by Cheryl Merrick
The ominous "Big Brother",
predicted by a 1950 futuristic novelist,
who watched your every move
and controled even your thoughts,
morphed in the second millennia.
The fearful black-hooded figure of doom
has donned the colorful, excessively helpful,
and incredibly persuasive guise of
Google, Bing, and Yahoo,
and the chatty friendliness of Facebook,
Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest.
Showing posts with label Worldliness. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Worldliness. Show all posts
Saturday, October 28, 2017
Tuesday, April 5, 2016
Walking Through a Crowd
by Cheryl Merrick
Feeling your distress
I cringe in pain.
You are hurting
and I can not help.
You try to hide it
behind a strained smile,
benumb it with activity,
or an insulate it with fat,
but you do not feel loved.
You dress to please & impress;
slinking in your high heals & short shorts,
or strutting in you bodacious beard & chains,
but love will not be bought.
As I see you trying to grasp happiness
in a multitude of ineffectual ways,
my heart aches.
Feeling your distress
I cringe in pain.
You are hurting
and I can not help.
You try to hide it
behind a strained smile,
benumb it with activity,
or an insulate it with fat,
but you do not feel loved.
You dress to please & impress;
slinking in your high heals & short shorts,
or strutting in you bodacious beard & chains,
but love will not be bought.
As I see you trying to grasp happiness
in a multitude of ineffectual ways,
my heart aches.
Monday, March 28, 2016
You Can't Take It With You
by Cheryl Merrick
Nobly, wearing their suffering
like a metal pinned on their shirt,
They rush here and there,
stressed, tired, and cheerless,
Doing the things that “need” to be done.
With no time for thought or planning,
They scurry around finding
No time to build relationships,
not even with the Lord,
No time to nurture themselves or others,
No time to notice the many gifts
they have been given,
or even any time to enjoy life at all.
Obsessed with “shoulds”
They dash and run, muttering,
like the poor white rabbit
from Alice in Wonderland,
“I’m late! I’m late!”
As day after day is consumed in
amassing and caring for things,
and constant but purposeless movement,
They completely forget that
You Can’t Take It With You.
Nobly, wearing their suffering
like a metal pinned on their shirt,
They rush here and there,
stressed, tired, and cheerless,
Doing the things that “need” to be done.
With no time for thought or planning,
They scurry around finding
No time to build relationships,
not even with the Lord,
No time to nurture themselves or others,
No time to notice the many gifts
they have been given,
or even any time to enjoy life at all.
Obsessed with “shoulds”
They dash and run, muttering,
like the poor white rabbit
from Alice in Wonderland,
“I’m late! I’m late!”
As day after day is consumed in
amassing and caring for things,
and constant but purposeless movement,
They completely forget that
You Can’t Take It With You.
Monday, March 21, 2016
Worldly Power
by Cheryl Merrick
Blinded by self,
they can only see others
as mere things
to be used
in their vain attempts to
satisfy their desires.
Unable to create,
they can only take
what others
have produced.
Blinded by self,
they can only see others
as mere things
to be used
in their vain attempts to
satisfy their desires.
Unable to create,
they can only take
what others
have produced.
Wasted Days
by Cheryl Merrick
Desperate to find meaning in a meaningless life,
their eyes rove as they search
for that new procession
that will bring them happiness
Looking at it in the light of their own home,
away from the magical mall music and glitz,
the object seems pathetically inadequate.
Desperate to find meaning in a meaningless life,
their eyes rove as they search
for that new procession
that will bring them happiness
Looking at it in the light of their own home,
away from the magical mall music and glitz,
the object seems pathetically inadequate.
Value of a Woman
by Cheryl Merrick
Blinded by selfishness,
the world does not see
a noble daughter of God before them.
As they myopically focus on
“What use is this person to me,”
they reduce people to mere objects.
Though they attempt to cram their life full of possessions,
they have unknowingly doomed themselves
to a lonely, soulless existence,
devoid of closeness or love.
