Frances Irene Nuite Lofton (1928-2010)

(Today, June 18th, is the 6th anniversary of the death of my dear friend, Frances Irene Nuite Lofton. She was an 82-year old saint. She was a poet, mother, grand-mother, and faith warrior. She had been my mother’s best friend and became my dearest friend. She prayed for me and my children every morning at 7:30 am.  These are a few of her poems.)

 

Hold Back the Dark (c.1998)
(A plea for refugee relief)

Hold back the dark
For one more day.
A penny
For a crust of bread
will buy
A night of sleep
For eyes too dry
For tears.

Hold back the dark
For one more day.
A penny Tossed
into my hand
is hope restored.

*************************************

For the Spiritually Abused

Lord,
I am worried about your children,
those who are spiritually abused;
the Toddlers yelled at
from the pulpit
And taught fear of the Lord
from an abusive father.
God,
I’m afraid for our young people
Who have Hell and Damnation
flung at them
like lasers of Star Wars
And Lord,
there are Old Grey Heads
dying alone
with these same echoes
still ringing in their ears.
Lord,
I know that the fear of the Lord
is the beginning of wisdom
But please,
will you make it a little clearer
that fear doesn’t mean terror
And hiding away in the dark from you
is not what your Father-love wants.
O God,
please fling open
the windows of your Word
so all your children
can stand in the light.

**********************************************

Look Homeward Heart

Tonight
the city skies have a country look
and I long for home.

My heart looks homeward
down city streets,
across sluggish rivers
spanned in steel
Caring nothing
for the honking traffic
or blinking lights.

My heart, traveling homeward,
hurries before oncoming night;
it becomes one
with the sighing of pines
and cedars
down the darkening country lane

At last –
it sees the familiar bend in the road ahead
and hears the whip-poor-will
start its night song
at the corner of the porch,
and my heart sinks
in warm sweet weariness
before the open door of
home.