God's Surface

O God, with You I barely scratch the surface,
I only think about You off and on,
it's hard to see You in my daily circus,
I meet You for a minute, then I'm gone.
What thoughts of mine could ever probe Your mind?
Someone like You I cannot take apart,
how can I touch a soul I cannot find,
And where is there to go to know Your heart?
For One Who's everywhere, how can I search?
For One invisible, where can I look?
I can't see You enough by going to church,
nor touch You in the pages of a book.
Then when I give up trying for awhile,
I glimpse You in a little child's smile.

                      -- by Pete Voelz      9/07

Over Clover

Conceited weeds may lord it over clover,
but humble clover grows a meadow wide;
by clover fields wherever goes the rover,
the clover's globe and coneheads can be spied.
The clover's tiny florets crossed the ocean
and eighty clover species drove from there;
the bumblebees pollinate the clover potion
to sell us their best clover honeyware.
The clover feeds our livestock fragrant fodder,
with nitrogen enriching clover sod,
most all a clover's edible with water,
and clover seeds help birds fly close to God.
As He pours riches on the clover clan,
the clover pours all over beast and man.

                            -- by Pete Voelz      2002

God's Truth

Truth is of God, we but discover it,
for truth with us exists all on its own,
truth’s real and is objective every bit,
our minds are programmed so it can be known.
Math’s also there to be discovered true,
God counts the numbered hairs upon my head,
God, Who makes laws, won't pull a switcheroo,
two posts plus two are four to my deathbed.
Truth, math and law are but the iceberg's tip
for God can change them like a miracle,
the naysayers just have to get a grip,
God's mysteries, like life, are wonderful.
Like math, truth is predictable and pure,
for God is not some oddball amateur.

                            -- by Pete Voelz      7/09

One Prayer

If I can pray one prayer with all my heart,
then my poor life may have some meaning yet,
more than some sweet song or great work of art,
one prayer well prayed I never would regret.
God does great things with prayer in His delight,
our thoughts God hears like thunder when we pray,
like lightning God responds with all His might,
and pours like torrents of rain His grace our way.
God reads the heart when prayer is prayed sincere,
He sees the faith when prayer's aimed right at Him,
He knows exactly how we feel down here,
He even lets us sense His presence dim.
You drench me, Lord, with love because I dare
to offer You my little well-prayed prayer.

                              -- by Pete Voelz       6/09

Alienated Not

I am not alienated from You, Lord,
how can I bite the mighty hand that made me?
I can’t oppose Your terrible swift sword,
I want to aid the One Who’ll always aid me.

What more can God give me that He has not--
my life, my freedom, His own infinite love?
He’s granted to me everything I’ve got,
and soon eternal joy in heaven above.

If no one else defends You, Lord, I will,
though how can the Almighty need defense?
Perhaps because we’re free to love or kill,
and some want to kill You, if that makes sense.

If alienation’s arrogance we choose,
nothing to win and everything to lose.

                     -- by Pete Voelz       3/27/12

Death Wonder

O Death, you mystery, you awesome thing,
you mighty door to everlasting life,
what opening to eternal joy you bring,
what closing to our painful earthly strife.

O Death, you tragedy, you awful trip,
what portal to our torment you would tell,
what doom to precious body here we grip,
I’d like instead to send you straight to hell.

Lord, only You have all the answers to
the endless wonderment we have of death,
if we were wise we’d hightail it toYou,
to make our peace before You quench our breath.

The Lord of life and death, O God, You are,
no point to rage against Your guiding star.

                          -- by Pete Voelz       3/26/12

God's Memory

When I have been forgotten and long gone,
with all my sad possessions left behind,
God's memory will keep me on and on,
and I will be so glad that He is kind.
When all the people I have known are dead,
what I have done for them in life will stay,
the only thing now that I have to dread
is if I have mistreated them some way.
My ancestors await me there in heaven,
and hopefully they'll welcome me above,
I still must get my awful sins forgiven,
and do here yet a lot more prayer and love.
O God, I'm grateful You remember me,
help me be worthy of Your memory.

                          -- by Pete Voelz       4/09

Soul Sonnet

O soul, why are you so, so far from me?
Why do I keep you, soul, far from my self?
We two are joined for all eternity,
why do I oft just leave you on the shelf?
O soul, I know you are my spiritual side,
why don't I put more value on your part?
I use you, where my mind and will reside,
why don't I let you rule more of my heart?
O conscience, you're the center of my soul,
but I am quite, it's true, afraid of you,
for there, alone with God, who's in control?
To share my freedom there, what would I do?
Be not afraid, O soul of infinite worth,
let me now nourish you while still on earth.

