Children Killing Children
"The vulnerable exposed child; the outcast/ Who doesn't fit the current trends, taunted, teased/ We all lose." In the wake of the fifth anniversary of the Columbine school killings, poet Gloria Hoglund despairs of a society where losing our youth has become the norm. (Originally posted April 29, 2004.)  [posted 1/12/05]

Where is the Prince of Peace?
In the wake of Easter, poet Mendy Knott has hard questions for Christ and those who follow him. In the midst of all the world's suffering, she writes: "There are a thousand ways to hang someone on a cross/ and we've explored them all./ What's hard, what's really tough is lifting up the fallen. . ." (Originally posted April 16, 2004.)  [posted 1/12/05]

Climbing Inside the Passion
"The agony will always be there/ But the love inside the sacrifice seems the wiser focus." Poet Christine Rodgers offers an Easter testimony. (Originally posted April 9, 2004.)  [posted 1/12/05]

Seeking Refuge
Creeds are fighting words, muses Mark Harris, and he wonders what it would mean to state not what we believe, but "where we go when the going gets rough." He offers three Christian vows for consideration. (Originally posted April 2, 2004.)  [posted 1/11/05]

beyond the conversations
Spring is coming, and with it comes flowers, love, and new ideas. Yet in Harlem, worlds collide for poet Rima Vesely-Flad: "words scattering/ exploding in my mind/ white/ supremacy/ a society hemorrhaging in the wake of apartheid." (Originally posted March 18, 2004.)  [posted 1/11/05]

The Language of War
"The Korean War: police action they said/ Did that cause young men to be less dead?" Poet Gloria Hoglund writes about wars from the past half-century and the death of a brother unable to escape the demonic memories of his military service. (Originally posted March 11, 2004).  [posted 1/10/05]

Song for Robert MacNamara
"I want to/ place my hand/ under your heart/ and lift/ some of the weight." Poet Christine Rodgers responds to the powerful new documentary film, "The Fog of War." (Originally posted March 4, 2004).  [posted 1/7/05]

Antidisestablishmentarianism
The longest word in the dictionary is defined, in the Oxford English version, as "Properly, opposition to the disestablishment of the Church of England." Norman Ball offers a humorous poem with this background in mind. (Originally posted February 27, 2004.)  [posted 1/13/05]

Haiti Report
"In early morning darkness/ gunboat enters the harbor/ heavy arms, new guns." A poem by Carolyn Scarr responds to the horrifying stories of bloodshed and death that are once again emerging from violence-torn Haiti. (Originally posted February 27, 2004).  [posted 1/8/05]

Birthing
"Face it/ birthing is a messy business." Poet Mark Unbehagen reflects on themes of "birthing" peace, hope, joy and love in the season when Christians celebrate the birth of a savior. (Originally posted December 22, 2003.)  [posted 1/12/05]

War to the Death
There is a battle for our world, writes Joseph Sala in an Advent poem, and all may seem lost. It is not: "But the Spirit is here/ It's ours for the taking." (Originally posted December 22, 2003).  [posted 1/11/05]

Yet Shall He Live
"What are you writing? he said./ What do you love?" Ralph Pitman offers a poem in tribute to Bishop Robert DeWitt, a prophetic advocate for social justice whose recent death has touched people throughout the church. (Originally posted December 17, 2003.)  [posted 1/12/05]

Wine in the Glass, Blood in the Sky
"The Second Coming is pale/ companion to the first." With Christmas on the horizon, a poem from Mark Harris speaks to the justice and mercy that are needed in this time. (Originally posted December 17, 2003.)  [posted 1/11/05]

Begin with Rage
"We are all ticking/ it would seem/ and we will/ either deactivate/ ourselves or explode." Poet Christine Rodgers holds out hope for peace despite a world engulfed in violence. (Originally posted December 4, 2003.)  [posted 1/12/05]

When the World Goes Right
With the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday on the horizon, poet David James offers a vision of a life for which one could be truly thankful. (Originally posted November 25, 2003.)  [posted 1/31/05]