“The aim of every political constitution is, or ought to be, first to obtain for rulers men who possess most wisdom to discern, and most virtue to pursue, the common good of the society; and in the next place, to take the most effectual precautions for keeping them virtuous whilst they continue to hold their public trust.” – James Madison (1788)
“The possession of unlimited power will make a despot of almost any man. There is a possible Nero in the gentlest human creature that walks.” – Thomas Bailey Aldrich (1836-1907)
Blood Path of the Samurai
by Michael Doyle
You're not just going to leave
A beheaded man on the ground?
She asked in what I believe
Is her shocked voice sound
You don't see that everyday
But that, my dear, is the samurai's way
Small men snuff out lesser powers
To end their light before their finest hour
The greater good of all the samurai
Is not necessarily the safest for you and I
Protected at all cost, the blood will spill
That some of us might survive to tell the tale
The best secrets are kept in hidden places
Sometimes behind the most unexpected faces
It is then perhaps best not to assume
That anyone can prophesy promise or doom
Still it is, however much it is derided
There are some things that are decided
There are no tricks of jaded reflection
That can escape fate's sacred correction
(c) November 15, 2022 Michael Doyle
All Rights Reserved
“It will not be denied that power is of an encroaching nature and that it ought to be effectually restrained from passing the limits assigned to it.” – James Madison
“No matter our circumstances, no matter our challenges or trials, there is something in each day to embrace and cherish.” – Dieter F. Uchtdorf
Midnight Reflections
by Michael Doyle
Sending I love you echoes across the canyon wall
Into the frigid air of this late fall
Thinking to myself that you were once so near
Now gasping at the thought that you might disappear
The distance is no further than our shared heart
Until I wake at night with a sudden start
Wishing inside my soul that I could hold you close
The teardrops fall heavy like an overdose
The words exchanged sometimes pull me under
And my life becomes one fantastic blunder
Because I know that I need you beside me
But wonder how that will ever or never be
The first time that I ever saw your beautiful face
I knew you were my home, filled with infinite grace
And that I could never be right without you
You are my walking dream made true
Then it is, that I close my eyes
Waiting for the next day's sunrise
Wishing only to feel your sweet kiss
Yours is the ache in my heart and the hand that I miss
(c) November 14, 2022 Michael Doyle
All Rights Reserved
“All that we call human history … [is] the long terrible story of man trying to find something other than God which will make him happy.” – C. S. Lewis (1898-1963)
“If we move in mass, be it ever so circuitously, we shall attain our object; but if we break into squads, everyone pursuing the path he thinks most direct, we become an easy conquest to those who can now barely hold us in check.” – Thomas Jefferson (1811)
Steadfast Against the Culture
by Michael Doyle
There are two kinds of believers
Those committed to the Bible and deceivers
Some are guided by the Holy Spirit to aspire
And then there are the carnally minded led by desire
There are two types of ways to walk
Regardless of what the street might talk
It is a choice between trust and obedience
Or the wanton ways of childish disobedience
It's choice of service to God or self, entangled
And equally so their lives are badly mangled
Are we of God or of that carnal, opposing culture
To what measure will each of these will we nurture
Clinging to the truth, and the truth then applied
By steadfastness Christ's ways have lived or died
Living by the Word as it is carefully read
To be meditated on daily as if it is our daily bread
Study these words with serious intent
Believed whole-heartedly as it is Heaven sent
To be obeyed completely by personal observation
So that it might be shared in confident celebration
This life changing path renews life again
It is impossible to follow while living in sin
Otherwise the worldly culture guides our attention
With cultural inferences gaining influence and retention
Gradually winning over our most heartfelt affection
Putting our focus in a worldly direction
To the point that the world dominates conversation
Influencing our customs and dress without just compensation
A godly life is and can be seen in the light of our eyes
Where love, peace, and joy are clear and easy to recognize
It is in these things that we shine our very best
And what distinguishes a true believer from the rest
(c) November 13, 2022 Michael Doyle
All Rights Reserved
“Everyone discusses my art and pretends to understand, as if it were necessary to understand, when it is simply necessary to love.” -Claude Monet, painter (1840-1926)
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