                      -- by Pete Voelz       6/10

Two Worlds

We have our world that's real and God has His,
can we begrudge a God wanting His own?
We feel our world's the only one there is,
but actually it's only ours on loan.
God made our world to independent be,
yet every rock and tree sings out His praise,
we think we're on our own because we're free,
but free to choose to praise Him all our days.
Since we belong to God, our world's His too,
we and our world are meant to be His friend,
we're free to choose to love our whole life through,
and bring both worlds together in the end.
Help me, O Lord, so long this world endures,
to make my world as wonderful as Yours.

                                   -- by Pete Voelz       9/09

Love Heart

Since You love me, O God, I can’t go wrong,

except to sin against You in some way,

but Your love, Lord, inspires me to be strong,

and not fall to temptation every day.

How good I feel You love me all the time, 

I look to see You, listen to hear Your voice,

You fire me to put my feelings into rhyme,

my cup You fill, my tongue You make rejoice.

You lust my love and so You made me free,

Your lust’s no sin, but merely strong desire,

only Your burning love made You make me,

as Your love burns, let my love too be fire.

O God, let me of You be more than fond,

to Your love heart let me likewise respond.

                         -- by Pete Voelz     3/22/12

God Out There

When I say, "God's out there," what do I mean?
His there is further out than any there,
with nature's things He does not intervene
because He permeates them everywhere.
His big bang burst of light began Creation,
the stars spread outward near the speed of light,
His finger formed its first and firm foundation
yet pushes back the infinite tide of night.
Why did He go to such great lengths to make
a world so soon corrupted by a man?
Yet in our fallen state He won't forsake
the ones who reach above His starry span.
God stretches far beyond our puny science
to show how much He is our soul reliance.

                      -- by Pete Voelz       12/04

Having My Cake

I want to have my cake and eat it too,
I want to be forgiven, then sin again,
I won't do what I tell myself to do,
I won't stop sinning for I like my sin.
I want the worldly things, God's far away,
I like to have the things of here and now,
the future's far, I'm focused on today,
I'll take what's mine and work it out somehow.
St. Paul wrote, with himself he was at war,
he prayed to have a thorn torn from his side,
I know God will forgive if I implore,
my ambiguity He will abide.
Let me not, God, eat too much of my cake,
so I can give You some for my soul’s sake.

                      -- by Pete Voelz      8/07

God's Eyes and Ears

God turns no deaf ear, no blind eye to me,
for where would be His unconditional love
if He would nurture not my destiny
but tinker solely with His heaven above?

God left His heaven to come here, suffer and die
just for me, so why would He now ignore
the prayer sincere of some poor sap as I,
who puts his hope in Him forevermore?

God only asks a little from me here,
why I ignore Him doesn’t make much sense,
He eagerly turns His eye and cocks His ear,
while I pass by His eye for merriments.

Why do I hide my eyes and ears from Thee,
Who gives His life, His love, His all for me?

                   -- by Pete Voelz         3/18/12

God's Time

What time God has that He has time for me,
He has a trillion stars He must control,
but for His time He has eternity
and infinite love to lavish on my soul.
God greatly cares for us in God’s good time,
and what a good time waits for us in heaven,
the mountain of His mercy we must climb,
if we want to repent our sins forgiven.
A moment between two eternities,
how long our lifetime when we’re free to choose,
some time in prayer we should spend on our knees,
for God’s good time we have no time to lose.
Will I get good time off my lifetime race,
if I take, Lord, Your gift of time with grace?

                         -- by Pete Voelz     3/18/12

That Great Passage--Phil. 2:6-11

Though Jesus Christ was in the form of God,
He did not hold to this equality;
He emptied all divinity to plod
like some poor slave with our humanity.
He humbled Himself to the point of death,
upon His cross obediently He died;
all of His blood He gave and His last breath
to open for the faithful heaven wide.
Because of this, God raised Him up on high,
and placed His Name o'er every other name,
so that each time His Name we signify,
the knee of everyone should bend the same.
And every tongue should shout with one accord
that Jesus Christ in heaven and earth is Lord.

                         -- by Pete Voelz        2002

Infinite Light

The universe sweeps at the speed of light
into dark space, no bigger than a flea,
its fourteen-billion light years width and height
a speck in God's own vast infinity.
God's love my way speeds faster than the light,
more rollicking, more desperate than the sea,
while I, so often lost in my own night,
refuse to feel His love's infinity.
I do not see how tender is the light,
that shines forgiveness, all His care to me,
nor do I take the time to keep in sight
His gentle mercy's vast infinity.
O God, why am I tepid to Your care,
when infinitely You light me for a prayer?

