Daffodil

A daffodil in bloom

Foretells the coming spring.

It dances softly on the breeze.

I think I hear it sing—

A song of its Creator,

The Power of Life who gives

Existence to the universe

And everything that lives.

A daffodil in bloom—

Profound simplicity—

In quiet yellow elegance

Sings of God to me.

©Stan Sanford

March 4, 2004

The Memory of Your Kiss

I hit the road at five o’clock.

An early morning haze

Settles on my windshield and

Then quickly runs away;

And I recall how swiftly, too,

Time passes like the mist

And leaves behind a memory

Of things time can’t resist.

That memory, a chain of gold,

Will bind your heart to mine,

Will warm my soul, and ride with me,

And stand outside of time;

Of all the things I take with me

That I will reminisce

Nothing is more treasured than

The memory of your kiss.

Only half an hour ago

You whispered in my ear

A soft “Good-bye” and, “I love you;”

And, “I will miss you, Dear.”

That memory will leave a trace

Running through my mind

Reminding me of all I have

That I must leave behind.

More than a memory, your kiss

Somehow still lingers there.

It brightens up the dark of night

And warms the chilly air.

Nothing in this world I know

Could make me more remiss

Than if I did not take with me

The memory of your kiss.

©Stan Sanford

February 18, 2002

Boundaries

At times boundaries

Clearly defined in my mind

Hint reality

Take the old coast road

You will find a memory

Childhood created

Where different worlds meet

Perhaps you will find me there

Reconciling minds

Into the abyss

I fall in expectation

Of greater beauty

I find peace in strength

Of worlds so far beyond me

I know not their names

Mountains merge with sea

Loosing self in the abyss

There creating both

©Stan Sanford

October 25, 2011

The Maze

Through the maze of human thought,

Art and philosophy

Of science and religion,

Of prose and poetry,

He seeks an understanding

Of all reality.

Still he cannot find his way

To where he wants to be;

The real remains elusive--

Beyond all he can see

By faith, by sense, by logic—

An unsolved mystery!

Though he may not find his way out,

The maze may be what it’s about.

©Stan Sanford

October 24, 2011

The Playground

The sandpit at the playground

Dimpled with the evidence

Of the play of children

Only a short time gone

Lies silent in the night.

My life in early twilight

With many scattered footprints

Of children who walked through it

And have left the playground

Resounds with sheer delight.

©Stan Sanford

October 21, 2011

Mountain Memories

A quiet mountain morning
Brings back a memory
Of the home place in the hollow,
Where my heart will always be.
Wood smoke hanging in the air
Mixes with the other smells
Coming form the kitchen;
And the stories Grandpa tells
Make me kind of homesick
For that slower peaceful time
Back up in the mountains
And the life that once was mine.

Oh, that life up in the mountains
Gave so much to me.
It taught me about beauty,
About home and being free.
It taught me about loving, and
What matters most of all.
Now sometimes in the evening
I think I hear the call
Of an old owl in a mountain pine
Drifting down to me,
And it stirs my mind to thinking
About those mountain memories.

Life here in the city
Seems somehow out of joint.
It’s all prestige and power;
And we just don’t get the point
That life was made for living
At a somewhat slower pace
That it’s about what’s in your heart
And not some fancy place.
It’s about the love of fam’ly—
Your children and your wife—
Like we knew back in the hollow
With its quiet mountain life.

On cool summer evenings
Folks would gather ‘round;
And often I would fall asleep
Listening to the sound
Of the old folks telling stories
On the front porch in the night.
With shadows dancing on the ground
From flickering coal oil light.
And when it came to hard times
Those same old folks would be
Right there standing with you—
Just making memories

©Stan Sanford
October 14, 2002

I Choose This Day

God has given us the freedom

To choose the way we walk through life

And we chose to join in union

This day as husband and as wife

So I choose this day to tell you
Before God and all those here
That I choose you my mate for life
And pledge to hold you dear
Through every moment of my life
Through sunshine and through rain
Through all the ups and downs we face
Through life’s pleasures and its pains

I choose this day to dedicate

All that I am and have to you

To hold you foremost in my mind

In everything I say and do

I choose you for my span of life

To help you be what you can be

And I will walk along with you

Knowing that you've chosen me
I choose this day with promise
That as we join in God’s design
To merge my life fully in yours
And welcome you to join in mine

©Stan Sanford
October 20, 2011

A Way

The way ahead uncertain

The day as dark as night

Confusion of direction

Every wrong seems right

The traveler growing weary

No energy to pray

For strength or for deliverance

Or to find his way

Still he stumbles forward

Sometimes slips behind

Anything called progress

The torments of his mind

A thousand howling demons

Tear at his heart and soul

Leaving desolate his life

His story left untold

Somewhere in the darkness

A minute gleam of light

Promise of the dawning

Breaking into night

In the deafening silence

A still small voice is heard

The chaotic maelstrom

Captured by a word

Darkness and confusion

Shape begins to form

Hints of a multi-colored band

Woven in the storm

Promise of tomorrow

Promise of the day

In the wasteland of his life

Promise of a way

©Stan Sanford

June 14, 2000

United Here We Stand

(Still seeking something redemptive out of the 911 attacks? I am posting a song I wrote shortly after the event:)

We are many different people.
Our fathers came from different lands.
We all share a dream of freedom;
Now, united here we stand.

