I stand in utter darkness, thick and deep
Below, the rough waves crash on endlessly
Around me, stinging wind and cold rain weep
And yet I set my eyes in faith before me
For the one hope in this uncertainty
And there it comes, a beam of clear green light
In steadfast rhythm shines on fearlessly
A compass beacon sent to land and sea
The faithful lighthouse guides worn travelers through the night
The heavy brush of morning mist
Rolls across my skin
As pink and orange clouds’ fingertips
Stretch to the day begin
The birds shout out their joyful cheer
The morning now to greet
And sun-touched roses open wide
Their fragrance warm and sweet
Oh to catch the mist that holds
The scents, the hues, the song
And keep it in a bottle
To sip the winter long
Three months of snow and ice and cold
An arctic polar land
Three months of scorching, humid heat
A home on desert sand
And in between, three months of rain
A muddy flooded strand
But the other three months rival none
Rare days of warmth and green and sun
That’s why Ohio’s so grand
Purple petals drifting down
Scattered softly on the ground
Dry up in the summer heat
Crumbled brown beneath our feet
Buried by crisp leaves of fall
And winter’s snowy sparkling shawl
In chill spring air, green sprouts appear
The jeweled iris crowns the year
Clinging to a pumpkin leaf
The monarch’s fuzzy wings unfurled
To coal-black splotches ringed in orange
A tiny jewel in the world
Wild flowers glowed with dew
The monarch’s thread-like tongue uncurled
To drink the nectar, sweet and clear
A tiny jewel in the world
When the shimmering sun was high
The azure sky with clouds was swirled
Up—up—the monarch soared away
A tiny jewel in the world
Sunset streaking bright across the sky
A Midwestern show of Northern lights
A Master Painter’s canvas hung so high
Iridescent colors flung like kites
A backdrop of the richest purple hue
Blending upward to a royal blue
In contrast to the flaming yellow glow
At the horizon that in upward flow
Alights on layered clouds in dark repose
Transforming into fuchsia, ruby, rose
And shines up to illuminate still higher
Great arcs of orange fluorescent fire
In minutes this dramatic show will fade
To engulf the sky in night and shade
But still the Artist paints it at this hour
To remind us of His love and power
