©2016 Susan Noyes Anderson

Of late, I have been much away from home,
not of my own design but others’ need.
The mind finds compensation as I roam:
appreciation for the life I lead.

©2016 Susan Noyes Anderson

Perhaps I’ve slipped the bonds of earth too soon,
or maybe I have simply loosed my grip
and orbited, a rather ghastly trip
that leaves me somewhere underneath the moon.

©2016 Susan Noyes Anderson

image by Del Parson, used by permission
of Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Are we not all beggars
before our risen Lord?
In death, all things are lost to us,
save those He hath restored.

©2016 Susan Noyes Anderson

image by Jurica Koletic on Unsplash

When life rears up and strikes me down,
when all the world turns bleak,
I look to God for hope and find
the comfort that I seek.

©2016 Susan Noyes Anderson

What is this creature on my chest?
Blue elephant has come to nest.
My lungs are smashed; my heart is crushed.
My whole, wide world in blue is brushed.

©2016 Susan Noyes Anderson

image by Jackson David on Unsplash

Be with me, Father, on this day
when worries steal my peace away.
Watch over ones that I hold dear,
and let them feel thy presence near.

©2016 Susan Noyes Anderson

image by Bella Huang on Unsplash

Sometimes I curl my toes
against the tide.
Immovable, I catch
a swell of pride
and ride it nowhere.
Only I hold sway.
No force of nature
spirits me away.

©2016 Susan Noyes Anderson

image by Casey Horner on Unsplash

When bleakness reigns, refuse to yield,
for you were meant to sing.
Bow down your head against the storm,
then set your heart on spring.