Saturday, January 21, 2012

Then Came the Dawn

.
Then came the dawn
of changing times
of shifting winds and paradigms
when all but gone
was memory
of how we lived and used to be.

It was the year
that some foretold
on scribbled stone in days of old
“Sit now and fear.
For all your days
will fade in this galactic haze.”

It was the year
that others told
to those in other days of old:
“Sit now in fear
and trembling still.
Work out your faith as is His will.

"For it is not
the task of man
to set or see the sovereign plan
nor then to plot,
according to........................................................ Mayan calendar in stone

the flesh, what he in turn will do.

"‘Tis all, alas!
what’s meant to be
and though it seems a tragedy,
This, too, shall pass,
and in the end,
bring hope as sun and moon descend.”

Then came the dawn
of changing times
of shifting winds and paradigms
when all but gone
was any fear
of what might happen in that year.

© Copyright 2012 Tom Kapanka

In case you didn't know it, the year of our Lord 2012, according to some mystics, is going to change (or end) our lives. Spend some time reading this Wikipedia article and you'll get the general idea. It opens by saying, "... Many contemporary fictional references to the year 2012 refer to December 21 as the day of a cataclysmic event…” That article closes by citing many cultural references to this phenomenon, including this note for tourists:
.
"In 2011, the Mexico tourism board stated its intentions to use the year 2012, without its apocalyptic connotations, as a means to revive Mexico's tourism industry.... The initiative hopes to draw on the mystical appeal of the Mayan ruins. On December 21, 2011, the Mayan town of Tapachula in Chiapas activated an eight-foot digital clock counting down the days until b'ak'tun 13 [December 22, 2012]."
.
We at CCS do not ascribe to any "Dooms Day" prophecies that set dates--especially from pagan sources. Consider the paragraphs above a primer for trivial conversations about the "2012 phenomenon."

I don't mean to trivialize, however, the importance of this year for our school.

In the weeks and months ahead, the School Board will be updating our school family about the transition to an independence as well as the continuity of the most important aspects or our Christian school program. The school board, administration, teachers and nearly everyone else involved agree that the new independent paradigm will help ensure the future of an inviting, growing evangelical K-12 CCS for west Michigan.

Note about the writing process: The short poem above uses medial rhyme (as seen in "Summer Road") and a variation on alternating tetrameter and dimeter lines (eight-count and four-count) (as seen in "My Father's Hands"). But these lines follow a 4-4-8 count, medial rhyme while including a pattern of initial rhymes (the first word of the 1st and 4th lines of each stanza). Sometimes incorporating that much form in poetry hinders the function. Here are the same words in prose form with links for further understanding. [Click on red text below to go to links.]
.
Then came the dawn of changing times of shifting winds and paradigms when all but gone was memory of how we lived and used to be.It was the year that some foretold on scribbled stone in days of old: “Sit now and fear. For all your days will fade in this galactic haze.”It was the year that others told to those in other days of old: “Sit now in fear and trembling still. Work out your faith as is His will. For it is not the task of man to set or see the sovereign plan nor then to plot, according to the flesh, what he in turn will do. ‘Tis all, alas! what’s meant to be, and though it seems a tragedy, This, too, shall pass, and in the end, bring hope as sun and moon descend.” Then came the dawn of changing times of shifting winds and paradigms when all but gone was any fear of what might happen in that year.

Monday, January 2, 2012

Snow at Last!

In Between...
.
How drab the days
when fallen leaves
blow to and russet fro
and likewise later
melting March
without a bud to show.
The variegated leaf,
the frozen river’s flow...
at last the empty
in between
is covered by the snow.
© Copyright 2007, Tom Kapanka


I don't know about you, but the fall of 2011 seemed very long for many reasons. I've heard many of our CCS family and friends say it was because we had no measurable snow in November or December. I agree. Only in songs was our Christmas white. Not until New Year's Day did real snow arrive. I'm glad to see the dingy grays of autumn gone.

Michiganders are four-season folks who aren't afraid of change, but we sometimes feel forlorn in the months when we stand in between what was and what's to come.  

As 2012 begins, it's good to be surrounded by a huge blank slate of snow, with shovels in hand, to clear the way for where we need to go. Like never before this winter will be a time to work and watch and pray and wait for God's wonder to bloom in the spring.