My Favourite Movie

 

 

 

I have a favourite movie

That has no name,

I like it so much

I watch it again and again.

 

I especially like

The parts of high suspense

And having watched it many times

I still feel tense.

 

It’s like, one of these times

He is not going to make it,

Leaving it for the last minute

Has become his habit.

 

Of course, as you know,

This has to be the star

And compared to the movie’s star.

None else is on par.

 

He is speeding along

And you expect him to crash

But with a twist and a turn

He is through in a flash.

 

Or, he goes into a town

And buts up on a fast gun

And the slower lies in the dust

When the dual is done.

 

And you constantly wonder

Why he wins every time

Notwithstanding that this movie

Is inscribed on your mind.

 

It’s my favourite movie

Though they’re others I like more

Yet every time I watch it,

Something new is in store.

 

Did that verse escape you?

Well, I would not be surprised,

That it also puzzles me

Cannot be denied.

 

Another thing that I like

About my favourite movie

Is how the star of this show

Is so immensely tricky.

 

He hides in the same location

Each and every time

And though his enemies get close

Him they can never find.

 

Every time I watch it

I expect a different outcome

But it is the same old, same old

When the movie is done.

 

No doubt you would ask me,

Why watch it so many times?

After all, it is my favourite movie,

It’s always on my mind.

 

 

This guy went to the cinema

At least twice a day,

He went to watch the same movie

Whenever it would play.

 

Like me, he really liked it

Or, maybe he didn’t at all,

But he went back each and every time

Hoping the building would fall.

 

The movie showed a building

Leaning precariously

And just when it seemed it would fall

The scene changed suddenly.

 

He knew should it fall

There would be action galore

So, like me, he always went back

Hoping for more.

 

My wife will watch a series

Over and over again

And it seems every time she feels

The same excitement and pain.

 

In my favourite movie

The movie star always wins,

Oh, how I wish life was like this

And not so grim!

 

That I could win every time

Just like my movie star

But I guess that is rather far-fetched-

Life is not on par.

 

Stewart Russell © June 9, 2023

 

My Twin Brother

 

I have a twin brother

That I would never ever deny,

Of us two he was first to be born

And nine years later came I.

 

Don’t ask me how,

Be silent with your question

And remember I should not be blamed

If you lack comprehension.

 

Yes, I heard that remark

You couldn’t keep to yourself

And I note you are also lacking

In basic mental health.

In the case of twins

One is born before the other,

I’ve never heard of a single case

Where both came together.

 

Such was the case, my friend,

With my brother and me

So, I don’t see why nine years later

Should be a mystery.

 

He once was my model

But I’m now too old for that

Plus, being nine years my senior,

He is a fairly old chap.

 

He’s second in my siblings

While I am the last,

Yes, my mother had septuplets;

Quite a formidable task!

 

And guess what, my friend,

Only one of us was a girl,

All of them quite mentally stable;

I’m the only one disturbed.

Back to my twin brother!

Don’t ask me which one,

You should see that there were six:

Four remain and two gone.

 

I have a twin brother

That I would never ever deny,

Of them all I was the last to born;

After them all came I.

 

Stewart Russell © July 21, 2024

 

 

Inasmuch

 

 

Inasmuch

As you are my sister

I will help you

When life blisters

 

Inasmuch

As you are my brother

In your need

You need not bother

 

Inasmuch

As we are children of God

I will stand with you

At home or abroad

 

 

Inasmuch

As we do it for the least

We do it for Jesus

And for peace

 

Inasmuch

As Christ died for us

We are bonded

In the blood of Jesus

 

Inasmuch

As he came in the past

He will come gain

This we must grasp

Nine times in the Bible

We find this word

Twice in the Old Testament

And seven in the New

 

Twice in Matthew

When Jesus spoke

And five other cases

When others wrote

 

Seeing that…

Or considering that…

Their one word meaning:

Inasmuch, in fact.

 

A caution to you

As it was to me

Inasmuch as it’s one word

And not three.