United here we stand.
We have answered freedom’s call.
Here we stand in truth and justice;
Even if our back is against the wall.
United here we stand,
United in equality,
We are all Americans,
United here in liberty.

You may try to divide us
By ethnicity or creed.
You may try to terrorize us.
You may even make us bleed.
But you will never separate us.
We’re growing stronger across this land.
Instead of fear you create courage,
‘Cause united here we stand.

United here we stand.
We have answered freedom’s call.
Here we stand in truth and justice;
And you will never make us fall.
United here we stand,
United in equality,
We are all Americans,
United here in liberty.

We are many different colors—
Red, and yellow, black and white.
We don’t claim that we are perfect.
We don’t say that we’re always right.
But we are in this thing together—
Every woman, child, and man—
And the strongest helps the weakest,
‘Cause united here we stand.

United here we stand.
We have answered freedom’s call.
Here we stand in truth and justice;
We’re together, one and all.
United here we stand,
United in equality,
We are all Americans,
United here in liberty.

We are many different colors.
Our fathers came from different lands.
We all share a dream of freedom;
Now, united here we stand.

©Stan Sanford
December 3, 2001

In the Magic Night

(Written as song lyrics)

A gentle breeze walks through the night
Without disturbing sleep.
It whispers at the window—
Deep that calls to deep.
Out of the night there comes a light
The eyes of day can’t see.
The light forms sound in words profound:
The love you have for me.

A silver star walks through the night
Across a silent sky.
A moment and infinity
Together in it fly.
Freedom’s call to one and all
With strength to follow through:
Peace in strife the whole of life,
The love I have for you.

A gleaming moon walks through the night
And slips into the room.
It brings soft light to darkness
Drives out cold and gloom.
In it I see you come to me--
Beauty beyond compare.
You hold me near and melt my fear:
The love that we two share.

In the magic night—
Breeze and stars and moon
Create enchantment, fantasy—
An orchestra in tune
Plays a dreamlike symphony—
Emotions that I feel
May be dreams but still they seem
To be the only real.


©Stan Sanford
March 27, 2000

Father-Son Connection

There is something special
Between a father and a son
Stronger than the ties of blood
When all is said and done
The image of the father
Living in the child
The love of the father
Reflected in his smile

Somewhere in the darkness

Of a January morn
Our eyes and souls connected
Something new was born
A father-son connection
Strong and warm and true
And I swore to the Father
I would take care of you

Father-son connection
The power of our choice
The eternal plan of God
The echo of his voice
Calling us to life in him
The Father and the Son
The father-son connection
God has made us one

Outside the realm of time and space
Outside of history
The Father-Son connection
Lives in eternity
It transcends all reality
It enters into time
In father-son connections
Such as yours and mine

©Stan Sanford
May 23, 2007

Chosen

All State Choir at Samford University, Birmingham, AL

So much happens in this world

It seems to me by chance;

But if we hear the music,

We can join the dance.

A spirit rides upon the wind,

Speaks through some inner voice,

Reveals to us the options,
Lets us make the choice.

There is something, Darling,
I want you to know:
You’re special.  You are chosen,
And I love you so.
When I hold you in my arms
The truth is plain to see
You chose to call me “Daddy,”
You have chosen me.

I heard the music playing;
I heard it calling me.
You were there; You were dancing,

So beautiful, so free.

In my mind and heart I chose

What I wanted to do:

In the movement of the music

To join the dance with you.

I did not bring you to this world.

I did not plan your birth.

You are blessing; you are treasure:

The wonder of the earth.

I chose you as my daughter
To make my life complete,
Because I needed you,
Because you needed me.

And very much in the same way

Before the start of time,

You were loved, and you were chosen

By a Heart greater than mine.

It is that Heart that calls to us

Asking us to be

A part of all that He’s about

In our family.

©Stan Sanford

April 13, 2001

Hubris

My fathers came from England, seeking freedom so they said.

“It’s our right, by God and might; and ‘cause his skin is red,

This land is ours by heaven’s powers; it’s simply ours to claim.

The Indian? To hell with him; we white; we’re not to blame.”
But being white don’t make it right; we somehow have to see

Each child of earth, by human birth, is born to liberty.

