THE LORD OF THE PITCHER'S MOUND by Joe Castorino

A Variation of “The Lord of the Baseball Diamond”  (with a revised conclusion)

Seven-foot Sauron stands imperiously

  like a goliath on the mound,

Wearing his glistening, gleaming armor,

  he longs to be crowned;

His wind-up is Smaug-like

  and slithering and serpentine,

As if he’s been guzzling and gulping

  hot Mordor turpentine;

Brimming with poison pride,

  he frantically fires a fastball of power,

That rings through the air

  as it aims to devour.

 

But Gandalf hits a flaming line drive

  that decapitates Sauron’s poor head,

This fire-eyed fool paid for his arrogance,

  and that’s why he’s doornail dead;

Sauron was buried on the pitcher’s mound,

  where it came to be known as Mount Doom,

That night there were post-game fireworks

  that erupted from his fiery tomb.

FIRST TRIP by Joe Castorino

Dedicated to my Father: Circa 1970

Me and Dad were at

Knott’s Berry Farm and

he couldn’t wait to share

his favorite attractions with me;

the torch of his enthusiasm

burned even hotter

than the fiery ashes

of his cigarettes;

but I was like a wet match,

soaking wet,

and Dad had no chance,

no chance at all --

my whole world was

Disneyland;

hot words of anger

gathered in his mouth

like fierce storm winds,

but then he hesitated,

thought pensively for a moment,

and, finally, swallowed them;

with a smile of selfless surrender,

he took my hand in his own

and, together, we walked

towards the parking lot.

THE APOSTLES CREED: THE HOLY MYSTERIES by Joe Castorino

The Father & The Son: Luminous Mysteries

I believe in God, the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord.

The Incarnation & The Nativity: Joyful Mysteries

He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit, And born of the Virgin Mary.

The Passion: Sorrowful Mysteries

He suffered under Pontius Pilate, Was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended to the dead.

The Resurrection & The Ascension: Glorious Mysteries

On the third day He rose again. He ascended into heaven, And is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again to judge the living and the dead.

The Divine Plan: Merciful Mysteries

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.

Amen.

THE DARK NIGHT OF THE CROSS by Joe Castorino

Staggering and stumbling

On the rocky Via Dolorosa,

My hands wearily and weakly

Cling to the splintered cross;

A Roman soldier lashes me

With a whirling crackling whip,

Which like a wildcat’s claw

Rips and tears my poor flesh;

My knees buckle and I fall,

My battered head striking the

Stubborn and unforgiving ground,

Forcefully thrusting the thorns

Deeper into my wounded skull;

My soul silently suffers

In the dark night of the cross —

And yet I’m doing this all for you,

Just for you, because I love you,

So dearly, so deeply, so divinely.

OUR FATHER OF DIVINE MERCY by Joe Castorino

Our Father’s eyes are upon us,

And we are gently caressed

By His compassionate gaze;

He speaks with a voice sublime,

Words of hope and encouragement,

Urging us to remain in Divine Mercy;

He knows everything about us,

The good, the bad, the unknown,

And yet, remarkably, He still loves us;

Then, we humbly approach Him,

Like the repentant prodigal son,

Wearing the tattered rags of sin:

He joyfully embraces and kisses us,

And, to our amazement, we are

Forgiven, and we are born again.

O DEAREST LADY OF LOURDES by Joe Castorino

As I gently finger the beads of the rosary,

  I touch your warm soft hands,

I gaze into your merciful, majestic eyes,

  And I contemplate your loveliness;

Together our precious prayers mingle,

  And rise up like sweet incense,

Its scent perfumes the halls of Heaven,

  And delights the Lord of Light.

SURRENDERING TO THE DIVINE DOVE by Joe Castorino

O Divine Dove

of Holy Love

I trust in you;

when my life

feels out of control,

I surrender to you

and let you guide me

where you will,

and so I alertly

ride on your back,

as you take off

like a fighter jet,

ready to engage in battle;

as you twist and turn,

dive and soar,

through the turbulent

and stormy dark sky,

you pay no attention

to the deafening thunder

or the maniacal lightning,

but you protect me

and encourage me

as you lead me safely

to my journey’s end;

when I let you lead me,

I truly experience

the divine sense of humor,

and practice holy courage

and heroic patience,

as I once again discover

Divine Mercy in the dark night.

CHRISTMAS DAY by Joe Castorino

Christmas Day

Baby Jesus is born,

And through Our Savior

We can be born again daily;

Day by day each of us awakens,

Day by day the evil one tempts us,

Day by day Divine Mercy is victorious,

As we surrender to the God of Mercy,

As we trust the God of Goodness,

As we embrace the God of Love;

Thus, we are born again daily

If we choose life with Him,

So every day can be like

Christmas Day.

SAVED BY DIVINE MERCY by Joe Castorino

The Fall

Cambria’s tight and sexy little outfit

  Stirred Julius’ powerful lust,

His pulsating passion filled his strong sails

  With a sweetly sensual gust;

Her heart was hooked in an instant,

  As she looked into his handsome dark eyes,

He charmed her with his honeyed words,

  So she thought him an enviable prize.

