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

Uncategorized

It’s release day for Clarion Hope!

April 4, 2023by Laurel Luehmann6 Comments

Book number two is out in the world…you can find it here.✨

It wasn’t a coincidence that I chose this day as the release day…

It’s right before we celebrate the ultimate victory ever won: Christ’s victory over sin and the grave, and through Him, our own victory. That’s what this book is all about, folks.

It’s my prayer that, as you crack open this book, you are reminded of your insufficiency, Christ’s complete sufficiency, and the hope and the power He gives you through His victory.

Here’s a bit of Scripture I read this morning that I found really applicable to today…

Then comes the end, when He (Christ) delivers the kingdom to God the Father, when He puts an end to all rule and all authority and power.

For He must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet.

The last enemy that will be destroyed is death.

No more mourning.

No more tears.

No more grieving over the brokenness of a fallen world.

He has slaughtered death, and He will do it again.

Praise His name!✨

Happy release day, friends.

❤ 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

Uncategorized

More haikus!

February 20, 2023by Laurel Luehmann11 Comments

Hello, friends!

Remember the haiku roundup I shared awhile ago? Here’s a sequel.:)

clumsy

what love it would take

to die to win a heart that

loves so clumsily!

effervescence

her effervescence

spilled from a deeper spring than

her frail emotions.

guitar

vibrating steel sings,

bouncing beauty through a void

and echoing joy.

laurel

You were crowned victor –

yet You placed the laurel wreath

on my guilty head.

starlight

starlight pricks the sky…

shatters the hold of darkness…

offers midnight hope.

diamond

diamond in the rough –

mere carbon turned gem by the

press of deepest pain.

Thank you to all of the Instagram friends who shared the prompts with me!

Did you have a favorite haiku?

❤ Laurel

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