                          -- by Pete Voelz       12/07

Right Now, Right Here

O God, how can I fear when I'm with You,
How can I be afraid when You're with me,
when every word I say I hope is true,
since every word is for eternity?
Your presence, Lord, can banish all my fears,
my heart takes courage when I know You're near,
no need for terror, trembling or for tears,
my faith's enough that You're right now, right here.
I step into Your light, no need to hide,
You show Your face to me, I lift up mine,
my hand You take just like my heart inside,
near Your divinity, I'm more divine.
With You, Lord, near, right now, right here's my space,
no fear for sure while I'm in Your bright grace.

                                -- by Pete Voelz      8/09

Testy God

O God, I test and try You with my sin,
You are a jealous God, a testy Lord,
and easily tried, Your sacred skin so thin,
a pinprick wounds You almost like a sword.
I test Your mercy with the wrongs I do,
offended so much by these crimes of mine,
You give forgiveness tried so often too,
such tests won only by a love divine.
O testy God, You put me to the test,
I am the one who must pass muster here,
to win Your test of love's my only quest,
to fear but faithfully follow without fear.
Our common test, O Lord, I pray I pass,
and glimpse Your mercy darkly through the glass.*

*  1 Cor. 13:12

                              -- by Pete Voelz         5/09

Unsurprising Mysteries

Someday God’s mysteries will be no surprise
for those to whom He chooses to reveal
His mysteries then they’ll see with opened eyes
and realize the reality that’s real.
We don’t see now how ignorant we are,
how unenlightened, limited and dumb,
our puny minds can’t comprehend a star,
God’s galaxies will glow ‘til Kingdom come.
What does it take to fathom God’s ways here?
We see with eyes of faith, we know by love,
we chuck our pride, our worldliness, our fear,
aspire instead to higher gifts from above.
You tell enough to us, Lord, I can wait
to know it all when I reach Heaven’s gate.

                       -- by Pete Voelz        3/13/12

Facing God

O God, I want to walk right up to You,
I want to stare You squarely in the face,
and yet I know that's something I can't do
because I've brought You into such disgrace.
I really want to run away and hide,
and from Your watchful vision disappear,
I couldn't face You even if I tried,
I'd fear to face Your punishment severe.
And yet I know Your love can conquer all,
so long as I am sorry for my sin,
I know You catch me every time I fall,
no matter how much trouble I am in.
So maybe, Lord, I still can face You square,
and revel in the merciful love You share.

                             -- by Pete Voelz     5/09

The Universe for Me

God made the universe for me,
and, oh, behold for you,
He blinked in His eternity,
and all our dreams came true.

He tossed like marbles one by one
the planets in the sky,
and bade them circle round the sun,
like cherries in a pie.

He hid Himself in little hints
from fish to birds and bees,
just like He left His fingerprints
across the galaxies.

He spiced each piece most tastefully,
and then He took the whole
and baked a special recipe
to feed my hungry soul.

        -- by Pete Voelz         12/07

Pray Love

Do I love? Then I pray. True love’s a prayer.
Do I pray? Then I love. Prayer is true love.
There is no riddle here, prayer shows I care.
God’s love comes down when prayer is sent above.
If God is love, then prayer to God makes sense,
because from God to me His true love flows;
my true prayer can make all the difference,
when someone needs God’s love and grace, God knows.
Just as true love prompts prayer, so prayer in turn
helps me give others more the love I feel;
a prayer for faithful love God will not spurn,
my prayer prompts God to make my love more real.
Help me, Lord, when I love to also pray
my love is true and will not go away.

                           -- by Pete Voelz      3/10/12

My Success

God does not give much suffering to me,
because He knows how much I am afraid,
He has me work on my humility,
by showing me the dumb mistakes I’ve made.
God wants me to be humble, little, meek,
because God is so big I’m really small,
His great strength shows more truly when I’m weak,
without His power I’d not be here at all,
God wants us all to see how great He is,
so our great sin of pride we can control,
our littleness shouts all our works are His,
we only work as He works in our soul.
So, Lord, for me to have any success,
there must be more of You, and of me, less.

                  -- by Pete Voelz         3/09/12

Prayer Miracle

The miracle of prayer is always there,
but I don’t get to do the miracle,
although I have to pray the miracle prayer,
God takes my prayer and makes it wonderful.
Prayer is my greatest strength, the power of grace,
God lifts my prayer and adds His power to it,
His spiritual and material worlds embrace,
He does it so I do not have to do it.
God’s might plus my small prayer is infinite,
His incarnated spheres are not apart,
and then He gives the best miracle I get,
my miracle prayer comes back to change my heart.
When I pray for some miracle You do,
You send me, Lord, the miracle of You.