Dear Father, please make them a creation new,

Forgive them: they know not what they do.

 

Their glances magnetically locked together

  In a twinkling starlight gaze,

Then both of them were spellbound

  In a delightful and enchanting haze;

Later on that delicious, romantic evening,

  Their heartbeats raced as one,

But lost in an exciting emotional whirlwind,

  Her virginity had been undone.

Dear Father, please make them a creation new,

Forgive them: they know not what they do.

 

The Suffering

Cambria was treated like a piece of meat,

  And was whisked into the operating room,

With people rushing around everywhere,

  She felt a very strong sense of doom;

Then a man came in and introduced himself,

  While he anxiously kept an eye on the clock,

He hurried around as if pressed for time,

  And for her this was a really a shock.

Dear Father, please make them a creation new,

Forgive them: they know not what they do.

 

Piece by bloody piece was ripped from

  Her poor and innocent little child,

As body parts lay in a flood of blood,

  The thought almost made her go wild;

Cambria walked out in a depressed daze,

  As if someone secretly stole her soul,

She fell fast, into an empty emotional abyss,

  And doubted she would ever feel whole.

Dear Father, please make them a creation new,

Forgive them: they know not what they do.



The Divine Mercy

Cambria sluggishly dragged herself around,

  In the clanking shackles of her sorrow,

Through years and years of depression,

  She dreaded the coming of each tomorrow;

Somehow, and she knew not how,

  She found herself alone in a little church,

And weeping tears of truth and honesty,

  Her soul she began to search.

When we follow the Light of the Dove,

We will always find Merciful Love.

 

Later that day as she went to confession,

  God soothed her soul with a healing balm,

Her face was flooded with happy tears,

  Soaking in the twenty-second psalm;

It felt as if holy honey, warm and pure,

  Was poured into her lacerated heart,

She discovered the love of Divine Mercy,

  Who helped her make a fresh new start.

When we follow the Light of the Dove,

We will always find Merciful Love.

THE LORD OF THE BASEBALL DIAMOND by Joe Castorino

Seven-foot Sauron stands imperiously

   like a goliath on the mound,

Wearing his glistening, gleaming armor,

   he longs to be crowned;

His wind-up is Smaug-like and

   slithering and serpentine

As if he’s been guzzling and gulping

   hot Mordor turpentine;

Brimming with poison pride, he

   frantically fires a fastball of power,

That rings through the air

   as it aims to devour.

 

Recognizing the temptation,

   Mr. Baggins the most honorable,

Surrenders to the Spirit and humbly

   lays down a bunt phenomenal;

The baseball sneaks softly

   down the third-base line,

And Mr. Baggins thinks to himself,

   First-base is all mine!

Then, like a slingshot, off to

   first base he invisibly darts,

And the burglar makes it safely

   because he’s so smarts.

PRAYER OF ST. PATRICK by Joe Castorino

I arise today

Through a mighty strength,

The invocation of the Trinity,

Through a belief in the Threeness,

Through confession of the Oneness

Of the Creator of creation.

I arise today

Through the strength of Christ’s birth

And His baptism,

Through the strength of His crucifixion

And His burial,

Through the strength of His resurrection

And His ascension,

Through the strength of His descent

For the judgment of doom.

I arise today

Through the strength of the love of the cherubim,

In obedience of angels,

In service of archangels,

In the hope of resurrection to meet with reward,

In the prayers of patriarchs,

In preachings of the apostles,

In faiths of confessors,

In innocence of virgins,

In deeds of righteous men.

I arise today

Through the strength of heaven;

Light of the sun,

Splendor of fire,

Speed of lightning,

Swiftness of the wind,

Depth of the sea,

Stability of the earth,

Firmness of the rock.

I arise today

Through God’s strength to pilot me;

God’s might to uphold me,

God’s wisdom to guide me,

God’s eye to look before me,

God’s ear to hear me,

God’s word to speak for me,

God’s hand to guard me,

God’s way to lie before me,

God’s shield to protect me,

God’s hosts to save me

From snares of the devil,

From temptations of vices,

From everyone who desires me ill,

Afar and anear,

Alone or in a multitude.

I summon today all these powers

Between me and evil,

Against every cruel merciless power

That opposes my body and soul,

Against incantations of false prophets,

Against black laws of pagandom,

Against false laws of heretics,

Against craft of idolatry,

Against spells of women and smiths

And wizards,

Against every knowledge

That corrupts man’s body and soul.

Christ shield me today

Against poison, against burning,

Against drowning, against wounding,

So that reward may come to me in abundance.

Christ with me, Christ before me,

Christ behind me, Christ in me,

Christ beneath me, Christ above me,

Christ on my right, Christ on my left,

Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down,

Christ in the heart of every man

Who thinks of me,

Christ in the mouth of every man

Who speaks of me,

Christ in the eye that sees me,

Christ in the ear that hears me.

I arise today

Through a mighty strength,

The invocation of the Trinity,

Through a belief in the Threeness,

Through a confession of the Oneness

Of the Creator of creation.

Amen.

