Poem: A Joyful Transformation

The story of the wedding feast at Cana is much deeper than first appears. Here is my take on it

A Joyful Transformation
By Lou Sciaroni
Inspired by John 2:1-11
11/8/2006

Passover approached
A feast at hand
But things won’t go
As they had planned

Friends all gathered
For this small wedding
Though bride and groom
Were not the heading

A presence there
Had just arrived
Whose gifts surpassed
All men alive

Although his hour
Had not yet come
His mother instructed
His will be done

Their stores were spent
But they were blessed
And through his gifts
They gave their best

The empty vessels
At His word were filled
Filled with water
But wine instilled

And though none there
Knew his ways
They stood and watched
And were amazed

Water to wine
The gifts transformed
Man and women
One ring was formed

His time had come
To destroy despair
A message of Hope
And joy He’d share

Poem: Emmanuel

One of the names given to the savior is Emmanuel. It is only mentioned a few times in the bible, from Isaiah (7:14) as "Immanuel", and by Matthew (1:23) as "Emmanuel". Both words have the same meaning, "God is with us". Paul again tells us not to worry God is with us (Philippians 4:5-6), but doesn't explicitly state the name Emmanuel. I thought his account told a similar message, and composed this poem based on all three of these passages. I hope you have a blessed Christmas season, and don't forget, He's still with us!

Emmanuel
By Louis Sciaroni
11/5/2005, 12/4/2006

Isaiah spoke of Jesus’ coming
In the name Immanuel
God is with us, do not weary
On King Ahaz deaf ears fell

From God's herald
Do not fuss
Do not weary
He's with us

In Joseph's dream the angel told him
Of the true Emmanuel
Born of Mary, he's to marry
Come to earth with them to dwell

From God's herald
Do not fuss
Do Not Weary
He's with us

Paul imprisoned, told the people
To rejoice, the Lord is near
Do not be anxious, pray to Him
He will ease your labors here

From God's herald
Do not fuss
Do not weary
He's with us

Poem - Tables Were Turned?

On 2 Oct 05, two couples disrupted the Church service at Annunciation of the Lord Catholic Church. The details of the attach can be found on the Decatur Daily site at the following link: http://www.decaturdaily.com/decaturdaily/news/051003/assault.shtml Here is my take on it.

Tables Were Turned?
By Lou Sciaroni
2/17/2006

Just after eleven they were on their way
They’ll turn the tables and make them pay
They’ll teach them not to worship idols
They’ll teach that church just how to pray

They were late but went on in
The mass was coming to an end
They sat right down in the front pew
Welcomed in as they were friends

When the meal was over they screamed and yelled
About idols and the road to hell
Then two of them rushed behind the alter
And with a shove the alter fell

A melee ensued but soon had ended
The four were quickly apprehended
The alter lay broken upon the floor
But not for long, it soon was mended

The wounded spirit would not stray
For their crimes the church would pray
But in the vandals hate still lingered

No tables were turned upon that day

Poem - Advice

Here's some advice, never give advice unless it is asked for... and even then you should give it cautiously. Are you listening to me?

Advice
By Lou Sciaroni
8 April, 2006

Its good advice to share your thoughts
In times when they are sought
But if they’re not, these helpful statements
Are often shared for naught

Poem - The Never Ending Sign

There are a number of symbols in the bible. The number 12 is one that was so important it was used as the basis for the structure of our clock and calendar. Here is a poem I wrote about the biblical significance of the number 12.

The Never Ending Sign
By Lou Sciaroni

12/2004

Symbols are important
They bring images to mind
For the Jewish people it meant
A never-ending line
Twelve cycles of the moon
Endless years spent in the night
Twelve tribes they were split into
To help survive their plight

Why twelve?
It’s never ending
He’ll reign upon the throne
He’ll be with us forever
We’ll never be alone

God, in Jesus, came to us
To help us understand
The celestial connection to
The brotherhood of man
Five loaves, two fish fed them all
Twelve baskets did remain
Gods gifts are overflowing
And they will never wane

Why twelve?
It means eternal
A never-ending sign
He came and then died for us
And left twelve men behind

The Ark was built twelve by twelve
Endless rain fell from the sky
The twelve days of Christmas
Supernal gift recognized
He’ll be with us forever
We’ll never be alone
Twelve is ruling perfection
That will go on and on

Why twelve?
It means eternally
He’ll reign upon the throne
He’ll be with us forever
We’ll never be alone

Poem - Listen and Learn

Listen and Learn
By Lou Sciaroni
Sep 9, 2005

The older knows not
The next generation
But still looks to them
With their expectations

