I might be in.
My eyes sought the Red, White and Blue.
 
Instead I looked with fright upon a flag
all to familiar from a past election.
God did not save us.

Posted in The New Obama flag for the US | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments »

“Embracing Life” copyright 2012 John J. Rigo, upcoming poetry book, “Passion Amidst Apathy”

March 14, 2013 by John J. Rigo, Texas' Poet and Commentator

 
 

Courtesy of asmp.org

Embrace your Youth.
The ticks of time move more quickly
than observed or counted. 
 
Embrace the Love of your Youth.
The embers lose their warm and glow
more quickly than our memories will capture.
 
Embrace the Wisdom 
that is bestowed upon you.
It will carry you
through the dark days
before you.  
 
Curse not your regrets.
They are but markers along the road. 
Regrets render the opportunity
to seek forgiveness.
 
Embrace your Lord
with Love and Worship.
He will Bless you along the road
and to the final place
of His Love for you. 

Posted in A poem about embracing Life. | Tagged , , , , , , , | 7 Comments »

“The Retarded Catholic” copyright 2012 John J. Rigo, upcoming “Passion Amidst Apathy”

March 12, 2013 by John J. Rigo, Texas' Poet and Commentator

 
 

Courtesy of the Deacon’s Bench

He was an independent contractor
He represented himself as a practicing Catholic.
Each Sunday with bowed head he received Communion.
 
Each week he would collect from his customers
payment for placing thousands of flyers
on doors of homes and apartments.
 
At the end of each week
he would dump a third of those flyers
in the local recycle center.
 
His explanation was that by being dishonest
with his customers
was the only way he could
make a profit and care for his family. 
 
It is my guess that he did not fully understand
the ten commandments.
Especially the commandment that said
“Thou Shall Not Steal.”
 
Practicing Catholics consider stealing
of this nature a mortal sin.
With such a sin on one’s soul
disqualifies them from taking Communion.
 
The thief must take Confession for this sin
prior to being able to take Communion.
The forgiveness was given with the words
“Go and sin no more.”
This individual repeated the same sin
week after week for fourteen years.
 
The sin was one
he rarely shared with a  priest
on a regular weekly confession.
In fact he rarely went to confession.
 
Yet each week he could be found
with head bent in prayer
after receiving that sacred host in communion.
 
You ask me how I was so aware
of this regular affront of God’s law.
You see the man observed
was my own Brother.
 
I am proud to say
that by his own example
it has now been
forty-nine years
since I have been a Catholic.
 
 
 
  
 
 
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“The Gift of Memories II” copyright 2013 John J. Rigo, upcoming third poetry book, “Passion Amidst Apathy”

March 10, 2013 by John J. Rigo, Texas' Poet and Commentator

Courtesy of kelihasablog.wordpress.com

Courtesy of kelihasablog.wordpress.com

 
 
I find myself at times crying without reason for the moment.
Suddenly thoughts flood into my mind from memories in my past.
 
This evening it was a memory of my Mother.
I had no thought of her in many years.
You see, my Mother was physically abusive
to both my Brother and I in our childhoods.
 
I had no emotions when word of death came
many years ago from my Brother.
When she was alive, every time I called her,
she would call me by my Brother’s name.
 
I knew then as I know now
she loved my younger Brother
above all others, including me. 
 
The memory that rushed upon me this evening
was remembering how my Mother smoked
one to two cigarettes a week.
 
She never inhaled on the cigarettes,
just puffed on them.
She got so much joy
from smoking on those cigarettes. 
 
These flooding thoughts from the past
are happening to me more often lately.
Perhaps it is knowing that my life
is coming to a close.
 
Truly all our days and moments on this earth
become more precious to all of us each day.
Thank you Lord for the gift of this life.
 
Related articles

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“Wisdom” copyright 2013 John J. Rigo, upcoming third poetry book, “Passion Amidst Apathy”

March 10, 2013 by John J. Rigo, Texas' Poet and Commentator

 
 
Proposed Cover for my third non-profit poetry book.
Proposed Cover for my third non-profit poetry book.
We are not born with Wisdom at birth.
Nor is wisdom found in our youth.
It only comes with grinding reality.
 
It comes upon us
in a day when our bodies
are locked in pain.
 
It lingers upon our past memories.
A reminder of the wastes of youth.
The ignoring of the blessings
of our Lord.
 
Wisdom comes too late
in our lives.
Ever fleeting
Ever regretful
Ever enlighten
 
When it seems
now in life
given too late
to us.

Posted in Oh Wisdom Where r thou | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

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