Galloping Time

 

Against what is time racing?

After what is time chasing?

Could this be the shortening of the days?

What a mystifying craze!

September 1st! Can you believe it?

Eight months gone before you could spit,

Just yesterday this year began

And like Usain Bolt away it ran.

Time appears to be winding down,

Much is going on in every town,

The news is the same in every tabloid

Advising which cities and countries to avoid.

Such is the time in which we live

For peace and safety what wouldn’t one give?

But alas, these commodities are rare

And war and violence is too much to bear.

With just four months to go in this bolting year

Men’s hearts are failing them for fear,

Death and dying fills the air,

For whom next will the Grim Reaper appear?

The rate at which evil is occurring

Is so heart stopping and so unnerving,

Seared consciences and little respect for life

Give rise to conflict and unimaginable strife.

Against what is time racing?

After what is time chasing?

Could this be the shortening of the days?

What an absolute mystifying craze!

There is a saying under the sun,

“How time flies when we’re having fun!”

Here is a difference we must admit, though

How we wish evil could go on “go-slow”!

It is as though someone is deliberately at work,

Yes, some particularly insensitive jerk

And who not even time can divert

From seeing all of life interred in the dirt.

We have an idea who that someone is

So I need not ask that question in a quiz,

Most people know though unwilling to admit

That until all is lost that someone won’t quit.

And so now that someone races against time

And time races too I humbly opine,

A real race, more than an illusion of the mind,

It’s a race that affects people of every kind.

 

Many have lost the race against time

Their time having run out, nature’s design,

Having come to the end of their daily grind

At the end of their day were forced to resign.

For the others time gallops on at a terrific rate

Like a runaway train ignoring the gate,

Whistles, warning lights and trumpeting horns

Have no impact on time’s oncoming storm.

Time, a created segment within eternity,

Is quickly approaching its end, that’s a certainty,

As predetermined by the Godhead Trinity

It’s coming to an end most definitely.

And so too this year having just begun

Races on like a bullet triggered from a gun

And like the thousands that have gone before

Gives subtle insinuations of what is in store.

More of the same, perhaps more intense

Evil on the increase, intrigue and suspense,

Amidst it all a certain bravado and pretense

As the more aware become more incensed.

Against what really is time racing?

After what is time chasing?

Could this be the shortening of the days?

What really is this time galloping phase?

Stewart Russell © September 2017

The Promises of God

He who has promised is faithful,

Listen up all you people!

I am talking about our God

Not old slew foot, that deceptive fraud.

What God has promised He will deliver

For He that has promised is able,

He the Creator of the Universe

Is willing and able and stable.

He is not a “fly by night”,

He is not a “flash in the pan”,

He is not a “Johnny come lately”

And he does not lie; He is not a man.

He who spoke the World into being

Is able to do whatever He says,

Do not compare Him with Hollywood

And their fictitious movies and plays.

 

His promissory record is spotless,

He has never failed to deliver,

Not only has he kept His word

But has always performed to the letter.

For those who are His toughest critics

Cite one case when He didn’t come through,

Not one you can find though hard you search

God’s promises are yea and true!

Don’t compare but contrast

The many you’ve trusted with your life,

How oft they have failed you

Even father, mother, husband and wife!

Contrast I said for the reason

That no one can be compared to God,

He alone stands on the pinnacle

And infinitely beneath Him is that Fraud.

Are you in doubt when I say fraud?

Do you really not know to whom I refer?

Well let me tell you plain and straight

I mean Satan, the devil, that cur!

He wasn’t that when he was created,

Lucifer, son of the morning was he

But in his quest to upstage his Creator

Not only was he mistaken but silly.

What an awful silly thing to do

Regarding the One who caused him to become!

And he did not only attempt it once

But tried again with God’s Son.

 

Was he not aware of the promise?

Could he not read Genesis 3 verse 15?

Yes we can say to both questions

But he was obsessed with his futile scheme.

