Perfect Sipping Wine and Other Poems

By William J. Feickert

Just what is "perfect"? How can anything be perfect? Must perfect be sipped? These poems explore what faith, in the Triune God, can do. From ordinary life of batting gloves to the inner thoughts of the mind, these poems give tastes to the thinking about just what common daily life is when the gift of God's grace gives us hope, faith, and love. Is God's grace like wine when it is accepted?

The author is a retired federal civil servant widower living with one of his daughters and her family in Columbia, Missouri.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Apr 27, 2021
• ISBN: 9781098074913

Book preview

Jail House Ministry

There it was

in the church bulletin

jail house ministry

those

that want

to go

call or tell

the Associate Pastor

and

I remembered

the Bible verses

to

visit

those

in prison

as

told by

Jesus

After

church

at home

I ask

my wife

if

she

wants

to go

to jail

Of course not!

was

her

answer

and we

talk about

the jail

ministry

We

both have

distastes

about

going,

mainly

people

not like

us

that don’t talk like

that don’t think like

us

that don’t behave like

us

that don’t believe like

us

but

Jesus

says

to love

them

to visit

them

to minister unto

them

We call

we go

massive

concrete, brick, steel

locks, cameras

yet

the four of us

are seated

as about twenty inmates

come in

orange clothes

women

plastic sandals

women

mixture of races

women

various aged

women

mostly young

women

and they act

like grade school

children

in taking

their seats

that are in a circle

A prayer

then

a pairing up

talking

to each

other

things

like

name

favorite holiday

favorite food

then we speak in turn

telling

what our

partner

had told us

to the

rest of the group

My visiting heart

melts

as they

tell of

missing this holiday

or that holiday

missing time without their family

missing time without their children

missing favorite meals

then

my turn

I

speak

of

what I

had heard

A young women’s

favorite holiday

yet to be had

with her few

months old

baby

and

she loves

to eat

tuna fish on white bread

and if lucky

some mayonnaise

to go with it

and I think

what life is this

that has a holiday

favorite food of

dry tuna fish sandwiches

and being

happy for it

and my heart

cries for

her

A Bible’s verse

a short sermon

by Pastor

a hymn

a prayer

Pastor

takes requests

for prayers

prayers for children

prayers for mothers

prayers for community service or treatment

instead of state prison

prayers for direction

prayers for help

prayers for guidance

a prayer for getting

through life

a prayer for fellow inmates

They

line up

at the door

it magically opens

with a buzz

they go

We then go

we then walk

we then leave

we then drive

and we be

Every night

I

pray for them

I

wonder

about them

I

will

go back again

for

they

need us

need our love

need our friendship

need our smiles

need Jesus

You Stood Next to Me

Jesus

you

stood next to me

and

brought me out of the depth

of the hallway to Hell

after

I

surrounded myself

with darkness

and made myself

darker and darker

than the darkness

that surrounded

myself

you

took away

the fear

that only fear

can increase

beyond the dead

where it concentrates

into an overwhelming tiny, tiny

spot,

the black hole

of the soul,

then

you moved me upward

to your

light

that sparkles the heavens

and

gives life

of love

to all

that matters

forever and ever

Perfect Sipping Wine

Wine

the fermented kind

that which made

the blessed Noah drunk

after he was

the first tiller

following the great flood

had planted

a vineyard

you see

wine was given to humans

by God

to brighten up their hearts

yet He wants

us not to be

drunk with it

for then we

would not know

He is the Lord,

our God,

good wine

very good wine

is hard for most folks

to come by

for it is expensive

and sadly, money exultation

overrules joy of the