I Saw the Flowers

By I.M. Ulysses


I saw the flowers
On the roadside today
Reaching for life
In the summer sun's rays


The petals unfurled
Grasping the light
That God had created
By dividing the night


Yellow and red
White and pure blue
They reminded me when
My life was still new


I envied their peace
And their simple repose
WhileI drove down the highway
As the mountains arose


Neither sowing or reaping
God gives them life
On the world He created
For His own delight


Was I worth more
Than these little blossoms
Whose raiment I'm told
Is greater than Solomon's

This was my thinking
As the road went around
When I saw a hurt deer
That had been struck down

It writhed in pain
From blow to its side
And as I pulled over
The poor creature died

I gathered it up
In my arms I did carry
To a place by the mountain
In order to bury

I dug up the ground
Which I made a grave
And put in the deer
That I could not save

A few words in silence
But then I depart
Yet there by the mountain
I left open my heart

The year passed by slowly
Then summer arrived
So I returned back
By the grave's mountainside

Around it I found
Three fawns and a doe
It's children and mate
Who had come to mourn

They let me approach
And come to their side
In quiet remembrance
Of the one who had died

Then to my wonder
As I let my gaze fall
Beyond the small grave
Where the deer breathed its all

Bathed in the sunlight
A new hope had come
And as I approached
I saw what begun

From the shadows of death
In the twighlight of pain
My heart skipped a beat
When I saw the flowers, again.

For Marion

TRuth

By I.M. Ulysses

Who are you
And why are you here
Have you been sent
To dry these old tears

A sweet gentle voice
That calls far away
Awaking the heart
Like the sun's gentle rays

A few little words
That brings back to mind
A measure of worth
That has been denied

Can you restore
What has since fled
And bring back to life
A spirit half dead

This I don't know
As I sit here thinking
Of what may happen
When my eyes stop blinking

Maybe you're just
A lost little angel
Looking for love
In a man still a stranger

Whatever you are
And however you came
You have to accept
That not much remains

For once I was larger
In her eyes than life
Before she got scared
And brought out the knife

She cut me to pieces
Then ripped out my heart
And from that day to this
I've been torn apart

Are you the one
To brave all the storms
From the tempest unleashed
In a heart still forlorn

Or will you flounder
As others have since
Drowned by the agony
Of the hell I've been in

It won't be easy
For this heart to save
But I admire the courage
Of the strong and the brave

Thank you, dear sweet
For bringing me hope
Lost as I've been
At the end of my rope

I never expected
That someone would care
And show me a path
Out of all this despair

Fear not tomorrow
Cast down your sad thoughts
And believe in the Power
That Heaven has wrought

The place where I am
Is where I've remained
Praying that God
Would remove all my pain

Seek me and find me
The Lord did to me say
And I'll give you comfort
And show you The Way

But my ways were dark
And the path seemed so dim
No hope and no reason
To struggle there-in

That's where you found me
On the road to perdition
Heading to Sheol
For my bad decisions

Deserved was my fate
Till you turned me around
And showed me the face
Of a mercy unbound

Now I'm at peace
Awaiting the moment
When I can show you
That I'm bowed but not broken

Bent at the knee
I slowly arise
Too look at the face
Of a lady so wise

My armour is rusty
And my blade is quite dull
The chainmail is broken
Yet the heart remains full

As I look on your face
The truth comes at last
I've been living a dream
These many years past

Awake now I see
The fool I've become
Longing for death
Instead of freedom

This you must know
Before it is time

When God reveals what

Is His will divine

Be brave my sweet angel
Fear not I'll retreat
No phantom will haunt

This heart when we meet

The Crowned One I am
And for this I was made
To stand at the altar
In God's power arrayed

Like Boaz of old
I'm here to redeem
The promises made
To Naomi's blood stream

Like knights of the past
My word is the Truth
You restored my hope
Now believe in me, Ruth

For Ruth P.
Remember, the pizza's on me! (;->)
Hugs!
Ulysses.