But youth’s vision differs
If unheard soon despair
And to their elders
Turn deaf their ears

But how symbiotic
They both really are
These minds on fire
And of iron bars

For their community to function
They both must listen
And look to each other
For validation

For when the older one
Fails to hear
Water will fill
The ships they steer

And if the younger
Does the same
They lose the wisdom
The older’s gained

So, speak in the light
Not the dark
And don’t be afraid
If there are sparks

For when they listen
Both sides will grow
No rush to judgment
Nor line to toe

Poem - Role Models

Maybe sports have always been a mess, but lately I think it's mostly about greed. I originally wrote this about baseball players, but changed it to be more generic when I noticed these same characteristics in the athletes of the other sports as well.

Role Models?
By Lou Sciaroni
1/31/2006

Do we blame it on the owners
Or on the loyal fan
No, not for their love of sports
But idolizing such a man

A man with no loyalty
To his city or his team
Just looking for his picture
On the face of magazines

He roams from city to city
Making millions every year
And makes his annual promise
That a wining year is near

But by the season’s midpoint
His stats are very thin
The team is many games behind
And they’re not going to win

“They put the pressure on me”
Was written in the papers
And for the rest of the season
His statistics slowly taper

He’s nothing to look up to
His antics are a bore
But what do you think they’ll do next year?
I be they offer more!

Poem - The Scottish Eyes Were Smiling

I visited Scotland last year, and while I was there I attended a dinner at the Royal Museum in Edinburgh. You can get an idea of the atmosphere by viewing the picture I took that night, shown to the left of this text. It was a great evening filed with traditional Scottish food, beverages, and pomp and circumstance... and it inspired me to write this poem.

The Scottish Eyes Were Shining
By Lou Sciaroni
12/8/2005

The light in Edinburgh rarely shined
At least not from the sky
It rained like mad for days on end
And my time to leave was nigh

But at the Royal Museum
The Scottish lights came on
The traditions of their culture
The food, bagpipes, and song

Were brought out by the setting
It was classy to the hilt
The ladies in their dresses
And men were dressed in kilts

The Haggis procession marched on in
While the pipes were being played
Burns’ and other Odes were read
And the ceremonies made

And as the evening ended
And the band was marching out
I saw the light in faces
As I slowly looked about

From the sharing of the stories
To the laughs and honest smiles
I’m glad I saw the Scottish light
If only for a while

Poem - Anger's Power

I've found that, in my life, anger has almost always made matters worse. I'm going to try not to get so angry any more. I guess that means I can't get angry at myself when I get angry?

Anger’s Power
By Lou Sciaroni,

Jan 2005

Anger has a hidden power
Hate it breeds, love’s devoured
Adds fuel to conflicts, and in the end
It can win you battles, but lose you friends

Poem - Progress to Change

I enjoy reading G. K. Chesterton. He was a liberal writer in the late 19th and early 20th century that wrote about what it means to be Christian (along with just about everything else). He was a great inspiration to other writers such as J.R.R. Tolkien, T.S. Eliot, Dorothy Sayers, and C.S. Lewis (who credits Chesterton for his conversion to Christianity), and inspired me to write this poem.

Progress to Change
By Lou Sciaroni
10/10/2004

Some say that change is constant
A never-ending groove
But things that are genuine
Will really never move

Fads and hearts of men do change
But not what’s right or wrong
There is a basic right of men
That’s been there all along

Some say that change is progress
But where does progress lead?
Without some ideal to progress to
Why should you then proceed?

Progress just for progress sake
Is a waste of energy
When the blind man leads the blind
The truth they never see

Change is to transform
In the way things will appear
But what is needed deep inside
To make them to adhere?

A flame, a fire, must burn inside
For no reason than the love
For a country, family, or belief
And for our God above

For without these irrational notions
To keep our passions burning
The thing that we once changed from
Will end up soon returning

So take the Love that burns you
Even if others think you’re strange
Use the Passion God has given
To help affect the change

Poem - Sunset

I can't remember what colors the sky held on the first of March 2005, but I know it made me say, wow, that's beautiful. I took this sunset in Scotland, it was wasn't bad either.

Sunset By Lou Sciaroni,

3/1/2005 Wow, the colors in the sky! Bystanding clouds caress the light A heterochromatic skyline shines The day is done The sun resigns The fleeting moment fades to black Can’t wait till morrow when it comes back

Poem - The Power of Words

This is one of the first poems that I shared with others. Based on the positive feedback from that experience I've been sharing them ever since. About two years after I wrote it, it was published in the book "False Roads to Manhood" by Frank Chase under the title "Words". Thanks Frank for your words of encouragement.

