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"Our Dance" copyright 2005 John J. Rigo "Roses Amidst Thorns" (Former winning poem in a Collin County, Texas writing contest)

Posted in "Rainbows Amidst Storms" Second Published Book, Poetry, Winning Texas' Poetry, tagged , , , , , , on May 14, 2012| Leave a Comment »

 
 

Courtesy of 123rf.com

What is the name of that song?
It does not matter
let us be silly and dance
swirling and twirling across the floor.
 
Our youth flashes before our laughing faces.
Yesterdays move into the now of our beat together
swirling steps into the footprints of ashen time.
 
For a golden time
our memories of the pain in our past
is no more.
 
We have each other
with our own very special song
and our own very special dance. 

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“I Am the Only One That Can Sing My Song” copyright 2010 John J. Rigo, upcoming book, “Passion Amidst Apathy” Revised

Posted in Poetry, upcoming book "Passion Amidst Apathy", Winner of Collin County Texas Poetry Award, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , on April 19, 2012| 3 Comments »

Within each of us there is a song.
The song is like no other
it is ours alone.
 
It is the song of our lives upon this earth.
It sings of our victories
it remembers our defeats.
 
Would we have shown courage
by never loved at all?
Would we have shown our creator
a lack of passion
by not living totally in the gift of time
that He so generously gave us?
 
I lived as a man
a creation of my God
in the singing of my song.
 
In those I loved
I gave more than I received.
If one was to be hurt by the ending of a love
I was always hurt the most.
 
I gave all in my being to protect the ones I loved.
In the pains that I endured
I suffered in their recall
more than once.
 
My song renders no apologies
for being made in His image.
The Passions is what separates us
from the wooden fence post.
 
I have breath
I have cried
I have laughed till I cried again.
 
In so doing have I found
the humor of my creator
in making my song
one that will be heard
throughout eternity. 

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"It Was My Sweet Jesus" copyright 2009 John J. Rigo, upcoming book, "Passion Amidst Apathy"

Posted in Poetry, upcoming book "Passion Amidst Apathy", tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on April 3, 2012| 2 Comments »

 
  

Courtesy of scotdodge.blogspot.com

It was my sweet Jesus
who brought me to the light
from the darkest place in my life.
 
It was my sweet Jesus
Who loved me
and kept me safe
when no one cared
whether I lived or died.
 
It was my sweet Jesus,
Who protected me against
the darkest of evils
that befell my life. 
 
It was my sweet Jesus
Who showed me the beauty of heaven
when I no longer believed in Him.
 
It was my sweet Jesus,
Who answered my prayers
when I cried out in pain and agony.
 
It was my sweet Jesus,
Who brought joy to my heart
and hope for my soul.
 
It was because of my sweet Jesus
that the eternity before me
is now filled
with the promise
of His eternal Love for me.

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“What your Best Friends Are” copyright 2010 John J. Rigo, Texas Commentator

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , on March 15, 2012| Leave a Comment »

"Your Little Green Friends"

One of my dearest friends from over thirty-five years ago was a gentleman by the name of Cliff Russell.  Cliff is dead now.  At that time he was the Father in a loving spirit that my real Father never was, between his drunken whisky binges.  One day while in my thirties I related to him my disappointment with an individual that I thought was a friend. 

Cliff had an easy way about him when he was offering advice. It was that “home-grown” attitude from being born and raised in Louisiana.  He related, “Johnny, let me show you, what your best friends in life look like.”  Slowly he withdrew from his pocket a roll of hundred dollar bills.  As the saying goes, “The roll was big enough to choke a horse.”  

Cliff went on to say, “This is your Little Green Friends. They will keep you warm when you are cold, cool when you are hot, and will buy you all the company, you will ever want, when you are lonely.”  To this day I have never forgotten one of the loving lessons given to me in my life from a dear, now departed friend.