 

Stewart Russell © May 27, 2021

Personal and Official

 

 

The former is what I feel

The latter is a must

And mixing up the two of these

Can lead to distrust.

 

 

 

As happens very often

Re these two positions,

Officials can be thrown into a spin

By personal decisions.

 

Personal is not official

And should never be mixed

And presenting both the same

Is a deceptive trick.

 

Conflict of interest

This is sometimes called

And this type of gross behaviour

Should be appalled.

 

Using an official position

To satisfy one’s greed

Is tantamount to dishonesty

Whatever the deed.

 

 

Public servants especially

Should guard against this,

Betraying the trust of citizens

Is a criminal shift.

 

Misappropriation of funds

Is an awful practice

And when done to treat oneself

Is a horrid injustice.

 

Never mix up these two;

Keep the funds apart,

If given such a responsibility

Be honest from the start.

 

Money entrusted to you

Though a personal trust

Should be used as officially agreed

And not as a personal must.

 

Personal and Official

 

 

The former is what I feel

The latter is a must

And mixing up the two of these

Has led to distrust.

 

Stewart Russell © December 17, 2024

 

I’m Amazed

 

 

I’m amazed

At the goings on

And the shocks I get

Almost every waking dawn.

 

I’m amazed

At promises made

That are ineffective

And absolutely to no avail.

 

I’m amazed

At the lot o’ talk

But in evident absentia

Is the accompanying walk.

 

I’m amazed

At the crime rate

Especially of shootings

And our concomitant state.

 

I’m amazed

At the resulting fear

And the no need to fear

By those who say they care.

 

 

I’m amazed

At the authority

That appears so clueless

In the running of our country.

 

I’m amazed

At the hopelessness

That crushes one’s hope

While mocking at their zest.

 

I’m amazed

At the little we do

And then seriously expect

A phenomenal harvest to accrue.

 

I’m amazed

That we believe

That a ban on toy guns

Will gun importation impede.

 

 

I’m amazed

That we believe

That the crime upsurge

Is to satisfy basic familial needs.

 

I’m amazed

At those people

That believe Government

Care about the most vulnerable.

 

I’m amazed

It is getting better

And life is getting easier

Yet people are becoming bitter.

 

I’m amazed

That the church

Feeling it is irrelevant

Is turning to secular experts.

 

 

I’m amazed

That its message

Now amazingly diluted

Leaves little substance to salvage.

 

I’m amazed

That immorality

Is now the new reality

With the dulling of sensibility.

 

I’m amazed

That I am amazed

That we are at this phaze

With so many walking in a daze.

 

Senses numbed

And outlook bleak

And is getting worse

At this very time as we speak.

 

Stewart Russell © December 19, 2024

 

The World’s Truth

 

 

The world’s truth

Can be quite confusing

And I must add

Often quite amusing.

 

Of course, the world’s truth

As we know it

Is alternative facts:

A generous daily diet.

 

It is one misnomer

That is a reality,

It is the world’s reality

And its present futility.

 

 

Alternative facts are:

Another truth

Or a different truth

Depending on the proof.

 

It is relative to persons

As well as to time,

Yours is still truth

Even if different from mine.

 

It happened at three

No, at five-past,

Just different truths

On the same path.

 

The only absolute truth

Is there is no absolute truth

So, on the premise of this

Everyone has a booth.

 

 

Enquire within

If truth is your quest,

We do it better than any

Our truth is the best.

 

A mockery you say

But still you are hooked,

Not easy to differentiate

Confidante from crook.

 

It is reasonably acceptable

To mix up the facts

But when it relates to truth

That’s the wrong track.

 

The world’s truth is a lie!

One colossal lie

That started when it said,

“Creator God, we defy.”

 

That which was a lie

Is now today’s truth,

The Bible is no benchmark-

Bring another proof.

 

Stewart Russell © September 15, 2020

 

“Forward March!”

 

 

“Forward march!”

Is the clarion call,

As long as you are born again

It's to you and all.

 

By the centre,

It is, “Forward march,”

With the sword of the Spirit

And a faithful heart.

