Poetry – Laurel Luehmann

Poetry

glowing horizon – a poem

May 15, 2023May 12, 2023by Laurel Luehmann8 Comments

the sun slips behind a glowing horizon,

weary of casting light upon

the wicked deeds of man.

perhaps…

in the morning…

but over and over

the sun rises and sets

on a world that crowns wickedness

and spits in the face of righteousness.

one day…

I know…

a greater Son will rise and

fall no more,

casting light on a throng of faithful men

who treasured the light of this Son

while others basked only in the glory of

the one that slips now beneath a glowing horizon.

Will I ever stop writing poetry that a.) contains sunset imagery, and b.) looks forward to eternity?

I think not.

❤ Laurel

Photo by Dan Cook on Unsplash

Poetry

wardrobe – a poem

April 17, 2023by Laurel Luehmann14 Comments

Hello, friends!

Today I’ve got a poem for you inspired by some pretty awesome characters from literature…

I’m Lucy in the wardrobe,

Bilbo at his door,

Mary at the garden’s edge,

Jo longing for New York…

afraid to leave behind the world

and life I’ve always known,

afraid to lead a different life

than what this land has known…

but what songs will not be sung,

and what tales will not be told

if I venture not outside my door

to burgle dragons’ gold?

Fun fact: this poem stars in my latest poetry book, Clarion Hope!

What are some of your favorite classics, and who are some of your favorite characters from those books?

❤ Laurel

Poetry

rumblings – a poem

April 1, 2023by Laurel Luehmann2 Comments

Three days to go!!

I let go

any rights I think I have to

resolution.

weeping,

I lay broken, untold stories

in Your hands,

Your promises of better tales

held close against

my racing heart.

I listen,

my ear pressed against

this shattered earth,

rumblings of hope

pulsing strong deep below.

I smile to know

there is more than meets the eye.

This poem comes from the second section of Clarion Hope: recovering Eden. Quite possibly my favorite section, it really hits on what Paul expresses in Romans 8 — “…the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now…even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body.”

We see the brokenness of a sin-riddled world and we weep. Yet in the middle of that, we recognize that redemption is coming…that the perfect fellowship of Eden will one day be restored because of Christ’s perfect sacrifice.

Can you see why I titled it Clarion Hope?:)

If this sounds like something you’d like to have in poetry form, here’s the preorder link!

❤ Laurel

Poetry

ghosts – a poem

March 30, 2023by Laurel Luehmann7 Comments

And so begins the countdown to Clarion Hope’s release day!

I’m going to be sharing a post a day until release day, so either buckle up or shut down your computer, depending on how you feel about Clarion Hope spam. XD

I wanted to kick it off by sharing a poem that comes from the first section of Clarion Hope.

The first section is titled fading scars, and it captures the emotions that fluctuate as we find ourselves to be broken people in need of healing…falling at the feet of the Healer. Regret, despair, gratitude, relinquishment…this section has it all.

Here’s one of my favorite poems from that first section.✨

ghosts

etch the tale in silver: how

we’ll break the chains of the past asunder,

and kindle a fire of

paper-thin ghosts

that once proudly bore our faces…

(for that’s you and me no longer.)

If you resonated with the themes of fading scars or enjoyed ghosts, you may want to get your hands on a copy of Clarion Hope. If you order today, it just may arrive in time for you to read it on release day!

If you’d like you can order your copy here. ✨

Stay the course!

❤ Laurel

Poetry

love lets go – a poem

March 13, 2023by Laurel Luehmann14 Comments

Every now and then I write a poem that I just want to read over and over again. This is one of those poems.

they told me love lets go,

and I replied, “it can’t be so”,

for to love is to show the loved

how much you care…

how much you need them there.

but slowly I am learning…

love smiles and waves

as the loved one walks away

on a path marked “God’s clear calling”.

the songs were wrong –

love doesn’t long

for eternal nearness only…

love goes deeper

farther

wider…

longs for the good of the loved

even when the good of the loved is

goodbye.

they told me love lets go…

and I folded empty hands

and I replied,

“yes, it is so.”

Photo by Marc-Olivier Jodoin on Unsplash

Poetry, writing updates

Clarion Hope Cover Reveal

January 25, 2023by Laurel Luehmann13 Comments

Behold: the shell of the soul-words that cry for beauty on the battlefields.

This cover makes me so happy, and I feel that it truly represents the poetry inside. There are some deeper meanings beneath the design that I’ll delve into someday soon, but for now, the important details!