Blinded by selfishness,
the world does not see
a noble daughter of God before them.
As they myopically focus on
“What use is this person to me,”
they reduce people to mere objects.
Though they attempt to cram their life full of possessions,
they have unknowingly doomed themselves
to a lonely, soulless existence,
devoid of closeness or love.
Self Centered Life
by Cheryl Merrick
Ever concerned that they are noticed
and given the respect
their wealth and position deserve,
they carefully adorn themselves
with sparkling jewels, metals,
and all the latest designer clothes.
So with their professional hair cut,
manicured nails, and uncomfortable heals,
they mince their way up the hill
looking in booths for more objects to buy
as they attempt to fill the emptiness
of their self centered life.
8/6/2013
Ever concerned that they are noticed
and given the respect
their wealth and position deserve,
they carefully adorn themselves
with sparkling jewels, metals,
and all the latest designer clothes.
So with their professional hair cut,
manicured nails, and uncomfortable heals,
they mince their way up the hill
looking in booths for more objects to buy
as they attempt to fill the emptiness
of their self centered life.
8/6/2013
Revealing
by Cheryl Merrick
Let me imagine a better you
Hide from me those
four tummy rolls,
your panty line,
and tattoos – Please!
And I will see instead
the beauty and strength
of the person
you could become.
Let me imagine a better you
Hide from me those
four tummy rolls,
your panty line,
and tattoos – Please!
And I will see instead
the beauty and strength
of the person
you could become.
Persuit
by Cheryl Merrick
In an ever constricting world,
driven by obsessive selfishness,
some work long hours for riches,
while others desperately pursue prestige.
Ever hungering for happiness,
they acquire more and more,
but numb by their excessiveness,
they feel less and less.
In an ever constricting world,
driven by obsessive selfishness,
some work long hours for riches,
while others desperately pursue prestige.
Ever hungering for happiness,
they acquire more and more,
but numb by their excessiveness,
they feel less and less.
Possessions
by Cheryl Merrick
Hugging the object
tightly in her arms,
the girl gleefully declares,
“It’s mine!”
With the passage of time
novelty wanes
leaving past treasures
to amass in dusty corners,
unused and forgotten,
but jealously hoarded.
Hugging the object
tightly in her arms,
the girl gleefully declares,
“It’s mine!”
With the passage of time
novelty wanes
leaving past treasures
to amass in dusty corners,
unused and forgotten,
but jealously hoarded.
Modern Life
by Cheryl Merrick
Trial marriages
Token children
Abandoned families
Eating food that bugs refuse,
they are both overweight
and malnourished.
Flaunting clothes that provide
little protection or comfort,
they give up self respect.
Trial marriages
Token children
Abandoned families
Eating food that bugs refuse,
they are both overweight
and malnourished.
Flaunting clothes that provide
little protection or comfort,
they give up self respect.
Saturday, March 19, 2016
Mirroring Their Heart
by Cheryl Merrick
Seeing dark motives
lurking in shadowed corners,
Fearful that others
are plotting to harm them,
Refusing to walk in the light
they grope through their day,
Full of distrust and doubt.
Their words mirroring
the darkness in their heart.
Seeing dark motives
lurking in shadowed corners,
Fearful that others
are plotting to harm them,
Refusing to walk in the light
they grope through their day,
Full of distrust and doubt.
Their words mirroring
the darkness in their heart.
Making Time
by Cheryl Merrick
Acquiring unnecessary possessions,
Maintaining high upkeep homes and yards,
Inefficiently running errands,
They fill their day as if activity alone
could give meaning to their lives.
And even though they have wandered
off the path to their avowed goals,
they feel a smug satisfaction
in the tremendous time they are making.
Acquiring unnecessary possessions,
Maintaining high upkeep homes and yards,
Inefficiently running errands,
They fill their day as if activity alone
could give meaning to their lives.
And even though they have wandered
off the path to their avowed goals,
they feel a smug satisfaction
in the tremendous time they are making.
