Unseen
except by the All Seeing.
Unnoticed
except by angels.
Unheard
except by God.
Lonely
but not alone.
Empty
but full of
possibility.
Forgotten
but his name is
written in gold.
Michael James Fitzgerald
Unseen
Poetry
Allegiance
With hand over heart
I pledge allegiance
to the honest spirit
who saved me
from myself.
And to the truth
for which she stands,
one warrior
under God,
undefeatable,
with mercy
and kindness
for all.
Michael James Fitzgerald
How Can You Feel Hatred?
How can you feel hatred
without being angry?
How can you be angry
without placing blame?
How can you place blame
without passing judgment?
How can you pass judgment
without being deceived?
How can you be deceived
without yielding to pride?
On the other hand . . .
How can you offer love
without also being patient?
How can you offer patience
without showing kindness?
How can you show kindness
without feeling empathy?
How can you feel empathy
without having compassion?
How can you have compassion
without being gracious?
How can you be gracious
without being humble?
How can you humble
with yielding your will
to God?
Michael James Fitzgerald
Remember
I remember those
forgotten, nameless,
women and men
who died
in blood-soaked
uniform,
blank checks
written to
the order of
me and a
distracted country,
who lie in
earth scattered
graves,
whose unsung,
bitter monuments,
whisper freedom
to angels and stars.
To you I owe
more than
this elegy,
more than
my ordinary life
can yield.
Michael James Fitzgerald
Connection
It’s not our palms
clasped in
welcome
forgiveness,
not the sand
stretching
before us,
touching
infinity,
not your heart
spilling out
unforgettable
tremors,
it’s your
simple truth,
unbearable,
fervent,
familiar,
lashing the shore
of my very being.
Michael James Fitzgerald
“Disciple of Life”
Men are born soft and supple;
dead, they are stiff and hard.
Plants are born tender and pliant;
dead, they are brittle and dry.
Thus, whoever is stiff and inflexible
is a disciple of death.
Whoever is soft and yielding
is a disciple of life.
The hard and stiff will be broken.
The soft and supple will prevail.
Lao Tzu, from Tao Te Ching, no. 76, translated by Stephen Mitchell
Psalm of Praise
Great is the God
of my mother,
great is my
father’s God.
Honored and holy
be His ever
great name.
The Name
above all other
names, the
Lord of all lords,
God of gods,
the Great I AM
is His name.
Selah.
Sing His name in
the earth,
O ye saints,
sing it in the
heavens, ye angels.
Holy and praised
be His ever
great name.
Amen.
Michael James Fitzgerald
I Don’t Care
I don’t care about your weaknesses.
I have plenty of my own.
Let’s work on them together.
I don’t care about your sharp words.
They are open wounds that need
the gentle balm of sunlight.
I don’t care about your sins.
You know all of mine.
Why remember what heaven
promises to forget?
I only care about the
piercingly authentic,
perfectly imperfect,
tenderly affirming,
unassuming,
unadorned You.
Michael James Fitzgerald
So Close
"So close you can't see it. So subtle your mind can't understand it. So simple you can't believe it. So good you can't accept it." —Loch Kelly
A Child’s Eyes
Let me see
the world
you want
me to see
a world
where I don’t
spite myself
for trifles
or judge with
check stand
eyes
where all is
innocent hope
for the
unfailing
ministry
of snow.
Michael James Fitzgerald
