Seth Gatchell

Refuge

06/16/2026

High, atop a mountain, a place of comfort, there. A beautiful blue sky, puffed clouds, crystal clear air. Aspen leaves fluttering, a mountainside of red, I hear a rushing stream, grass and leaves for a bed.   Away from grizzly bears, far from timber crashes, Away from hellish winds, far from lightning flashes. My place…

Connecting

06/16/2026

Magnets connect each time, Easy as when words rhyme.   But people connecting? Difficult effecting!   Detecting. Objecting? Respecting. Reflecting?   Directing. Correcting? Expecting. Injecting?   Disheartening, And heartbreaking, Demoralizing, And frustrating,   Disappointing And sobering. Learning, humbling, Praying, stumbling.   Enjoying. Stumbling. Delighting. Fumbling. Giving. Bumbling. Grateful. Humbling.  

THE THREE HARDEST WORDS TO SAY

05/07/2026

Three words you rarely hear? You may never have heard? … Not from politicians, and not from “journalists,” Not drivers in their cars, and not from the “critics.” Not from all-star athletes nor from “celebrities,” Not colleagues at your work, nor from your families. … Parents expect their kids to utter these three words. Everyone…

A CERTAIN KIND OF COMMUNITY

04/13/2026

“Who needs the church?” we think. “It’s me and Jesus now.” “My faith’s something private. Them? Holier than thou.” “Too many hypocrites!” (“Oh, I’m not one,” I moan.) “I’ll go when I want to. I’ll do this on my own.”   Privacy reigns supreme in western culture, now. “To be isolated? It’s much ‘simpler’ and…

Sonrise!!

04/07/2026

Into the cold dark room he walked, Eerie. Quiet. The silence stalked. Musty dank smells, ground, and wet rock, Covered with grief, and still in shock.   Eyes, filled with tears, so bleary-eyed. ‘Twas up all night, his dear friend died. To pay respects, sat down in grief, His joy now gone, death was the…

Oh, Conscience!

03/10/2026

What mayhem we will see when conscience is broken, “Do ‘right’ in your own eyes.” This mantra, now spoken. No restraining presence, like no brakes on a car, Plummeting down the hill, “It’s a thrill ride for all”???   A broken conscience, bad, but another step worse, When conscience becomes blind, we’ll live under that…