THE GOLDEN KEY /  by Joe Castorino

Fear shackles us

In the dark night

Of unknowing;

But wholehearted trust

In the Divine Mercy

Is the golden key that

Unlocks Heaven’s door;

Then our hearts are

Overflowing with Love,

And with the magnificent

Fruit of the Spirit.

FALLOUT FRED /  by Joe Castorino

Fred is a linguistic

  connoissewer,

And his foul words stink

  like black manure;

His expletives are

  nuclear missiles,

More irksome than

  teeth-shattering whistles;

His vile phrases

  detonate in our ears,

And our clean thoughts

  the toxic fallout smears;

Of his weapon he is

  extremely proud,

His soul is poisoned

  in the mushroom cloud.

MOODINESS /  by Joe Castorino

It is a passiveness

That brings no peace;

It is an aggressiveness

That silently implodes;

It is blind to the kind,

It destroys all joys,

It chills; for it kills.

THE DARK WEB /  by Joe Castorino

We excitedly rocket through

cyberspace at supersonic speeds,

obsessively and compulsively

ricocheting back and forth,

from website to website,

magnetically mesmerised

by the alluring amusements of

the information superhighway;

but we are oblivious to the

hideous horrors that lurk

right underneath us as the

black spirit of Sauron stirs

in the giant spider-demons

that track our every move,

creeping and crawling

stealthily through the

slime and stench of

the dark web,

insidiously seeking

to exploit our weaknesses

and drag us deep down

into the infernal abyss.

THE INCARNATION /  by Joe Castorino

Whispered sweetly, Maria’s

“Yes” ripples and reverberates

Through the Halls of Heaven,

And the Spirit speeds through the

Atmosphere in a powerful pulse

Of gleaming, virginal white light

Into the humble House of Gold:

And, behold, The Divine Mercy is

Incarnate.

SMART PHONES /  by Joe Castorino

These little electronic

beasts

have insatiable

app-etites.

 

Like possessive pets,

they feast on my

attention --

they demand that I

stroke them and pet them,

constantly,

more and more and more,

until I’m dazed and confused and

technologically schmoozed.

 

And then,

when I least expect it,

their sleek semiconductors

swallow my sleepy

soul.

TRAVELING AT THE SPEED OF DESIRE /  by Joe Castorino

We start with small

roller coasters in our small

lives, seeking a little excitement.

But-it’s-not-enough-and-so-we-

want-to-go-even-faster-and-so-we

search-and-hunt-for-even-more-thrills.

ButIt’sNeverEnoughAndFasterAndFaster

WeGoUntilFinallyWeDerailFromThe

TracksOfTruthAndMoralityAnd

TRAVELING AT THE SPEED OF RELATIONSHIPS /  by Joe Castorino

In centuries past, courtships took more time,

Holding hands was special and a little kiss sublime,

The merging of two hearts: as one they would rhyme.

 

ButNowIt’sHookUpsWithStrangersAndLotsOfAbuse,

APrettierGirlWalksByAndThenIt’sTimeToVamoose,

JustMeaninglessSexTillThey’reDeadInANooseAnd

TO ST. JOSEPH /  by Joe Castorino

Your thick, wavy brown hair happily

  Blows in the breeze of God’s will;

Your warm brown eyes twinkle with

  Contentment, crinkling as you smile.

 

You protect the holy Babe from Herod’s

  Hellish hands, which are dripping with blood;

In obedience, you help the Holy Family

  Evade him and elusively escape to Egypt.

 

As a worker, you handle the wood of

  God’s creation with gentle strength;

With industrious ingenuity, you use

  God’s good gifts to serve others.

 

You shatter lustful temptation with your

  Carpenter’s mallet of holy purity;

Then, as God’s valiant soldier, you slay

  Selfishness with the sword of surrender.

 

In your loving example, you show little Jesus

  how to be a good son to His mother;

With your humble heart, you teach Love

  How to love, and the angels are amazed.

SANTIAGO THE SKEPTIC /  by Joe Castorino

A veritable Doubting Thomas,

Santiago is perennially sad,

If it can’t be scientifically proven,

It just makes him very mad.


He loves Nietzsche’s philosophy,

And hates all religious belief,

For him life is a filthy rat race,

Where people die in bloody grief.


Santiago goes over to Fatima,

To mock the supposed seers,

Being intellectually superior,

He will shower them with jeers.


But seeing the miracle of the sun,

His heart of ice begins to thaw,

For the sun dances in the sky,

Breaking many a scientific law.


The finger of God shakes his world,

Leaving him totally stunned and dazed,

The finger of God shakes his world,

And he looks up truly, truly amazed.

