“Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and, if true, of infinite importance. The one thing it cannot be is moderately important.” – C.S. Lewis
Flickr Photos
The Framing of Frida
The Framing of Frida
by Michael Doyle
Stains of colors come alive
These help one to live
We are happy as we arrive
Finding life giving what it has to give
We run as fast as the breeze
That whisper lessons under backyard trees
Some are laughing at the rosary
Including Frida with her irreverent dignity
The Bible brings up much mystery
And maybe one or two conflicts with history
Oils and watercolors raise questions
One brave soul asked without hesitation
Green light, magenta, pretty pairs of red
Led a world of colors, bringing life as said
And bringing truth to the artistic light
It helped decipher the world in her sight
Exceeding the limits was her happy game
That helped keep the world from seeming the same
Defying the definitions of 'Old Mexico'
Frida was drawn to a different way to grow
Dying with laughter, the Cachuchas brought relief
From the drab grays and cycles of grief
Everything that gave pleasure was felt as good
This was the rebellion that Frida understood
Breathing the raw scent of what passes for love
Minds are led to remain earthly and not to the above
Flights of imagination and the sheerest sensuality
Were the mangled things of Frida's tragic reality
Lies boldly tell of crashes and of the tears
But all that's true are the moments that make the years
Passing in suffered wounds that exceed the crying
Where Frida lived on instead of lying there dying
(c) March 29, 2024 Michael Doyle
All Rights Reserved
Posted in Poetry and Poems
Tagged Above, Alive, Arrive, Art, Artistic Light, Backyard Trees, Brave Soul, Breath, Breeze, Bringing Life, Colors, Conflict, Crash, Crying, Cycles of Grief, Decipher, Definititions, Defy, Different Way, Dignity, Drab Grays, Drawn, Drying, Earhtly, Exceed, Exceeed, Find, Flights of Imagination, Frame, frida, Frida Kahlo, Give, Good, Green Light, Grow, Happy, Happy Game, Hesitation, History, Irreverent, Laugh, Laughter, Lesson, Lies, Life, Limits, Lived, Love, Magenta, Mangle, Mexico, Minds, Moments, Mystery, Oils, Old Mexico, Painting, Pass, Pleasure, Poetry and Poems, Question, Raw Scent, Rebellion, Red, Relief, Remain, Rosary, Run, Said, Same, Sheerest Sensuality, Sight, Stains, Suffered Wounds, Tears, The Bible, The Cachuchas, The World, Tragic Reality, Truth, Undderstood, Water Colors, Whisper, World of Colors, Years
Leave a comment
First Principles: Equal Laws Protecting Equal Rights; the Best Guarantee of Loyalty and Love of Country
“Equal laws protecting equal rights; the best guarantee of loyalty and love of country.” – James Madison (1820)
Posted in First Principles
Tagged Country, Equal Laws, Equal Rights, First Principles, Guarantee, James Madison, Love, Loyalty, Protect
Leave a comment
Thought For the Day: Kindness Is Always Fashionable, and Always Welcome
“Kindness is always fashionable, and always welcome.” – Amelia Barr, novelist (29 Mar 1831-1919)
Posted in Thought For the Day
Tagged Always, Amelia Barr, Fashionable, Kindness, Thought For the Day, Welcome
Leave a comment
Writing Our Own Stories
Writing Our Own Stories
by Michael Doyle
We find ourselves in our struggle
Emerging from our strife into life
It seems to me, that we too often juggle
The solutions that can be overly rife
It is us who write our own story
As we listen beyond that which is auditory
To truly hear who we are meant to become
As that someone beats its own drum
We often edit if and as we write honestly
Though at times, this is not done concisely
There is something in life's artistry
That breaks through with our pounding integrity
The story of ourselves evolves inside our heads
It emerges from our hopes overcoming our dreads
From this story, we learn to build ourselves
Half-inspired from imagination, but also from our shelves
That hold the books that lead the way
Inspired as we are by our passing days
Let's make these stories inspiring and engaging
Through the gambles that we are always waging
Daring as we do through our own hands
Knowing full well these are our lives to command
Each finger pointing, points to a different journey
Only our hearts and minds decide our destiny
Life is fulfilled by our excitation
That goes beyond the rote recitation
That too often speaks into silence
This, then, is the dullness that does us violence