I believe he knew of God’s promise

But his nature is to defy God’s word

And many fall prey to his wooing

Even though what he brings to them is absurd.

God has always kept His promise

The Bible is replete with this fact

And all who want to advance otherwise

Need a replacement memory pack.

He made a promise to Abraham

That He has kept even up till now

And though the enemy had tried to thwart it

God had always triumphed somehow.

Jesus is the fulfillment of that promise

Having come once, he will come again,

Having been a son of Abraham

Now the born again can claim the same.

 

For we are not children of the bond woman

But we are children of the free,

The promise having been made to Sarah

Has been extended also to you and me.

Take note particularly in these times

When promises are made to be broken

But when God the Almighty makes a promise

It is more than just rhetoric or a token.

God’s promises are His Word

Which he honours above His name

And all who have come to Him

Know God’s promises they can claim.

So have you been oft disappointed?

Have you been regularly hoodwinked?

Just stop now at this twentieth verse

And seriously begin to think.

Some may have the power

But you they don’t consider,

Others may really want to help you

But don’t have the power to deliver.

God has both of these facilities,

He has both the love and the power

The love was shown on Calvary

And the resurrection is the Christian’s tower.

So trust no longer the arm of flesh

But put your faith in the Living God,

He will bring what concerns you to pass

And finally rid you of the despicable fraud.

Remember God is not a politician,

He does not need a majority vote,

He did not ascend His throne by an election

So to the detractors I say, “Take note!”

Stewart Russell © August 2017

Our Pearl

 Pearline Lorraine Clarke Nee Branker

  

August 20, 1957 – May 2, 2017

“It’s a girl!”  The excitement filled the room

As the jolly, chocolate-coloured baby arrived,

“Chubby Cheeks” became her first nickname

Just as one of her three brothers had prescribed.

Roy and Rosemary Branker must have been over the moon

As they beheld this bundle of satisfaction and joy,

What a fitting conclusion to their productive endeavour!

Three boys and two girls instead of another boy.

The arrival of their Pearl brought the needed balance

To the lopsided situation of three boys and a girl,

Now the scale was virtually level if you see what I mean

Since one of those girls was our very own Pearl.

Educated at the then St. Giles’ Girls’ School

And then on to the Alexandra School she went

After which she attended the Barbados Community College

And showed much for the time there she spent.

An internship followed at the Advocate Co. Ltd

Forming the basis for her secretarial career,

Confederation Life, LOB, Sagicor and BB Insurance

Was the journey that for twenty-nine years she steered.

After six years at home beginning 2010

She returned to BB Insurance just over a year ago

And there she worked up to the time of her passing

Just another hour and it would have been literally so.

She awoke complaining of feeling unwell

Tuesday morning as early as four

But back to sleep again she went

Without any indication of what lay in store.

Transported there by her beloved spouse

Off to work she went

But called him back before he had gone too far

Only a few minutes had she spent.

   

Again she complained of feeling unwell

So he did all a loving spouse would do

But she moved beyond in less than an hour

And her sojourn here was suddenly through.

An ache burns deep within our hearts

For we did not anticipate when she would go

But God knows best; He always does

And He leads in paths we do not know.

Even on this sorrowing occasion

We can see still His hand of mercy

Reaching out in unmistakable compassion

Inviting his children, “Draw the nearer to me.”

 

This “Pearl” as she was so aptly named

Exuded a loving nature unsurpassed

For family and friends almost alike

And everyone saw her as a woman of class.

Her loyalty to family was clearly evident

As she anticipated their wants and needs

And often would go to the greatest limits

Such was the extent of her deeds.

She will be missed; I mean sorely missed

For her encouraging and inspiring words

Especially through Facebook to her FB Family

By now everybody must have heard.

Facebook has been noted for many an ill

But there was not the slightest chance with Pearline,

To her it was a facility in her mission for God

To inspire, to inform and to motivate her team.