TRAVELING AT THE SPEED OF STUDENTS /  by Joe Castorino

In years past, students could focus more on learning,

Reading was something for which they were yearning,

Page after glorious page of the classics they were turning.

 

ButNowIt’sGradesGradesGradesNothingButGrades,

WithMoreReadingMoreWritingMoreResearchAndNoParades,

There’sMoreFrustrationMoreFearAndTheirEnergyFadesAnd

TO ST. PATRICK /  by Joe Castorino

You’re a stout lad from the big Scottish isle,

A future bishop without any guile;

Kidnappers took you away from your home,

Across a sea that rippled with white foam;

In Ireland you were made a poor slave,

Life was rough, though you tried hard to be brave;

You drew close to God and He set you free,

At last with your eyes your homeland you see;

You return to Ireland so smart, so wise,

And clearly reveal all the devil’s lies;

You pray “Christ on my left, Christ on my right,”

And you help the Irish find the true Light.

TRAVELING AT THE SPEED OF THE ENVIRONMENT /  by Joe Castorino

Francis, the Poverello of Assisi, really cared for Mother Earth,

The clear starry skies and sparkling waters filled with mirth,

Happy, healthy buds burst forth brightly in glorious new birth.

 

NowWeWatchWithDeepDreadForOurWoundedWorldBleeds,

SheSilentlyReachesOutToUsAndEverSoDesperatelyPleads,

WhatCanWeDoInOrderToCureHerAndSupplyAllHerNeeds?

TRAVELING AT THE SPEED OF PROGRESS /  by Joe Castorino

Before modern technology, time moved very slow,

Life was about life, not just earning some dough,

It was nice to stop and feel the whispering wind blow.

 

ButNowProgressPushesAndPushesToDizzyingHeights,

AndIt’sNothingButFastFoodAndThenWorkingLateNights,

GluttonousTechnologyEatsFatherTimeWithMegaBitesAnd

TRAVELING AT THE SPEED OF SOUND /  by Joe Castorino

Back in the day, people would quietly chat by the fire,

Or maybe silently read and learn, like a monastic friar,

Of tranquility's beauteous bliss we would never tire.

 

ButNowThereIsNoiseNoiseNoiseBombardingOurEars,

HonkingHornsScreamingSirensAndSnaggletoothedJeers,

TalkingHeadsBoisterouslyBabbleAndTrebleOurFearsAnd

TRAVELING AT THE SPEED OF TIME /  by Joe Castorino

2,000 years ago life was lived at a slower pace,

There was time for family, and to see everyone’s face,

People took time to notice the beautiful stars way up in space.

 

NowLifeIsSoStressfulAndSoRushedAndSoObsessiveAndSoFast,

WeHaveToBuyBuyBuyAndBeSuccessfulAndAlwaysAvoidBeingLast,

SoWeNeedFlatScreensAndSmartPhonesAndNoTimeForThePastAnd

FULLY ALIVE? /  by Joe Castorino

Song Titles on a Vinyl Record Album

Side One

1. “Happily Playing with Tiny Toy Boats”

2. “The Prodigal Young Man Sows His Wild Oats”

3. “He’s a Showoff and Loves to Brag”

4. “But Work is So Stressful and Life is a Drag”

 

Side Two

1. “Retirement Doesn’t Bring Any Hope”

2. “Health Suddenly Fails and He Cannot Cope”

3. “The Quicksand of Loneliness and Deep Sighs”

4. “What Can Give Life Meaning before He Dies?”

THE WAKE-UP CALL /  by Joe Castorino

The angels seek the lazy,

   inviting them into the Light,

But the slothful are sound asleep,

   and their sad souls are dark as night;

The good angels show compassion,

   and they stretch out their loving arms,

Yet since the sluggards ignore them,

   they sound the angelic alarms.

TURNING THE OTHER CHEEK /  by Joe Castorino

I would always fight to win,

For me, it was a matter of pride,

So I stubbornly argued,

Twisting reason and then 

Fracturing the truth,

Like a prisoner on the rack;

But now I’m slowly learning

To follow the way of the cross,

So when I’m confronted and

When I’m fiercely challenged,

In simplicity I speak the truth,

Then when my adversary

Insists and angrily persists,

I calmly turn the other cheek

And embrace the cross,

Experiencing the bitterness

Of ridicule and rejection,

The painful suffering of

Vindictive vehement insults

That bloodily slash and tear

At my heart and sensitive soul;

But the good God is so good,

Truly He is never outdone in

Generosity, for He pours the

Sweet balm of the Spirit

Into my wounds and rescues me

From the snares of the enemy,

I rest in His gentleness and patience,

I experience true joy in Him,

For His courage conquers all,

Driving away apparent obstacles,

And with a smile in my soul,

I approach the Sea of Mercy,

I approach it with great trust!