The Power of Words
By Lou Sciaroni,

10/13/03

Pierce like swords
Wrap like chain
Cruel or careless
Cause much pain

Smooth as silk
Gentle and kind
Wise or loving
Friends we find

Hard as steel
Or soft as cotton
Can’t take back
and not forgotten

Poem - Seafood

The St. Ann Seafood festival has had an open mic. night for the last couple of years. This past year I decided to write and recite the following poem... Seafood anyone? (I took this picture in Norway... they have good seafood in Norway)

Seafood
By Lou Sciaroni
5/28/05

When I was young I didn’t know
‘bout the seafood I never had
Chicken, Hamburger, Pasta.
For all this I was glad

I guess I was just ignorant
Of all those fish, I recon
See food - eat it, was my motto
And just hope that there was seconds

After all, when I grew up
I was one child in eleven
In fact, after a while I lost my name
And just went by number seven

But then one day I learned about
Those tasty creatures of the sea
And when that happened I found out
The seafood lover deep inside of me

Those little shrimp that can be cooked
In so many ways
BBQd, plain, or battered fried
I could eat these things for days

Those lovely fish all shapes and size
My favorite being salmon
A nice fresh piece cooked just right
With pepper and some lemon

And don’t just give me a little cup
Of that St Ann Seafood Gumbo
When I order mine I don’t skimp
I ask them for the Jumbo

So I could tell you that I come here
To support the school and the foundation
But the truth of the matter is really this
I come to avoid seafood starvation

Poem - The Cure

What is a miracle? Do they exist? Well, if everyone is broken into two groups; the naturalists, and the supernaturalists (as C.S. Lewis implies), I'm in the second club. Fr. Joe gave a homily on the subject and created an acronym the CURE. I liked it and, although I didn't use the same words as he did, I think it relays the same meaning.

The CURE
By Lou Sciaroni
10/10/2004

We ask God for miracles
At a crossroad in our life
To wipe away our anger,
Pain, suffering, and our strife

And though he always hears us
He gives us what we need
It may be just a calming thought
To make our fears recede

Or it may be that He thinks
It’s best that we endure
But sometimes He will change us
And provide us with a CURE

The C is for the Change in us
It helps us start anew
Whether it’s your state of mind
Or what was ailing you

The U if for the unity that
The Cure helps bring about
The sick can now participate
Relationships will work out

And when a gift is received
It requires action on our part
The first step is to thank Him
From the bottom of our heart

The R is our reaction
What to write in the next chapter
To use the gift He’s given
And make it last here-after

The E is for this Eternal,
Everlasting change applied
So even after death
Our Soul is at His side

So next time your prayer is answered
And God makes you clean and pure
Remember what it means
To be provided with a CURE

Poem - Don't Be Afraid

“Don't Be Afraid” is said many times in the Gospels... but what does it mean?

Don’t be Afraid
By Lou Sciaroni
11/4/2005

Don’t be afraid
Is what we often hear
As God’s calming words
When we start to fear

Yet, because we are human
We can’t help how we feel
It is difficult to control these emotions
And change them to zeal

But, maybe God is telling us
When we hear this phrase
That we shouldn’t be afraid
Of being afraid?

Because to do His will
Leads to scary places
To the jails, and the poor
And to our enemies embraces

Hence, if we’re going to act
As His message carrier
We mustn’t’ let being Scared
To be our barrier

Poem - First Words

Here is a poem I wrote after reflecting on the first chapter of the Gospel of John, 1 Samuel. The title of the poem is based on the first words that John wants us to hear from Jesus.

First Words
By Lou Sciaroni, 1/15/06

As Jesus starts his journey
On the three years to His grave
He talks to simple fisherman
Of the Lamb that’s come to save

With wonder they come to him
Unknown why they are drawn
They want to stay right by him
In this new eras’s dawn

He asks them:
What do you seek?
Follow and see
Come and be near
Stay here with me

They answer:
Yes, we will come
Where will we stay?
Lord, we hear your call
But we don’t know the way

When we hear this message
Do we wonder ‘bout our vocations
Are we really doing His will?
Or are they our intentions

Can we decipher his voice from others?
As he calls in repetition
Do we stay near Him and listen?
So we can hear our mission

He asks us:
What do you seek?
Follow and see
Come and be near
Stay here with me

We answer:
Yes, we will come
But, where will we stay?
Help us hear your call
And show us the way