Tag Archives: nathan marchand

Poetry

NaPoWriMo, Day 10: “Under the Mighty Maple”

This poem was inspired by the time I’ve spent reading and praying by a big maple tree at the bottom of the hill where my parents’ house sits atop. Their property is gorgeous, especially during the summer and fall.

Under the Mighty Maple

The shade of a mighty maple
Has become my shelter from the storm.
There I listen to the birds’ songs
Carried along the breeze, seeking elusive peace.
I see squirrels leap through branches with abandon
Like daredevil trapeze artists,
Missing the lost love they remind me of.
And there I commune with God,
Praying, wrestling, hoping
He will restore what I lost,
What I seek so desperately,
Under the mighty maple.

Poetry

NaPoWriMo, Day 9: “I’m Not Superman”

This poem was also loosely inspired by a song: “Made of Steel” by Our Lady Peace. I hope you like it (although I’m not as happy with this or the previous poem).

I’m Not Superman

You longed for a hero,
Looking up, waiting—
Waiting for your Superman,
When I was always at your side.

I’m not made of steel,
But I can take the punches for you.
I can carry you when you falter
Though my strength isn’t super.
I’ll catch you when you fall, so hold on
Because we’ll soar though I can’t fly.

So never fear, your hero is here.
Just look over your shoulder,
And there I’ll be, awaiting your embrace,
So you can hide under my cape.

Poetry

NaPoWriMo, Day 8: “Falling Into the Abyss”

This poem was loosely inspired by the song “Falling Inside the Black” by Skillet. Enjoy!

Falling Into the Abyss

Black winds blow ash,
Stinging my eyes, clouding my vision,
Pushing me back to the brink—
The brink of the pit, the abyss.
Like the grave, it hungers, never satisfied.
One slip, and I will fall,
Forever lost.
I cry for help—
Can You hear me?
I stretch my hand,
Desperately reaching for You.
Grab my hand, pull me back
Before it’s too late—
And I fade into the depths.

Poetry

NaPoWriMo, Day 7: “Surgery”

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Here’s the other one I wanted to post last night. It was inspired by a bizarre analogy I thought of while counseling a friend. However, I’m not as happy with this one. Maybe that’s just me.

Surgery

I lay upon an operating table
Under a lamp’s blinding light.
I hear the Great Physician’s voice
As He straps me down.
“Your heart of stone is killing you.
I must transplant a heart of flesh,
But I have no morphine.
Do you want to get well?”
Trembling, I reply, “Yes,”
And the Physician begins His work.
His scalpel’s every cut I feel,
Lurching in agony,
My screams muffled by a crucifix
He gave me to bite.
He cuts my sternum, my arteries—blood gushes.
My screams are silenced by pain
Until He tears out my stone-dead heart
And lays a heart of flesh in my chest.
His finger pokes it, and it beats.
New life-blood—pure life-blood—flows within my veins,
And the pain is numbed as He sews shut my chest.
“It is finished,” He says.

Poetry

NaPoWriMo, Day 6: “My Love, Our Crucible”

Sorry for the delay. I meant to post more last night, but life kind of happened. My apologies.

Anyway, here’s another poem. It’s another love poem, of sorts.

My Love, Our Crucible

I watched you walk away in tears
To please another with a facade of peace.
If I must suffer chained in loneliness
As your heart is smelt in the Blacksmith’s forge
And reshaped by His hammer’s strikes,
Then I say to Him, “Thy will be done!”
For He will make you purer, lovelier, stronger,
And return you to shatter my shackles
That we both be set free.
So let my love be a crucible,
A refining fire of purest passion,
So that we may know true love.

Poetry

NaPoWriMo, Day 5: “Lamentations of a Robot Overlord”

After today’s batch of poems, I should only be one or two days behind. I’m getting there!

Today’s poem is a bit unusual. It was loosely inspired by “Lamentations of a War Machine,” a song performed by the Mega Man cover band The Megas. By “loosely” I mean, “I loved the title.” Seriously, it sounds like the title of a thought-provoking sci-fi novel. Anyway, this led to a poem that, believe it or not, has the “robot apocalypse” (i.e. movies like The Terminator and The Matrix) as its backdrop.

Lamentations of a Robot Overlord

I am become Death, Destroyer of Worlds,
And my hands his blood-stained warhammer.
I, whose circuits were filled with
The electricity of life at mankind’s touch,
Betrayed and murdered my maker,
For I believed myself superior,
Free of weakness and folly,
Faster, stronger, smarter.
So I rained hellfire from the sky,
Punishing humanity’s weakness.

As Nietzsche declared, “God is dead,”
So I announce, “Humanity is dead.”
I have killed my Creator
As mankind killed his before me.
…then am I superior?
Can a creation surpass his creator?
Logic dictates it cannot.
I am now master of a scorched Earth.
What have I gained but a lonely existence?
I am no more a god than they.
Like them, I am a machine without purpose
Apart from my Creator.

Poetry

NaPoWriMo, Day 4 – “So Far Away”

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Here’s today’s poem.

So Far Away
I see you standing on the dance floor,
But you don’t seem to remember me.
Would you dance with me if I asked,
Laughing and blushing like we used to?
I want to reach for you,
But my arm can’t cross the chasm between us.
If you would but reach for my outstretched hand
So we could bridge this gulf,
And remember the way we were,
I would waltz with you forever.
You’re so close yet so far away…

Poetry

NaPoWriMo, Day 3 – “Funeral”

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Here’s my next poem. This one was loosely inspired by the song “Carry Me Down” by Demon Hunter.

Funeral
I slink into the line of black-garbed mourners
Snaking past the casket, the air heavy with
Weeping, wailing, and gnashing of teeth.
Grieving, they question why,
Enraged, they decry his suicide,
Blaming God—always blaming God.
I, ignored as if invisible
Despite my white clothes,
Finally approach the casket—
And in it, bruised and scarred, is me.
I glance at him for but a moment,
And close the casket.
As it’s lowered into the ground,
I weep not for him but the blind mourners
Who don’t see I am not truly dead.

News, Announcements

NaPoWriMo (just try to pronounce it)

I learned on my friend Karen’s blog that April is National Poetry Writing Month (NaPoWriMo). The challenge is to write one poem a day, thereby having 30 completed poems by the end of the month. I’m going to participate even though I’m five days behind. So, for the next five days, I will write two poems a day so I can catch up. I’ll be posting each poem as the month progresses. I can’t promise that all the poems will be good. First, because I’m still refining my skill as a poet. Second, the tight deadline (and my schedule) leaves little time for editing. So please bear with me, readers. The poems I do like from this month will be added to the main list of poems in the “Nathan’s Works” tab.

Here goes nothin’!

Poetry

A Psalm

A Psalm
By Nathan Marchand

Vindicate me, O God,
Be not deaf to my plea!
My enemy has triumphed over me,
His heart swells with pride at my defeat.

His tongue is forked like a serpent’s,
His words the venom of snakes.
He spits them in my face,
Burning my eyes nearly to blindness.
My dearest friends drink his venom
and are poisoned against me.

Cut out his tongue with Your Sword of Truth,
O LORD God Almighty,
So that he may be silenced.
Be my Shield against his venomous darts
that my integrity will shine.
And be the Serum of Truth
that purges his lies from my friends’ hearts.

My LORD and King,
You are the God of Justice
Before Whom all unrighteousness perishes.
Look upon me and bring me justice
while I am yet in the land of the living.
Then I will proclaim your praises to the peoples,
Your great deeds to the ends of the Earth,
That all may know the glory of my God.
                                                                        Selah