                        -- by Pete Voelz       3/08/12

God Bother

Christ is my Brother and for me He died,
God made Creation and He is my Father,
the Holy Spirit is Love personified,
a Trinity of love, so I must bother.
O God, You do intend to bother me,
with eyes of faith, I see You everywhere,
with constant interplay, O Trinity,
You pray I, faithful, bother You in prayer.
This bothers me a lot, as well it should,
Your constant presence finds me thinking of
how I must bother more about how good
I should be and so grant You love for love.
“O bother,” I say like old Win thePooh,
You bother me, Lord, so I’ll bother You.

                    -- by Pete Voelz       3/06/12

Impossible God

Old  Sarah bore a babe though very old,
old ‘Lizabeth too, so that was not so odd,
a virgin was with child by God so bold,
“for nothing is impossible with God.”*
Sometimes I pray for some impossible thing,
so I persist by trusting in the Lord,
then by some sweet surprise He makes me sing,
in some odd way He gives me my reward.
Old Sarah and Elizabeth and Mary
got pregnant by old Abe and Zach and God
in ways that seem to us not ordinary,
but not to God impossible or odd.
I’ll pray like Abe and Zach and Mary too,
for nothing is impossible, Lord, with You.

*Words of Gabriel to Mary at the Annunciation

(Dedicated to friends for a longtime impossible
prayer just answered in an odd way, so they said.)

                            -- by Pete Voelz     3/06/12

Free Faith

If God revealed Himself to me much more,
He'd kill the faith He wants so freely given;
if He showed me what I am destined for,
what would be left for me to merit heaven?
Much more of God would overpower me,
He measures just enough what I can take;
this world He limits to what I can see,
He does not show too much for my own sake.
My freedom would be gone if He told all,
without a struggle, there's no world to win;
without some doubt, why would I bide His call?
Temptation gone, there'd be no test to sin.
God, I must trust that You best call the shots,
I still can choose to love You lots and lots.

                             -- by Pete Voelz        4/08

God's Nearness

God is more near than He is far away,
more than the farthest star He cares for me,
more than a billion years He cares today,
stars die, not I with my eternity.
God loves His universe, He called it good,
but He loves most its pinnacle of man.
Did He make us the best thing that He could?
With infinite love, He loves us best He can.
He stamped His face on us the most of all,
He loves us more than any other thing,
He picks us up the many times we fall,
of all creation He has made us king.
You live in me more than in any star,
O God, may I love You more near than far.

                           -- by Pete Voelz      7/09

Fickle Faith

I love You, God, but only when I want,
yet, faithful God, You love me all the time,
my fickle faith in You is nonchalant,
Your endless faith in me is most sublime.
My aimless love is whimsical and breezy,
Your loyal love is steely, steady, true,
I only want to love You when it's easy,
especially when it's hard, Your love comes through.
About Your love and grace I'm vaguely curious,
I might not know for sure 'til my last breath,
while with them You are supernaturally serious,
You proved to me Your love is life and death.
O God, please help there be some symmetry
between my love for You and Yours for me.

                               -- by Pete Voelz      9/09

God Songs

O God, may all the songs I sing to You
be beautiful and pleasing to Your ear,
may every word be registered as true,
and flow so free Your grace to me down here.
For this short time You've given me a voice
to sing in praising You as best I can,
each day, each Mass, each song I sing a choice,
to waste it or to blast it once again.
If my song sounds quite nice, it matters not,
I'll sing so long as I can do my part,
You want me just to use the voice I've got,
the song You truly wish is from my heart.
To sing my best for You, Lord, I aspire,
auditioning here to join Your heavenly choir.

                           -- by Pete Voelz           6/09

A Flower's Poem

What kind of poem can a flower make?
The wallflower has no paper to write on,
the leadwort has no pencil point to break,
the chalk plant has no letters to be drawn.
What topic would the hyacinth proclaim?
What themes would pretty peonies propose?
What rhythms could the fairy-slippers frame?
What rhymes could be rewritten by a rose?
The catmint's purple blossoms have a lilt,
the cowslip's yellow petals almost sing,
while rosy cranesbill corollas, blushing, tilt,
the wolfbane's blended colors mutually ring.
An orchid needs no poetic words or books,
its poetry stems from just the way it looks.

                          -- by Pete Voelz       2001