Many are the photos that she transformed

With floral backgrounds or in other unique ways,

Birthdays and anniversaries were always remembered

And were also featured on her Facebook page.

I decided to scroll through her Facebook friends

With the hope of assigning to them a number

But I eventually gave up having grown tired of scrolling

And now as it stands I am still left to wonder.

  

Gifted in handicraft and dried floral art

We have all enjoyed her expressions

And no doubt still prominent in some of our homes

Are several of these enduring decorations.

A visit to Clerview Heights would surely reveal

Environs punctuated with divers plants,

All this the handiwork of this unforgettable Pearl

As her surroundings she meticulously enhanced.

Flowers and palms and exquisitely shaped hedges,

Golden apple, star apple and mango

Together with herbs and vegetable assortments

Spread all around the house in an organized flow.

And how could I not mention her ceramics

For which she once had an abundance of passion,

Flower vases, teddy bears, drinking mugs and pots

Of all types and forms and fashion.

There was a time when she would make an outfit

That would be the envy of those who viewed

And not long after their eyes had feasted

They would engage her to make some other style too.

The children in the family doted on her

Her lap and her dress hem were sources of comfort

And she had time for them engaging in their play

And in so many ways she rendered them support.

She was a great believer in upholding family

For that’s the upbringing from which she gained

And no stone was ever left unturned

In her effort to ameliorate disappointment or pain.

Michael, her spouse was a principal beneficiary

Of her care, her love and her affection

And the way in which she related to him

No doubt for him was his greatest attraction.

Thirty-two years of marriage on the twentieth of April

No children of her own but several she raised,

The many babysitting assignments were never a chore

And up to this day these grown adults still sing her praise.

For Michael his Pearl’s price was way far above rubies

And way beyond diamonds or purest gold,

Unlike these she could reciprocate his love

And in her arms of comfort his body enfold.

Such was the case when he had taken ill

For a few weeks it was as though time stood still

Those anxious moments with prayer she filled

And God took away her bitter pill.

God with her did such a miraculous work

That Mike is here for her graduation today,

Why this turn of events we can only hazard a guess

And continue to let go and let God have His way.

 

We are assured of that home for her

That Jesus has gone away to prepare,

We know he’ll come again and receive her to himself

And all who are looking for him to appear.

You see she made sure of that before her demise

For only in life is such a determination possible,

God honoured her request and drew her to the fold

And now that decision is irreversible.

To be brought up in the church was her parent’s desire

And at Carrington’s Pilgrim Holiness is where she acquired

The instruction to fashion her life as God desired

And there pledged her loyalty until the time she expired.

I don’t recall her filling positions on committees

But that is not surprising, certainly not to me

As we all know that singing was her thing

And for doing such she had a distinctive ability.

As a soloist, in duets, in quartets, in the junior choir

She sang from her heart and we so admired

Her beautiful voice as it blended with the groups

The Carrington’s Church is where this skill was acquired.

The memories of the youth chorale come to the fore

Standing in the soprano line awaiting the encore

Then in the Wesleyan District Youth Chorale in a similar spot

With the audiences longing to hear more and more.

What a life lived, exuding panache and style!

What memories remain of that radiating smile!

What a wife, what a sibling, what a relative and friend!

What a consolation that death is not the end!

Safe in the arms of Jesus, safe on his gentle breast

Today we can rejoice with this songwriter

That God works out everything for our best

This He has done for our Pearl and she has passed the test

Having labored here in her bivouac of life

In Jesus she is now at rest.

  

Awaiting that great getting-up morning

When the dead in Christ shall be raised

And all those who are alive in Christ and remain

Will join them in never-ending praise.

But for now that Tuesday will be etched in our memory

For even now our minds are still in a whirl

At the same time we shall continue to give God thanks

For the time that we spent here with our Pearl.

