Regarding "Ode to a Ginkgo’s Leaves"

The ginkgo tree is originally a
Native to China, and fossils of this tree,
Very similar to the present living
Species, go at least as far back
As 170 million years. To say, therefore,
That the ginkgo is hardy is
An understatement! In fact,
The gingko has even
Proven resistant to the
Atomic bomb! On August 6, 1945,
The United States dropped
An atomic bomb on
Hiroshima, Japan. There
Were six ginkgo trees near the
Blast center, and they are
Still alive today! Because of their
Resilience, the ginkgo has
Become known as
The “Bearer of Hope.”
And so when I was in
Sammamish, Washington
Recently, and was watching
My granddaughter
Perform some lacrosse
Drills outside a local school,
I noticed that the
Landscaping included some
Small-to-medium sized
Ginkgo trees. . . I immediately
Went over and stood
Amongst them, and let their
Ancient, fan-shaped leaves dwell
Upon my shoulders.
It was like a spiritual
Moment, and I felt their
Healing grace at once. It was as if
I had been a bystander in
Jerusalem 2000 years
Ago when Jesus entered the
City on a donkey, and
His followers laid palms
Along the route of His travel.
Such is the holiness of
The ginkgo that, in my opinion, its
Golden leaves could have
Equally served to cradle and give
Reverence to the
Footsteps of Jesus.
Believing is seeing, and
The light of hope
Is everywhere. That is
What the message of this
Poem Is about.

Leo Carroll
December 12, 2022

Regarding "One Day"

I was recently doing
Some reading, and came into my mind
The clear phrase, “One day,”
And right afterwards more
Words, “The sun came back out.”
It was a statement about the
Lifting of darkness from
Someone’s life, anyone’s life,
Each of our lives. . . It is
So easy to become distracted
And ensnared by almost
Anything in this frenzied world,
And we can find ourselves,
Directly or indirectly,
In a place of endless night. . .
The malaise can seem
Without hope, but as the
Verse says, “One day, the sun
Came back out.” The accompanying
Poem is about that ‘day.’
It is a poem about how
An affliction of any sort can
Be lifted from us, and
When it is, our eyes are opened
Again to the beauty which
Surrounds us, especially
Those things beyond
And outside ourselves. . .
And to take this one step
Further, and to apply a
Spiritual perspective to this,
The lifting of an affliction
Can occur just when the
Particular condition or situation
Has pinned us to our
Lowest point, when our
Weakness is at its greatest, when
Our prayer is at its most
Earnest and desperate, and
When we are the most
Dependent upon God.
It can be then that the
Creator lifts our burden with
One finger, and from our
Lips rise up the sweetest scents and
Sounds of a paean’s song.

Leo Carroll
July 30, 2022

Regarding "Who Dares Say This?"

When I was watching
A video clip of the wild sea state
Occurring at Plum Island
On January 29th, I
Was reminded of the
Old Christian hymn,
“How Great Thou Art.”
The basis for this famous
Work was a nine
Stanza poem written by
Swedish minister,
Carl Boberg, in 1885.
He had been on the Swedish
Seacoast on a beautiful
Day, when he was
Overtaken by a tremendous
Thunderstorm of
Unspeakable power.
And then, just as suddenly,
The sky changed again,
And a beautiful blue
Appeared and birds began
To sing! He dropped
To his knees and began
To utter words which
Would be the basis for his
Poem and afterwards
His song. Next to “Amazing
Grace”, it is considered
The most beloved
Of all Christian hymns.
Flash forward to several
Weeks ago, when on
January 29th, a ‘bomb cyclone’
Snowstorm ravaged
New England and parts of the
Massachusetts coastline
With up to 30 inches
Of snow. In the midst of the
Frenzy that day, a very
Brave woman had, in a sense,
Her own Carl Boberg
Moment, and captured a
Forty two second video clip of
What it was like that
Instant to stand just a few
Bare feet from a wild,
Frigid Plum Island surf.
Thanks to the courage
Of that woman, we, too, can
Understand how someone
In 1885 would say,
“How Great Thou Art!”

Leo Carroll
February 13, 2022

Regarding "So Cold"

These two poems are
Simply two instantaneous
Impressions of what an
Old, worn oak leaf lying on a
Winter ground manifested
To me. The oak leaf,
Lying atop snow crystals
And accompanied by a few
Sparse pine needles,
Could potentially convey an
Infinite number of
Possible meanings and
Associations. In theory,
I could write of this
One scene my remaining
Life and never lift the
Lid on all the aspects and
Interpretations.
Everything about us has
Countless takes and
Re-takes as if in a studio
During filming. This is because
Everything is part of
The unknowable mystery
Of Creation, and as the
Lord said in Isaiah,
“For My thoughts are not
Your thoughts, neither are
Your ways My ways.”
Creation’s faces are
Uncountable and ever-
Changing, but unfailingly
Have imprinted on
Them the divine features
Of Love and Beauty,
Together with those of life’s
Every day cares.
Just look into the eyes of
Whatever or whoever
Stares back at you, and you
Will see the light and
Shadows and hurt and
Happiness of the moment.