My fathers went to Africa and found the black man there.

“We’ve work to do; so, we’ll make you a slave our loads to bear.
Because we’re white and live in light, and God is or our side,

We’ll use the whip; your back we’ll rip, ‘till blood runs from your hide.

But being white don’t make it right; inside we’re all the same:

Our blood runs red; inside our head, the same creative brain.

My fathers built a railroad across the Promise Land.

To tote the rail and drive the nail, they used they used the yellow man.

“He’s less than we; and, so, you see, we’re right to make him toil

Beneath the sun, and when he’s done, we’ll drive him in the soil.”

But being white don’t make it right; it’s arrogance and pride

That sees another less than brother, when the soul has died.

My fathers preached the Gospel; they talked of truth and love;

But turned to hate at heaven’s gate, claimed power from above.

And now the God on whom they trod calls us to repent:

We must atone for sins they’ve done or pay the consequence.

Yeah, being white don’t make it right, no matter where you stand;

For God has shown beneath skin tone lies the value of a man.

©Stan Sanford 1996

Cipher in the Snow*

I wrote this song when I was in a dark moment upon reflection on the suicide of an adolescent girl I had known.

nine point four grams of powder 
three fifty seven shell
against human neural tissue
blew it all to hell
now she’s a statistic
a number on the wall
some how she could not stand again
could not get past her fall
no one was there for her
a cipher in the snow
no one cared when she came in
no one saw her go

jesus jesus loves me
jesus loves me this i know
jesus do not let me be
a cipher in the snow

seven point one grams of lead
a pistol in her hand
against a fragile human life
she lacked the power to stand
now she’s asleep in jesus
she could have given much
another priceless life lost
to the human touch
no one again will hold her
or listen when she cries
you’ve forever lost your chance
when something precious dies

jesus jesus loves me
jesus loves me this i know
jesus do not let me be
a cipher in the snow

fifty-four and on my own
my family’s lost to me
my friends have all turned away
i’ve got no place to be
then her memory comes around
and i hear her say
you have got to fight the pain
there’s just no other way
i will live inside your heart
so hold me ever close
don’t give up and you won’t be
a cipher in the snow

jesus jesus loves me
jesus loves me this i know
jesus do not let me be
a cipher in the snow
jesus jesus loves me
jesus loves me this i know
jesus do not let me be
a cipher in the snow
jesus do not let me be
a cipher in the snow

©Stan Sanford, 12/23/96
*"Cipher in the Snow" is a short story written by Jean Mizer about the death of an ostracized teenager.

You Shine

I never saw a sunrise in the mountains,
That didn’t nearly take my breath away;
I never saw a sunset on the ocean,
That didn’t leave me without words to say.
I never saw your face in the morning,
Eyes aglow and smile so warm and bright,
Or ever held your soft hand in the moon light,
And didn’t know that all the world was right.
You shine; you shine. You shine; you shine.

I never saw the first star in the evening,
That didn’t calm all my doubts and fears;
I never saw the soft glow of the full moon,
That didn’t make me want to hold you near.
I never heard your sweet voice singing softly,
That didn’t make me want to sing along;
I never saw you playing with the children,
That didn’t let me know your love was strong.
You shine; you shine. You shine; you shine.

I never heard the spring rain falling softly,
That didn’t set my worried mind at ease,
Or sat beside a stream in the mountains,
That didn’t give my troubled soul a peace.
I never smelled the fragrance that you’re wearing,
That didn’t stir a longing deep inside.
I never saw you walking through the doorway,
That didn’t fill my heart with loving pride.
You shine; you shine. You shine; you shine.

For my life is filled with so much feeling,
In everything I see and all I do,
That warms and lifts my heart to heaven,
And I know it’s all because of you.
I want to know if I can see you some day,
In the morning when I first open my eyes;
And touch you the last thing in the evening,
As I drift away to paradise.
You shine; you shine. You shine; you shine.

©Stan Sanford
November 8, 1995

By Choice not by Chance

 I co-wrote this song with my fourteen year old adopted daughter from her perspective, reflecting my "Choices" philosophy.

Celebrating Hannah-Elizabeth's 15th Birthday

People said you took a chance

They said I had no voice

When you took me in your arms

But we both make a choice

You chose me as your daughter

And I chose both of you

Though I was just a baby

God chose to let me choose

My life, my life—It’s my life

The choices that I make

No one could ever make me

Do anything I do

I am in control of me

And I learned that from you

I choose all my attitudes

What I listen to and see

They all become my pictures

They become a part of me

My life, my life—It’s my life

That I share with you

Some kids I know chase feelings

But I choose purity

Not because I’m perfect

But that is what I need

I seek to make my choices

By what is best for me

What is best for those I love

‘Cause in God’s love I’m free