poem | Craig T. Owens

April 2026
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Poetry Saturday—Hope

August 8, 2020 — Craig T. Owens

“Hope” is the thing with feathers

That perches in the soul

And sings the tune without the words

And never stops—at all

And sweetest—in the Gale—is heard

And sore must be the storm

That could abash the little Bird

That kept so many warm

I’ve heard it in the chillest land

And on the strangest Sea

Yet—never—in Extremity,

It asked a crumb of me. —Emily Dickinson

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: Emily Dickinson, encouragement, hope, perseverance, poem, poetry. Leave a Comment »

Poetry Saturday—Out Of Touch With Your Lord

August 1, 2020 — Craig T. Owens

Only a smile, yes, only a smile,

That a woman o’er burdened with grief

Expected from you; ‘twould have given relief

For her heart ache sore the while;

But weary and cheerless she went away,

Because as it happened, that very day

You were “out of touch“ with your Lord.

Only a word, yes, only a word,

That the Spirit’s small voice whispered, “Speak”;

But the worker passed onward, unblessed and weak,

Whom you were meant to have stirred

To courage, devotion and love anew,

Because when the message came to you,

You were “out of touch“ with your Lord.

Only a note, yes, only a note,

From a friend in a distant land;

The Spirit said, “Write,” but then you had planned

Some different work, and you thought

It mattered little, you did not know

‘Twould have saved a soul from sin and woe;

You were “out of touch“ with your Lord.

Only a song, yes, only a song,

That the Spirit said, “Sing tonight—

Thy voice is thy Master’s by purchased right“;

But you thought, “Mid this motley throng

I care not to sing of the City of Gold,”

And the heart that your words might have reached grew cold;

You were “out of touch“ with your Lord.

Only a day, yes, only a day!

But, oh, can you guess, my friend,

Where the influence reaches, and where it will end

Of the hours that you frittered away?

The Master’s command is, “Abide in Me,”

And fruitless and vain will your service be,

If “out of touch“ with your Lord. —Jean H. Watson

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: abiding, encouragement, God's blessing, Holy Spirit, poem, poetry, relationships. Leave a Comment »

Poetry Saturday—Brothers And Sisters The Same

July 25, 2020 — Craig T. Owens

Look around at the sign of the times,
churches are closing their doors.
Is it because God has left them
or because of internal wars?

There‘s people trying to find the Savior
but they don’t know where to go.
One says, “This church is a good one,”
another says, “No, it ain’t so.”

What happens when the doors lock?
What happens to the lost soul?
Is this what Jesus was all about?
Was fancy carpet His real goal?

Does anyone know where God truly is?
Did He tell you while deep in prayer?
Does He need stained glass windows
for Him to be present there?

If Jesus Himself came to your church
do you think that they’d let Him in?
Or would they say, “That‘s outrageous,
the people He’s with commit sin!”

Do you think that you’ve overcome,
that you‘re a sinner no more?
If that’s what you think, I’m sorry,
Jesus has something for you in store.

We all are sinners each and everyone.
None of us are innocent and pure;
if you think that you are different,
I don’t think that you are so sure.

So before you go pointing your finger,
before you go laying the blame,
remember what it says in the Bible:
we are brothers and sisters the same. —Barney Fritcher

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: Barney Fritcher, church, family, fellowship, Image Deo, important, Jesus Christ, poem, poetry, relationships. Leave a Comment »

Poetry Saturday—New Every Morning

July 18, 2020 — Craig T. Owens

Every day is a fresh beginning,

Every morn is a world made new.

You who are weary of sorrow and sinning,

Here is a beautiful hope for you—

A hope for me and a hope for you.

All of the past things are past and over;

The tasks are done and the tears are shed.

Yesterday’s errors let yesterday cover,

Yesterday’s wounds which smarted and bled,

Are healed with the healing which night has shed.

Yesterday is now a part of forever,

Bound up in a sheaf, which God holds tight,

With glad days, and sad days, and bad days, which never

Shall visit us more with their bloom and their blight,

Their fullness of sunshine or sorrowful night.

Let them go, since we cannot re-live them,

Cannot undo and cannot atone;

God in His mercy receive, forgive them!