Thanks to all those who in her last moments

Tried desperately to extend her stay

Like those at Sandy Crest who were quick on the ball

But she was still taken from us on that fateful day.

Your presence here today as we commit her remains

Is testimony of her influence and her impact

But bear in mind that the job is not ended

For Pearl would expect us to cover Michael’s back.

To all who sorrow Pearl’s passing this unforgettable day

And who will do so for a long time to come

Accept our thanks and believe us when we say

We are truly grateful to you and that means everyone.

 

So Pearline, Aunt P, Pearlasia, Pearl

We would have kept you longer had we that choice

But we are resigned to a greater than we

As we cherish your legacy, your memory, your voice.

Stewart Russell © May 2017

Mirror, Mirror on the Shelf

I met a man sometime ago

But had seen him many times before

He was a constant variable in my home

And had often times crossed my door

In the humble district where I lived

He was highly regarded by everyone

But none knew him as well as I did

For I saw him midday, night and dawn

I was pretty pleased with what I saw

And held much admiration for this man

He aimed to please most everyone

But himself the most was his plan

Often times before the mirror

He would smile at the face he saw

Fascinated by the person there

The smile would widen across his jaw

Across the decades I watched him

Noting his achievements as they occurred

Growing in the eyes of his community

Marching onward undeterred

We had several times to chat

And the conversation was about others

But in depth about himself

About him he never really bothered

As time went on I lost track of him

The chats were not as often as before

But one day I confronted him

As he was standing before the mirror

I asked, “Do you know who you see?

Do you know whom you are staring at?

When he smiles and you smile too

Is that smile really a fact?”

I could see that he was puzzled

For the smile gradually went away

It was replaced by a quizzical look

And for a bit he had nothing to say

I inquired about the sudden change

He was silent a little while longer

I could see I had struck a raw nerve

He grew weak instead of getting stronger

The proud look had left his face

A serious visage took its place

The smile he often started with

Of it there was not the slightest trace

A true reflection began to emerge

As the question confronted him again

“Do you know who you see?”

Bombarded both his mind and brain

It is so easy to look in the mirror

And see there a Hollywood star

But do we stop to ask ourselves

Is that person who we really are?

We are actors and actresses everyday

In this life we play many parts

And often as we stand before the mirror

We are simply perfecting that art

So that what we see is what we get

For the superficial becomes the fact

And somewhere along the line

We are not looking at who we are looking at

Such was that gentleman’s case that day

As he stood before his looking glass

Suddenly realizing there was more to him

And the superficial would not last

One’s image is more than his face

Or what he has achieved in life

And unless he looks a great way deeper

He will never see that selfish strife

For we can so easily cover it up

With a smile that passes away

Holding on to it just long enough

And pretend to be having a bright day

Superficiality

Is a way of life today

With an abundance of daily pleasantries

To while the time away

The physical mirrors that we stare at

As we twist and turn and adjust

Are mere simple physical innovations

Which highlight the superficial stuff

There is a far better mirror, however

That shows us who we really are

And what’s really better about this mirror

Is it can help us become God’s star

For it is virtually impossible

To look therein and not see yourself

The information you gather there

Will reveal your spiritual health

You might not like what you see

But that’s a very good place to start

For as you peer in a little deeper at a time

It will begin to transform your heart

And what’s inside will become manifest

As that transformation takes root

And when next you stand before the mirror

You will actually see its fruit

The mirror of which I am speaking

Is the Spirit breathed Word of God

Not to be compared with the world’s vanity

Or the mirror of Satan, the fraud

For such mirrors will misguide you

Concerning who you think you really are

But God’s word is accurate and revealing

And such a mirror is better for you by far

So next time you stand before the mirror

Remember the mirror that is the Word

And like the man I started to tell you about

Your true image will not be obscured.

Rather than Mirror, Mirror on the wall

Take the Mirror, Mirror off the Shelf

And like me you will be guaranteed

To see a spiritual photo of yourself.

Stewart Russell© 2017