*insert a “pay attention” sort of cough*

the official info

dare to dream that there’s more than this broken road,

and that beauty may lie on tomorrow’s edge…

A sequel of sorts to the author’s debut collection, Clarion Hope takes the spark of courage held out in This Will Not Last and fans it into a roaring flame. Over and over again, scars are healed, brokenness is bathed in tears, and fear is buried in the name of the truth and hope of the highest order.

For the boldest warriors and the faint-hearted alike, Clarion Hope is a battle cry to live in the light of the coming Kingdom.

Clarion Hope officially releases on April 4th, 2023, but you can preorder it now and have it shipped just before release day so you can hold it in your hands (and read it!) on April 4th.

Preorder it on Amazon

Preorder it on Barnes & Noble

Mark Clarion Hope as “to-read” on Good r eads

Ahh, I’m so excited.:) Who’s with me??

❤ Laurel

Poetry

Father of lights – a poem

December 19, 2022by Laurel Luehmann5 Comments

Another poem I wrote for the 12 days of Christmas poetry challenge my friend Alexandria and I are co-hosting on Instagram!

one breath from You

sent a shower of sparks

across a thousand years,

and a million dying souls caught fire

in the flame of Your majesty,

and they spin round the sun

as they fight off the dark

with each battle cry of love,

waiting breathlessly for the ripening dawn

when the death of dark shall come.

Personal, Poetry

a poem about love, fingerprints and stage fright

December 12, 2022by Laurel Luehmann7 Comments

Have I mentioned that coming up with titles is not my forte?

my sweater wore sequins,

my skirt wore plaid.

eight-year-old fingers

(fingers destined for the piano,

my father had said)

trembled and left

little sweaty fingerprints

on the black construction paper

that held my sheet music steady.

a child bowed, and I left my seat

and my comfort zone, stretching

eight-year-old fingers

on ancient piano keys.

deep breath.

count down.

play the song.

somehow

habit overcame fear, and

eight-year-old fingers

pulled a tune from

ancient keys.

exhale.

stand up.

smile and curtsy.

twelve years of leaving

my seat and my comfort zone

scraped away layers of fear,

leaving a flayed, perfected love of

sharing beauty.

perfect love casts out all fear.

now twenty-year-old fingers

stretch across strings that

thrum with song,

and love overcomes fear

as I pull raw grace

from a scarred guitar.

exhale.

breathe in.

do it again.

Photo by Clark Young on Unsplash

Poetry

the daily choice

November 28, 2022by Laurel Luehmann5 Comments

There’s not much to today’s post…just a little journal entry that’s masquerading as a poem today. It’s a reminder I need on a daily basis, and I hope that it blesses you, too. ❤

I choose You, Father.

Not me.

I choose Your battles. Not mine.

I choose Your weapons. Not mine.

I choose Your heart. Not mine.

I choose Your way. Not mine.

I choose Your vision. Not mine.

I choose You, Father.

I choose You.

(Also: my next newsletter comes out this Thursday…so if you aren’t signed up and would love to have some sneak peeks of Book 2 pop up in your inbox (along with other interesting randomness), go ahead and subscribe through this link!)

Poetry, writing updates

Coming soon…

November 14, 2022by Laurel Luehmann5 Comments

Cue the call to battle…we are at it once again!

As I’m looking at the above graphic, I’m thinking about how wrong it feels that 2023 will be here in less than two months…but I’m also so excited because it means this next book will be here in less than five months!

Book #2 will be another poetry book (surprise, surprise!), but as of yet, I’m not sharing many more details. There will be a cover reveal with a blurb coming soon, but for now I’m letting you guys guess as to what this next book may hold. Here’s your clue:

Book #2’s playlist

I love the way that music communicates where the written word falls short, and so I’ve been compiling a playlist of songs that share the themes I’m writing about in book #2. If you’re into music, go ahead and check out the playlist…and let me know in the comments if you have any guesses as to what the themes of book #2 might be!

Also…if you would be willing to be praying for me as I finish compiling these poems and start the manuscript on its journey to publication, I would be so grateful! God has truly been the one carrying Book #2 (and me!) through this process, and I can’t finish it on my own. I’d so appreciate prayers that:

I would be diligent in writing the rest of this poetry (my deadline for that is November 30th, and I have 12-15 to write yet😅).
God would give me the words to say and the way to say them.
Technology would cooperate with me! XD

Thank you so much for showing up to read and chat with me. I appreciate your support and encouragement so much, and I can’t wait to get this next book to you!!!

❤ Laurel