Only the new days are our own;

Today is ours, and today alone.

Here are the skies all burnished brightly,

Here is the spent earth all re-born,

Here are the tired limbs springing lightly

To face the sun and to share with the morn

In the chrism of dew and the cool of dawn.

Every day is a fresh beginning;

Listen, my soul, to the glad refrain,

And spite of old sorrow and older sinning,

And puzzles forecasted and possible pain,

Take heart with the day, and begin again. —Susan Coolidge

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: beginning, fresh start, God's blessing, God's provision, hope, joy, poem, poetry. 3 Comments »

Poetry Saturday—Remember Three Things

July 11, 2020 — Craig T. Owens

Remember three things that come not back;

The arrow sent upon its track—

It will not swerve, it will not stay

Its speed; it flies to wound or slay.

The spoken word, so soon forgot

By thee; but it has perished not;

In other hearts ’tis living still;

And doing work for good or ill.

And the lost opportunity,

That cometh back no more to thee.

In vain thou weepest, in vain dost yearn.

Those three will nevermore return. —Arab Proverb

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: poem, poetry, proverb, relationships, vocabulary. Leave a Comment »

Poetry Saturday—My Country

July 4, 2020 — Craig T. Owens

America! my own dear land,

O, ‘tis a lovely land to me;

I thank my God that I was born

Where man is free!

Our land—it is a glorious land—

And wide it spreads from sea to sea,

And sister States in Union join

And all are free.

And equal laws we all obey,

To kings we never bend the knee;

We may not own any Lord but God

Where all are free.

We’ve lofty hills and sunny vales

And streams that roll to either sea,

And through this large and varied land

Alike we’re free.

You hear the sounds of healthful toil,

And youth’s gay shout and childhood’s glee,

And every one in safety dwells

And all are free.

We’re brothers all from South to North,

One bond will draw us to agree;

We love this country of our birth,

We love the free.

We love the name of Washington,

I lisped it on my father’s knee,

And we shall ne’er forget the name

While we are free.

My Land, my own dear native Land,

Thou art a lovely land to me;

I bless my God that I was born

Where man is free! —Sarah Josepha Buell Hale (1788–1879)

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: American history, freedom, George Washington, God's blessing, history, Independence Day, Patriotism, poem, poetry, Sarah Josepha Buell Hale. Leave a Comment »

God’s Unrivaled Pencil

July 1, 2020 — Craig T. Owens

Not a flower

But shows some touch in freckle, streak or stain

Of His unrivaled pencil. He inspires

Their balmy odors, and imparts their hues,

And bathes their eyes with nectar.

Happy he

Who walks with Him! —William Cowper

all photos (c) Craig T. Owens 2020

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: beauty, Creation, Creator, photography, poem, poetry, quote, uniqueness, William Cowper. 1 Comment »

Apples Of Gold In Pictures Of Silver (book review)

June 30, 2020 — Craig T. Owens

The title of this book comes from the King James Version of the Bible: “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver” (Proverbs 25:11). A picturesque phrase for words that are challenging and uplifting.

This book came to me from my Grandfather’s library. Originally published in 1889, my Grandfather had an autographed copy from 1901. The words in this book have stood the test of time.

The first section of the book contains quotes, poems, and other life-guiding words to be read each day of the year. The subsequent sections are targeted to specific seasons of life. They are “Apples of Gold for…

… Children
… Youths
… Lasses
… Young Men
… Young Women
… Early Married Life
… Middle-Aged
… The Old
… Mothers
… Dark Days
… Bright Days”

Each of these sections contains short stories, quotes, and poetry to both recover from a stumble and help the reader grow to new levels of maturity and success.

I realize this book is out of print and probably unavailable to most, but there is an important principle from these types of books: Never stop learning. Find sources of wisdom that have stood the test of time, and let others’ hindsight be your foresight as you strive to keep on growing. In the case of Apples Of Gold In Pictures Of Silver, the editors approached this book from a biblical worldview, making sure that all of the counsel they printed aligned with God’s Word.

I would encourage you to find these types of books to help you grow through life.