 

Marching in time

With our Commander,

Captain of heaven’s hosts

And evil’s vanquisher.

 

“Forward march!”

To conquer the foe

So, the lost, their Redeemer,

May come to know.

 

Though conflict rages

Without and within,

We will still have the victory

Over the devil and sin.

 

“Forward march!”

And jettison the baggage

While trusting the Holy Spirit

To ably manage.

 

 

 “Forward march!”

In Twenty-Twenty-Five,

Marching together as a unit

To definitely thrive.

 

Forgiving past disputes

Yet learning from them,

Let us all be in “Forward march!”

To evade this problem.

 

For we are God’s army:

Meaning, the born-again,

And God will always be with us

In joy and through pain.

 

Leaving none behind

Whether weak or strong

But in agape love and Christian unity

Bringing each other along.

 

Sharing another’s burden

Fulfilling Christ’s law,

“Forward march,” together as one

Though differently flawed.

 

Strength in numbers

Like the proverbial sticks,

Opening the eyes of one another

To the enemy’s tricks.

 

Fearing for the weakest

And the one less comely

In the recognition that in Christ,

We are one family.

 

Having a vision

That goes beyond self,

Seeing beyond one’s own growth

To the body’s health.

 

 

We are in it together;

“Together”: the buzz word,

Yes, forward we march together

With vision unobscured.

 

You, guarding my back

And I, protecting yours,

Alert always for opportunities

That is, for open doors.

 

More than just a slogan

Must be “Forward march”

Or we have inadvertently retreated

Right from the start.

 

Valuing one and all

Despite personal perception

And being aware of the danger

Of self-gratification.

 

 

None is a Samaritan

And none is a Jew

But brothers and sisters in Christ,

Both me and you.

 

Eliminate all biases

And all prejudices

And let’s not judge like Pharisees

Or Sadducees.

 

But in honour

Preferring one another

For a cup of water in Jesus’ name

Is to God’s honour.

 

“Forward march!” as one,

As in the Trinity

And the gates of hell will yield

Under this unity.

 

And so, I will end this

Just like I began,

Entreating we build one another

Not body slam.

 

“Forward march!”

It’s the clarion call,

As long as you are born again

It is to you and all.

 

Stewart Russell © December 6, 2024

 

Life and Living

 

 

From dawn till dusk

From dusk till dawn,

From morning till night

From night till morn.

 

From dust to dust

The destiny of the body,

What is the meaning of life?

Tell me, can anybody?

 

A few short decades

Sometimes more, sometimes less,

Sometimes full of trouble

Sometimes blessed.

 

 

 

Like the throw of a die

To determine one’s destiny

Or like picking Lotto numbers

To avert poverty.

 

Does life make a living?

Does living make a life?

Which stance should one adopt

To reduce life’s strife?

 

 

 

Some eat to live

Others live to eat,

Feeding a chicken properly

Gives better meat.

 

Some are living to die

While some are dying to live,

Some horde up everything

Never willing to give.

 

Some live for today

Since tomorrow never comes,

Some lead the way

While others march to their drum.

 

Ages and stages

Of writing on life’s pages

And as life’s tempest rages,

One to one engages.

 

Life is made for living

But what does this mean?

For some it is mostly fun and frolic

For others, a battle scene.

 

 

Wastage is a privilege

That a few can afford

While most daily scratch around

Seeking opportunity’s door.

 

Bits and pieces for some,

A bounty for others,

Some seeing life as a blessing

And for some it’s a bother.

 

For some the days are short,

For others they are quite long

And definitely life’s not the same

For the weak and the strong.

 

Life and living

Can be vastly different,

One may complement the other

Given one’s intent.

 

Primary and secondary

Don’t mix up the two!

These two are critically important

Regarding what we do.

 

 

Necessity comes first

And after comes pleasure,

Health before wealth, my friend

Is a primary measure.

 

We all start with life-

It is a living we must make

And we do so as the genuine

And not as the fake.

 

Yes, life is for living

But living the best we can

Not only for self but for others

As our daily life plan.

 

Stewart Russell © June 12, 2024