(c) March 28, 2024 Michael Doyle
All Rights Reserved
Posted in Poetry and Poems
Tagged Auditory, Become, Books, Build, Command, Concisely, Dare, Destiny, Different Journey, Dread, Drum, Dullness, Edit, Emerge, Engage, Evolve, Excitation, Finger, Gamble, Hands, Head, Hear, Hearts and Minds, Honestly, Hope, Imaination, Inspire, Integrity, Juggle, Lead, Life, Life's Artistry, Listen, Lives, Our Own Stories, Passing Days, Poetry and Poems, Recitation, Rife, Rote, Shelves, Silence, Solutions, Speak, Strife, Strugle, Violence, Wage, Write
Leave a comment
Thought For the Day: To Convince Someone of the Truth, It Is Not Enough To State It, But Rather One Must Find the Path From Error To Truth
“To convince someone of the truth, it is not enough to state it, but rather one must find the path from error to truth.” – Ludwig Wittgenstein
Posted in Thought For the Day
Tagged Convince, Enough, Error, Find, Ludwig Wittgenstein, Path, Someone, State, Thought For the Day, Truth
Leave a comment
First Principles: The People Are Not To Be Disarmed of Their Weapons. They Are Left In Full Possession of Them
“The people are not to be disarmed of their weapons. They are left in full possession of them.” – Zacharia Johnson (1788)
Posted in First Principles
Tagged Disarm, First Principles, Full Possession, Left, The People, Weapons, Zacharia Johnson
Leave a comment
Grace In This World of Darkness
Grace In This World of Darkness
by Michael Doyle
In this world of darkness
We often find too much harshness
And not enough faith and love
That we are told is given from heaven above
The Lord has paid our cost
In redeeming us from being lost
To become saved as we are found
Keeping our smiles; we are heaven-bound
The Lamb rose to conquer His death
As is proclaimed to our last breaths
By His blood and by His holy name
We manage to rise above our shame
There is a king who reigns in majesty
He is found in the love of the Trinity
There is but one true path; we find our way
Joyously living our salvation every day
We give ourselves over to live in God's will
Daring as we are in praise, we keep it real
Finding that worthy is the savior's name
Grace goes on as we love in life just the same
(c) March 27, 2024 Michael Doyle
All Rights Reserved
Posted in Poetry and Poems
Tagged Blood, Conquer, Cost, Dare, Death, Everyday, Faith and Love, Found, God's Will, Grace, Harshness, Heaven Above, Heaven Bound, Holy Name, Joy, Keep It Real, King, Last Breath, Life, Lost, Love, Majesty, One True Path, Poetry and Poems, Praise, Proclaim, Redeem, Reign, Rise, Salvation, Same, Saved, Savior's Name, Shame, Smiles, The Lamb, The Lord, Told, Trinity, Us, Way, World of Darkness, Worthy
Leave a comment
First Principles: Remember, Democracy Never Lasts Long, It Soon Wastes, Exhausts, and Murders Itself. There Never Was A Democracy Yet That Did Not Commit Suicide
“I might have exhibited as many millions of plebeians sacrificed by the pride, folly, and ambition of their fellow-plebeians and their own, in proportion to the extent and duration of their power. Remember, democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There never was a democracy yet that did not commit suicide. It is in vain to say that democracy is less vain, less proud, less selfish, less ambitious, or less avaricious than aristocracy or monarchy. It is not true, in fact, and nowhere appears in history. Those passions are the same in all men, under all forms of simple government, and when unchecked, produce the same effects of fraud, violence, and cruelty. When clear prospects are opened before vanity, pride, avarice, or ambition, for their easy gratification, it is hard for the most considerate philosophers and the most conscientious moralists to resist the temptation.” – John Adams
Posted in First Principles
Tagged Clear Prospects, Commit Suicide, Conscientious Moralists, Cruelty, Democracy, Effects, Exhaust, First Principles, Forms, Fraud, Gratification, John Adams, Long, Murder, Passions, Philosophers, Plebians, Power, Proportion, Remember, Resist, Simple Government, Temptation, Violence, Waste
Leave a comment
Thought For the Day: History Is A Novel Whose Author Is the People
“History is a novel whose author is the people.” – Alfred de Vigny, poet, playwright, and novelist (27 Mar 1797-1863)
Posted in Thought For the Day
Tagged Alfred de Vigny, Author, History, Novel, The People, Thought For the Day
Leave a comment
