A Beautiful Thing
A Beautiful Thing
Poured out
a fragrant offering
all that is had
is what she brings.
Sacrificial worship
is a beautiful thing
the preparation for burial
an abundant giving.
Worship is doing a beautiful thing
a fragrant anointing of our King.
©️March 26, 2023, Robbie Pruitt
“Jesus said to them, ‘Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing to me.’” (Matthew 26:10, NIV).
Soichi Wantanabe, Mary Washes Jesus’ Feet
Before the Storm
Before the Storm
The sunset
before the storm
looms like sorrow
before the forlorn
seeking a new day
a sunrise—
a time to be reborn.
December 21, 2022, Robbie Pruitt
A #Sunset Before the #Storm, photo by Hugh Talman.
“From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same the LORD'S name is to be praised.” (Psalm 113:3, ESV).
Provision
“On the mount of the Lord it shall be provided.” (Genesis 22:14b, ESV).
Provision
God provides
the sacrifice
tangled in wood
caught by branches
mangled in thorn
intertwined in blood
stained thicket and scorn
snagged horns and head
bringing life from the dead
©️October 7, 2022, Robbie Pruitt
“Abraham said, ‘God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.’” (Genesis 22:8, ESV).
“And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him was a ram, caught in a thicket by his horns. And Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son. So Abraham called the name of that place, “The Lord will provide”; as it is said to this day, “On the mount of the Lord it shall be provided.” (Genesis 22:13-14, ESV).
Photo by Hugh Talman.
Sun Rays
Sun Rays
Sun rays
shine through
the trees, the palms,
and the morning haze.
Sun rays
pierce through
to the ground
in glory of days.
Sun rays
shatter the darkness
and then the shadows
where the light stays.
Sun rays
dance upon
the forest floor
in kaleidoscope displays.
Sun rays
awaken the morning
—ending the dawn
as it shimmers and plays.
©️September 18, 2022, Robbie Pruitt
Photo by Michael Maio.
Light Stream
Light Stream
Rainbow light stream
pierced the dark sky
separating earth and heaven
from ground to gray cloud
a light bridge lifting the eye
through shadowy shroud
of rain and mist and light stream
the composition of the eternal dream.
©️September 14, 2022, Robbie Pruitt
Photo by Hugh Talman.
FLOWER FROM FISSURE
Excited to have my poem Flower From Fissure published on Spillwords.com! Read the entire poem on Spillwords here: https://spillwords.com/flower-from-fissure/
Flower From Fissure
Beauty sprouts
through crevices
of hard concreteand dark asphalt
in looming shadows
cast upon the street….
There is a Road
There is a Road
There is a road
winding
through the land
embracing mountains
and traversing fields
lending a helping hand
curving around the bends
leading to the place
of soulful amends
where one road begins
and another ends
there is a road that beckons
and the wise go where it sends
©November 9, 2019, Robbie Pruitt
Moonlight Streams
Moonlight Streams
God graced
the rippled dark waters
of the peaceful creek
with moonbeams
reflecting moonlight
in steady streams.
©️April 17, 2022, Robbie Pruitt
Cursed Tree
Cursed Tree
Cursed is the man
who hangs upon the tree
behold the guilty
without one plea.
It was my iniquity
nailed in victory
upon the cursed tree
hanging there for all to see.
April 14, 2022, Robbie Pruitt
“Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree’” (Galatians 3:13, ESV).
Cursed Sign
Cursed Sign
Death—the punishment
for my crime
the body hung on a tree
as the sign in time
to deter future malign.
Cursed is the man
who hangs upon a tree
in death’s misery
a signpost for all to see
the consequences come to be.
©️April 14, 2022, Robbie Pruitt
“Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree’” (Galatians 3:13, ESV).
“Looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:2, ESV).
Wilderness of Zin
Wilderness of Zin
Into the wilderness
we wander and roam
looking for life
trying to find our home.
©June 23, 2018, Robbie Pruitt
Fountain of Anticipation
Fountain of Anticipation
I am waiting by the valley spring
watching the peaceful waters
listening to them as they sing—
wondering what you might bring.
Ghost Valley
Ghost Valley
Through the darkened valley
the wind blows, the Spirit breeze
leading me in gentle whispers
as you had hovered over the seas.
©June 23, 2018, Robbie Pruitt
Walking the Wadi Wilderness
Walking the Wadi Wilderness
These desert wanderings
these vile and lonely temptations
the exile and the stolen dreams—
this life is more than it seems.
©June 23, 2018, Robbie Pruitt
April is #NationalPoetryMonth! To celebrate #poetrymonth, I am giving away a small book of #poetry called #Jerusalem: 17 #Poems for signing up on my website here: https://www.robbiepruitt.com Also available for $5. off is a book of #photography and #poetry by my friend Dave Waldrup and I called #Poetography! Happy National Poetry Month!
Moon Sliver I
Moon Sliver I
The crescent moon
hangs silently
in the winter sky—
the sliver of moon
with bright starry eye.
©️December 9, 2021, Robbie Pruitt
Photo by Michael Starkie, from Unsplash. More photography can be found here: https://unsplash.com/photos/f_BLDYiL5JA
Ten Lepers
Ten Lepers
Ten lepers
wandering the land
begging and bleeding
with outstretched hand.
Ten lepers
one a stranger—
nine a promised people
—living in a strange land.
Ten lepers
crying out for healing
for grace and mercy
in God’s dealing.
Ten lepers
seeking Jesus
in their desperate need
“Have mercy on us!”, they plead.
Ten lepers
heard, healed, and restored
and only one foreigner returned
to thank his Lord.
©️November 25, 2021, Robbie Pruitt
“Then Jesus answered, ‘Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?’ And he said to him, ‘Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.’” (Luke 17:17-19, ESV).
James Tissot - The Healing of Ten Lepers (Guérison de dix lépreux) - Brooklyn Museum
Sea Dunes
Sea Dunes
The wind-swept dunes
witness the waters
as they swell and recede.
The shoreline changing
with the tide and the wind
and there it begins again.
The sea grasses sway
with the gentle breezes
in the calm of the day.
The ocean’s vast expanse
having its own way
as streams of sunlight
pierce the sky blue-gray.
The children run and laugh—
they splash and shriek as they play—
being changed beneath the sun’s rays.
The sea dunes shift and listen
as the sunlight glistens
off the waters of the ocean
—as all of life is in motion.
©️November 13, 2021, Robbie Pruitt
Blood Red
Blood Red
The sun set in blood red
reflecting off the glassy pond
blood red sky at sunset
—clouds in blood red
reflecting like bloodshed
the sky upon the pond
bridging the waters
with the blood red sky beyond.
©️Robbie Pruitt, November 6, 2021
“Thus says the Lord, ‘By this you shall know that I am the Lord: behold, with the staff that is in my hand I will strike the water that is in the Nile, and it shall turn into blood.’” (Exodus 7:17, ESV).