Poetry

“The Three Hour Cry”

| Laura Lee Bonde

no matter what you do
life gets messy
if you’re living it

people come and go
friends live and die
kids stay and leave

it just…
happens
this life stuff

but I’ve had friendships
that molded my future
and changed my life

I’ve experienced love
that inspired me to BE more
to live more

I’ve grown into the mom
that I wanted to be
that I was meant to be

and along the way
I’ve learned more and more
of who I’m not

being true to myself
has led me to confidence
and seeing my beauty

staying one with God
has lifted me through the toughest times
and the deepest griefs

His Oneness guides me
to love deeper
without walls

and every day
brings a chance to learn
what makes you smile

and today I learned
greasy food and chocolate
feed grief well

“Church-Hopping”

| Laura Lee Bonde

life was never confusing for her
she stumbled threw it quite easily
having never known “right”
she never noticed wrong
until that one day

as she looked at her kids
she wondered what to do
so they wouldn’t turn out like her

frantically
she searched within
to find out what was missing
but it wasn’t what
it was “Who”

God had not been sought

of course that was it!
without Him
life had been full of drugs
alcohol
cussing
and more

but how does one get God for her kids?
thus began the “church-hopping”
she’d hopped enough bars in her lifetime
now to the houses of God

one by one she sat
until finally at rest
but as she tried to ‘get God for her kids’
she ran into Him herself
but it took a while
for her to step INTO His heart

comfort was a place in chaos
love had been a place in bed
honor and respect were never spoken
and peace had been torment

how do you grow out of hell that’s normal
how do you receive a life void of drama
if wrong seems right
then right will seem wrong

eventually
Good prevailed in her heart
and what once was lost
has been recreated in time
never to be misplaced again

“Butterfly Effect”

| Laura Lee Bonde

A beautiful heart
can be misunderstood
at any given moment

A heart that loves wholly
can be taken romantically
when it wasn’t given that way

Where are the times
of close friendships
or have those times ended

Love can be such a beautiful thing
yet at the same time
it can cause such heartache

I dance to dance
not to be danced with

I love to love
not to be loved

I listen to hear
not to be heard

I talk to communicate
not to flirt

This open little butterfly heart
wants to fly back in the cocoon
but I guess that’d be like
entering back in the womb

So I’ll continue to dance
to love
to listen and talk
and continue causing heartache
along the way

“Proof”

| Laura Lee Bonde

the most memorable moments
are the one-on-one times
I get to share with ladies

moments of remembering
the road leading up to
and carrying on in recovery

those moments in sharing
when gentle tears rise inside
remorseful of what I’ve done

of who I was

gentle tears of healing
for both her
and me

tears of being thankful
of who I am now
and what I now do

I’m a living, breathing testimony
of one who has recovered
from a hopeless state of mind

and I’m living proof
that a life lived in God
is one worth living

“Confidence” (or Godfidence)

| Laura Lee Bonde

one God
one love
one moment
one peace

having entered in
I can walk through trials of fire
and not get burned

I can swim through waters of life
and never drown

when winds of change flow through me
they lift me up, never knock me down

obstacles
hardships
loneliness
are simply opportunities
to love Him more

every day I walk taller
knowing Who He is
and who I am inside His heart

“The Stage”

| Laura Lee Bonde

thank You for saving me
from the stage of my past

redeemed
restored
into someone new
loved head to toe

when I look back
I can’t even recognize
the “me” I used to be

I’ve been reborn
in life
in character
in nature

the me I see now
is enveloped in You
and who I’m meant to be
is still being fashioned

through trials
through fire
through Love

shining through it all
I trust You
I lean on You
I fall back into You

leaving imprints of love
with those I’m blessed to meet

“My Reflection”

| Laura Lee Bonde

As you go through life
It’s not so much
You learn who you are
It’s much more like
You learn who you’re not
Which reveals who you are

I mean
I know who I am in Christ
But I still learn more about myself
Every week
Which tends to reveal
More of who I’m not

I’m a woman with integrity
One to be remembered and thought of
Not to be put on a shelf
Or under a table
I’m worth hearing and knowing
I’m kind and courageous

As time goes by
I’ll learn more and more
Never to disappoint myself
In who I find myself to be
But always with excitement
Discovering who I’m not

“Thanksgiving”

| Laura Lee Bonde

there’s so much to be grateful for
I just don’t know where to begin

I’m grateful for knowing God
not in a surface way
but in a deep, profound way

I’m grateful for my beautiful kids
how they make decisions
apart from codependency

I’m grateful for my wonderful job
that feels like a way of life
except that I clock in and out

I’m grateful for this home
the imperfections
and the perfectness

I’m grateful for my mind
that it’s set in the right direction
and thinks soundly

I’m grateful for my Raiders car
that after 253,000 miles
it’s still going strong

I’m grateful for each moment of the day
how it happens right on time
but unexpectedly

I’m grateful for emotions
and that I’m not judged by them
or for having them

I’m grateful for transparency
that I no longer have to hide within myself
or lie to make me greater

I’m grateful for a lot of things
but most of all for God
because He’s made me complete