Penny was so happy
In the year nineteen-o-nine
When he was first imprinted
With Abraham's design
He was kept as the treasure
Of our children's piggybanks
And worked in every grocery store
Though no one gave him thanks
Now Penny would remind us
Though they say his job's a bust
With word's engraved upon his face
That say, "In God we trust!"
In God We Trust
By Peter Caligiuri
Copyright © 2026
All rights reserved
The climbing ropes and spikes and saddle
No longer sit up on my shelves
My high boots, saws, and brace and bit
Now live with someone else
Yet while I dream of times so long - long past
I still feel December’s cutting wind
And the pellets of its icy rain
That soaked me to the skin
But God reminds me to recall
The lilacs sweet in bloom
The sight of swallows on the breeze
Our boys sleeping in their room
And that of all the trees so high
That I have climbed before
None were as high as that lone tree
Where Christ gave all for me
For all God had in store
Confessions of a Tree Climber
Peter Caligiuri
Copyright © 2026 all rights reserved
Love settles swiftly in the heart
Where Christ Jesus comes to reign
While Joy comes bursting like a flood
And Peace begins its reign
But patience keeps me through the night
As she lags behind the rest
And holds my heart through fire and flood
For the moment God knows best
Then drip by drip and drop by drop
When the fiercest storm wind blows
She fills my cup with living hope
In Jesus overflows
Drip by Drip and Drop by Drop
By Peter Caligiuri
Copyright © 2026
All rights reserved
P.S. This poem written while I am learning patience is dedicated to my former pastor, Dr. Joliam Sampaio. As he and his wife Claudia have given their lives in ministry, and missions, they have modeled patience. Through suffering and even slander, they have maintained both the joy and the meekness of Jesus.
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