Last Days
by Cheryl Merrick
Sobered by devastating waves,
I consol myself
that the Lord prophesied
they should come.
Looking around I see couples
callously trading in their partner
for another one,
like a new toy to please them.
Sobered by devastating waves,
I consol myself
that the Lord prophesied
they should come.
Looking around I see couples
callously trading in their partner
for another one,
like a new toy to please them.
Feeding Frenzy
by Cheryl Merrick
Like uncontrolled animals,
they jostle and crowd,
eyes alight with greed,
grabbing things they don’t need.
Constantly on the move,
they stuff empty calories
and drugged “energy” drinks
into their gaping mouths.
Convinced that their value
is based on arousing others,
they, in constant self-adsorption,
flaunt, paint, dye,
and pierce their bodies,
until only a hard ugliness remains.
Like uncontrolled animals,
they jostle and crowd,
eyes alight with greed,
grabbing things they don’t need.
Constantly on the move,
they stuff empty calories
and drugged “energy” drinks
into their gaping mouths.
Convinced that their value
is based on arousing others,
they, in constant self-adsorption,
flaunt, paint, dye,
and pierce their bodies,
until only a hard ugliness remains.
Changing Times
by Cheryl Merrick
Growing up in the 1950's,
I enjoyed a slower paced world.
Fathers worked all day.
Mothers were home,
and children had time to play.
Yes, woman had few career opportunities
and were totally dependant on their husbands for their support.
There was prejudice against Jews and Blacks,
nitrates and colorings in our food, and
DDT was seen as a heaven sent prevention for malaria.
We had to share our phone line with many people,
and clothes were dried outside on a clothesline.
Families had one car,
and colored TV was a green, yellow, and blue piece of plastic
taped to the front of the screen.
Growing up in the 1950's,
I enjoyed a slower paced world.
Fathers worked all day.
Mothers were home,
and children had time to play.
Yes, woman had few career opportunities
and were totally dependant on their husbands for their support.
There was prejudice against Jews and Blacks,
nitrates and colorings in our food, and
DDT was seen as a heaven sent prevention for malaria.
We had to share our phone line with many people,
and clothes were dried outside on a clothesline.
Families had one car,
and colored TV was a green, yellow, and blue piece of plastic
taped to the front of the screen.
Monday, May 11, 2015
Hidden Costs
by Cheryl Merrick
Encouraged by glib assurances of
“You can afford it.”
“Your family deserves it” and
“Besides it will increase in value”,
they sign the contract for the luxury home.
As the years pass, the “hidden costs”
begin to appear.
Encouraged by glib assurances of
“You can afford it.”
“Your family deserves it” and
“Besides it will increase in value”,
they sign the contract for the luxury home.
As the years pass, the “hidden costs”
begin to appear.
The Path to Happiness
by Cheryl Merrick
From the movie screen and acclaimed authorities
oozes glitzy, golden promises.
They confidently claim
the path to happiness
will be found in acquiring more:
From the movie screen and acclaimed authorities
oozes glitzy, golden promises.
They confidently claim
the path to happiness
will be found in acquiring more:
Fulfillment
by Cheryl Merrick
Encouraged by society to
“Seek her fulfillment”,
the mother leaves the
“Stifling environment of home”
and enters
”the liberating work force.”
Where she is promised
“stimulating adult communication”,
“recognition of her abilities”,
and “money to buy all the things she wants.”
Encouraged by society to
“Seek her fulfillment”,
the mother leaves the
“Stifling environment of home”
and enters
”the liberating work force.”
Where she is promised
“stimulating adult communication”,
“recognition of her abilities”,
and “money to buy all the things she wants.”
Wednesday, October 1, 2014
Dangerous People
by Cheryl Merrick
Like a person drowning,
those who don’t feel loved
desperately grab
at whoever is near.
Like a person drowning,
those who don’t feel loved
desperately grab
at whoever is near.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)