 

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“The Sandals of Jesus” copyright 2010 John J. Rigo, upcoming book, “Passion Amidst Apathy” including a Commentary on Foreclosed Churches in East Texas

Posted in Commentary on Churches, Foreclosed churches in East Texas?, Mabank Texas, Poetry, Presbyterian, Presbyterian Church in East Texas, upcoming book "Passion Amidst Apathy", tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , on March 12, 2012| Leave a Comment »

 
 
 
Commentary:  It recently came to my attention that a Pastor of a Presbyterian church in East Texas is finally moving on.  What is so hugely funny, is that he is going to a higher level of administration in the Presbyterian religion. What started out as a financially sound church was destroyed literally by this Pastor.  In spite of a “no confidence vote…twice” this Pastor insisted in taking this over century old church to a huge remodeling phrase.  The project added little to the church and spent close to a million dollars of church assets and loans on the property. 
 
Since the remodeling, there has been no church growth to speak of, while the members struggle to pay the huge loan on this church.  Churches should not be monuments to the ego’s of their Pastors, sadly as this church had become.  Hopefully, the stain glass window which was dedicated to his name will be quickly modified to remove all memories of his poor judgement in his prior position in this church. 
 
Simply by typing in the Google search bar under, “Foreclosures on Churches” including the following link: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/03/09/us-usa-housing-churches-idUSBRE82803120120309   one can easily see that it will be a matter of time that this East Texas church will also be foreclosed.  Recently one came up with a great name for a foreclosed church turned into an eatery.  A great name for such a place would be the “Last Supper.” 
 
 
The Sandals of Jesus are only worn by very special Ministers.
They walk with the greatest of thoughtfulness towards others.
Any form of harm whether physical or mental
would they never bring to another.
 
True gentle souls are they
in their centering of their love of God.
Always thankful.
Always demonstrating appreciation
for every kindness that comes their way.
 
They speak not of darkness but of light.
They are light
that brings peaceful joy to others.
 
Many lay claim to wearing these sandals
but few are worthy to touch
even the straps of Jesus’ sandals.
 
So I ask you the “Godless Ministers of God”
to remove those sandals from your feet
for you are not worthy
to have the name of Jesus
pass your lips
much less
wear His sandals.  
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
“Many go by the title, ‘ Ministers of God,’  but few are worthy.”  Saying by John J. Rigo, Texas Poet and Commentator

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"The Blessings of Our Love" copyright 2005 John J. Rigo "Rainbows Amidst Storms"

Posted in Poetry, tagged , , , , , , on March 8, 2012| Leave a Comment »

 
 
 
Courtesy of Agung888To take what we have for granted
is a human thing.
Only when it is gone
do we finally come to realize
how important little things are in our life
.
Death can be so final.
No longer is there a chance to do things better.
We now have the chance to live life in a greater
and more wonderful way.
 
How blessed you and I are
in this point in our lives.
We have finally found the best things about
our life together is about the most simple of things.
 
Moments like touching each other for no reason at all
in the quiet of our time together.
Warmly remembered times
like the kiss
when not expected.
Also the “I love you”
when not expected
 
It is not grand that we have this chance
to be together.
A chance to share what is really is important
the sharing of just being together and most importantly
knowing that everything is as it should be
in our life together.
 
We were meant to be with each other and
that is a good thing.
Most wonderfully
within the beauty of this life
that our sharing of this life
is in God’s plan for us.
 
 

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"Sticks and Stones" copyright 2009 John J. Rigo, forthcoming book, "Passion Amidst Apathy"

Posted in Poetry, tagged , , , , , , , on March 7, 2012| 1 Comment »

 
 

Courtesy of freaktyn.com

I am reminded of the child’s chant,
“Sticks and stones will hurt my bones,
but words will never harm me.”
 
One should not react in passion to pieces of trash
hiding behind a site name on the Internet.
Those who post slanderous words against another
have no spine.
 
A crawling snake is their closest ally.
True suffering was demonstrated by our Lord
Jesus Christ.
 