At War...With Me

By I.M. Ulysses

Time goes by slowly
And yesterday's lost
Yet I remained haunted
By this demon host

Upon me they come
These souls now forsaken
From the ashes of death
The lives I have taken

I thought they were dead
Long lost in the past
But they are still here
And my spirit's downcast

They strike in the night
In depths of the eve
As I dream of those days
That I long to see

It is two and seven
A decade and more
Since the battle commenced
That started the war

But how can I fight
What cannot be reached
Nor win against that
Which cannot be breached

My heart thus turns
To that holy ground
Where once I believed
My God could be found

Father I cry
Forget me not this day
That I came unto you
And begged for a way

From a whisper of wind
And a gentle snow fall
I look up to Heaven
And hear God's angel call

I spoke to the Lord
She says unto me
Your destiny's safe
And you shall be free

Safe in His arms
He'll dry all your tears
In the land of your birth
And restore the lost years

Armed with His word
I return to the fight
Only to find
No demon in sight

I gasp in my wonder
At the foe I can't find
When I realize then
That those demons were mine

They fall upon me
In moments unseen
When I think of the lives
I could not redeem

If only I'd been
A far greater man
I might have saved some
From satan's vile hand

This is the battle
That has vexed my soul
And will till the day
That God sends me home

For now though I pray
And seek His release
Knowing that I'm
Still at war....with me

The Scepter

By I.M. Ulysses

The Scepter was passed
Into my hand thrown
And time has arrived
For me to go home

A heavy burden
On my shoulders falls
And though I dread it
My destiny calls

The hour of truth
The time of decision
Which I have awaited
Has this day been given

I called unto Heaven
And sought out the Lord
To whom I had prayed
Through His Great Word

He shows me a road
Whose barriers are gone
And all that remains
Is the will to move on

Forward, my son
The Father commands
Your family's been freed
It's now in your hands

Hold fast to the faith
That is your reward
And soon you shall see
What I have in store

Backwards to the future
The path lies ahead
Go on it by faith
Without fear or dread

Upon His great Word
I have made my stand
And cast all my fears
In God's Holy hands

Guided by grace
And raised by His Spirit
I rise from my slumber
And reach out to meet it

He carries me off
To a land far away
Where once dwelled a child
Who has still remained

Broken and hurt
He cries in the night
And swears unto Heaven
This wrong he'll make right

I stared and I pondered
At who this might be
When all of a sudden
I knew it was me

In wonder and sadness
I hunted for words
Trying to explain
Just what I had heard

Like a thunder of water
Christ spoke from above
Follow you heart, child
And I'll guide you with love

But Lord I'm unworthy
I said in my grief
My sins are too many
I deserve no relief

Rise ye before me
Christ spoke one more time
And as I got to my feet
He said 'you're still mine'

From the moment I made you
I gave this command
My servant you'll be
And forever you'll stand

Take now the scepter
Let it guide your way
Follow your heart
And you'll never stray

I bowed my poor head
And the Lord He departed
As I gazed unto Heaven
I thought 'why have I doubted'

The past is now over
The future's begun
And though I am weary
I am not overcome

The years have been many
But time has stood still
As I wonder just what
Was God's Holy Will

How he took a young child
And made him a man
By giving him sorrow
In this foreign land

This I may never
Completely discern
Or why my whole heart
Should for the past yearn

All that I know
Is that God's will was done
And after my prayers,
His answer has come

Backwards to the future
From west now to east
I gather my strength
For the day of release

The nightmare is ending
The path is made clear
And soon I shall travel
Down it without fear

As I gaze at the scepter
Which was to me thrown
I truly believe
That I'm going home.

Lights Out

By I.M. Ulysses

They're gone again
Those markers at night
That accounced the birth
At the Saviour's sight

Each year they appear
And brighten the eve
Little reminders
For those who believe

As December moves past
Even more can be seen
As others in turn
Enlighten the scene

Then just as quickly
They fade back to black
The celebrations end
With presents unwrapped

Gone are the colours
That lit up the sky
Those dazzling beacons
That said Christmas is nigh

So too the Santas
On their little thrones
That brought peals of laughter
To the children in rows

Christmas is over
It's time to move on
And put away that
To which the Holidays belong

Slowly they're doused
As the new year begins
Along with the words
Of hope and good things

The year presses onward
And Spring has soon sprung
The celebration of life
Which begins its new run

Soon it is followed
By Summer and by Fall
When we praise God
At the Harvest Festival

Then comes the snow
Which covers the land
Telliing us that
The Season's at hand

Before we can say it
The markers alight
Cutting the darkness
In a blaze of delight

So once again
The cycle's renewed
The lights have come on
In the cold interlude

For now though we watch
As another day passes
And the snow which has fallen
Still covers the grasses

Like ship moving forward
Time can't turn about
And as I ponder this thought
Another light goes out