THE HOLY STAIRS by Joe Castorino

Divine Mercy.

leads us to

sincere love

sincere love;

leads us to

great trust

great trust;

leads us to

heroic patience

heroic patience;

leads us to

Holy courage

BINGO NIGHT by Joe Castorino

Circa 1970 

It was Thanksgiving evening, and the lamps

  Glowed cheerfully in the cozy house;

Though the clean little home was modest,

  It was filled with the sweet scent of love.

 

We were all stuffed with good food, and

  Ready for some post-meal entertainment;

So the time had come for everyone in the

  Family to engage in some competitive fun.

 

Our very alert ears quickly snatched the

  Numbers out of the air, one by one;

Then our fingers excitedly placed the

  Small black discs on the bingo cards.

 

Aunt Therese felt sorry for me, a young boy,

  Because I was terribly saddened by losing;

So winking with a smiling old eye, she

  Pushed her stack of pennies into mine.

HAIL MARY: TO JESUS THROUGH MARY by Joe Castorino

Our Lady

Hail Mary, Full of grace,

Our Lord

The Lord is with thee,

Our Lady

Blessed art thou among women,

Our Lord

And blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

Our Lady

Holy Mary, Mother of God,

The Mediatrix

Pray for us sinners, Now and at the hour of our death.

Amen.

THE AGONY OF UNREQUITED LOVE by Joe Castorino

I love you, I love you

so very much,

more than you

can possibly imagine,

yet you carelessly

turn your back on me

and you ignore me,

living your busy life

as if I never existed;

now I kneel here

in this olive garden,

with my warm hands

clasped tightly together,

so deeply and so greatly

in love with you,

and my heart is breaking

because I want to share

my life with you,

my heart is nearly broken 

because I love you,

and I painfully weep

hot tears for you,

and my sweat is like

drops of blood --

all because of you.

THE STAR OF BETHLEHEM by Joe Castorino

She is the Star of Bethlehem.

The compassionate Lady of Love,

The powerful Virgin of Victory,

The sweet Mother of the Messiah,

Silent and holy, calm and bright,

Her dazzling beauty shines 

In the dark night of unknowing,

And she points the way for the

Wise men and wise women

Of this world who wish to know

The Babe of Divine Mercy.

THE SPIRIT OF DIVINE MERCY by Joe Castorino

You, the holy fire

That purifies my soul,

The Holy Dove of

Divine Mercy,

Spiral downwards

And inflame my

Innermost being,

Burning away 

All affection for sin,

Freeing the wings

Of my heart so that

I can spiral upwards

With you to Heaven,

And find union with

Divine Love.

THE STORM ON THE SEA by Joe Castorino

The storm strikes!

It strikes suddenly,

And without warning.

Then lightning flashes in a frenzy

In the vast vault of the dark sky,

In the form of a frightening cross.

What am I to do?

As as a little child of God,

I cry out in my need:

O Mystical Rose, please help me!

O St. Joseph, please help me!

O Guardian Angel, please help me!

O Divine Mercy, please save me!

Then, I spiritually fall to my knees,

And I surrender to you, Jesus.

In that moment,

In my emotional suffering,

I remember your sorrowful Passion,

And my heart is wrenched within me,

Pierced with pain,

Wailing with woe,

Feeling alone,

At the foot of the cold cross.

In that moment,

In my physical pain,

I suffer sorrowfully with you,

In the Agony in the Garden,

In the Scourging at the Pillar,

In the Crowning with Thorns,

In the Carrying of the Cross,

In the Crucifixion.

I remember with holy courage

That patience is the companion of wisdom.

And I realize that I have been

So focused on the cross

That I forget that the Resurrection

Is sleeping ever so peacefully

In the back of my boat.

Then the Resurrection stands up,

And in the sparkling of an eye,

The dark waters of the sea

Suddenly grow calm,

And the roaring of the waves ceases:

He embraces me with His love.

O Merciful Master,

Thank you for saving me,

Thank you for loving me so much,

Thank you for teaching me faith --

Jesus, I trust in You!

THANKSGIVING by Joe Castorino

When we’re thanks-living,

We choose for living,

We choose for giving,

Lovingly for-giving.

Thanksgiving,

What a wonderful

Gift from God,

It seems to me like

An inexhaustible 

Spiritual ocean of the

Dazzling, magnificent

Divine Mercy.

When we’re living,

In thanksgiving to God,

We’re living for giving,

Lovingly for-giving.

DIVINE MERCY: CHOOSING LIFE by Joe Castorino

A Variation of Shakespeare’s Famous Soliloquy

The Child

To be

Or not to be,

That is the question:

Whether ‘tis nobler

For Mommy to surrender

To the slings and arrows

Of sacrificial love,

Or by aborting,

End me.

 

The Mother

To die from guilt while

contemplating abortion:

To sleep, to sleep

No more!

Perchance to have dreams --

Or eternal nightmares --

Of what I am about to do

To my innocent baby;

When I have shuffled off

The mortal coil of his

Umbilical cord and

Allowed him to be

Dis mem ber ed,

I dread something worse

Than death: Hell,

The undiscovered country;

Thus, conscience can make

Heroes of us all --

Soft you now,

It’s never too late,

So my fair baby shall live.