He was beatened and crucified as a criminal.
Lord protect me and bless me
as I worship and adore your name
through eternity.
 
 

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“A First Love Remembered” copyright 2010 John J. Rigo, upcoming, “Passion Amidst Apathy”

Posted in Poetry, upcoming book "Passion Amidst Apathy", tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , on March 6, 2012| 1 Comment »

 
 

Age seventeen, top row, third from left.

 
What time never erases
is memories of a first love.
A sweetness of innocence never regained again.
 
It was a brief five minutes that our eyes met that summer day.
I a young man with the blue uniform of a brand new Air Force Recruit.
Tall strong and youthful at seventeen
still in the midst of basic training at an Air Force Base.
 
You at sixteen with a beauty that was clear and eternal of the moment.
My bus was leaving,
the connection of our eyes was unmistakenable.
In just minutes we swore a forever love between us.
 
Truly that moment was a magic
that will never be again.
Two parts of a universe
meeting in a most unlikely place.
 
It has been fifty-one years since that meeting.
Still I remember you from time to time
in such vivid detail.
 
I wish you Love in the journey you took beyond
the days of our permanent separation
five years latter.
 
Was I then a vessel of a lost ship
for a very long time.
The haunting of a First Love
never leaves Love’s Way.
 

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"I Have Never Gotten Comfortable With Death" (Revised) copyright 2009 John J. Rigo, upcoming book "Passion Amidst Apathy"

Posted in upcoming book "Passion Amidst Apathy", tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on February 8, 2012| 1 Comment »

My mind still does not accept they are gone from this world.
I find myself many a time reaching for a phone
to call them.
 
It is a select group
these souls that were a part of my life.
Some are friends
that cannot ever be replaced
in the deep meaning of their unselfish love of me.
 
Others were my parents
who I never really knew as people.
There was the apple of my eye,
my step-daughter of many years.
Truly the only daughter
I ever knew in my life.
 
There were others
that I would have liked to have known better
they are now gone
without any notice from my life.
 
At times I find them in my thoughts
mind speaking with them about different things
reaching and seeking unresponsive council  from now
an unfamilar place in my heart.
 
I know they are not really gone
they are just in a different place than me
a place that beckons me as my own death comes closer each day.
 
You see I never have gotten comfortable with Death.
So my dear friends
my dearest of loved ones
make a place for me.
 
A place where again
we can laugh and love
and talk about
all that is around us
each day of the eternity before us.
 

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"I Am Overcome in the Joy of Your Love" copyright 2005 John J. Rigo "Rainbows Amidst Storms"

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , on January 3, 2012| Leave a Comment »

My Lord, my God, I come before you,
your humble servant,
overcome by the love Thou has shown me,
as one of your creations.
One made in the image of your
encompassing and eternal love.
I ask, as your servant,
for the wisdom to know Your will
so that you may find pleasure in me.
May I bring pride and further joy
to you in your creation.
When the darkness of days were before me,
you were my Light, when no hope was seen.
You were my Friend, when all turned away from me.
In the depth of my deepest sorrow and loss,
You helped me rediscover the joy of Your
eternal love for me.
I surely would dammed
throughout eternity without the Light
of Your love before me.
I pray each day to do only Your will as my God.
Let me not be overcome by my foolish pride,
nor ever feel that the blessings,
You fill each day of my life,
are from my efforts.
The greatest gift that You chose to give to your creations,
you gave to me, which is the choice of free will,
to love or not love You,
every day of this physical life.
Give me courage,
and keep me mindful
of Your love each day.
Protect me from the evil of the world,
that awaits me in the possible fall,
from Your Grace.
In my awakening each day,
as I greet the miracle that is around me,
never let me forget the joy,
that overcomes me when finding,
and being in Your love for me.
And, if it be Thy will,
let my soul
stay in your love,
abiding in your eternity,
that awaits me.
 

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