Another Day Down

by Summer D Clemenson | Sep 16, 2016 | Poetry

The crinkle of paper and the whisper of a pen
I saw My Commander sign the order
You were given permission to test me but not unto death
You lured me in with promises and built me up
I tried not to believe you but you wore a new disguise
You left me isolated and rejected my loyalty
You beat me with your fists and threw me down on the cold cement
You ran me over with a cargo van and I heard my ribs crack
Your laughter rang shrill as I struggled to breathe
coughing on my own fluids and waiting for you to stop
because I know when you get weak

I wove in and out of my experience
knowing my nightmare was only real in one realm
I could not wake up
no matter how many times Xavier called my name
or jumped off and on the bed

Your eyes twinkled when you blew me up
The sound made Anniessa wince
Her dark eyes grew darker as she watched frozen in her flashback
In sticky piles that covered everything I laid in many places
My nerves were on fire and the air was lingered with smoke
The smell of blood filled my senses
and I knew you were there devising the next encounter
The only intimacy you can truly experience
The taste of blood it doesn’t even answer a dry mouth

His furry striped face stood watch
as I looked at him through eyes full of sleep
I wished for my soldier
but she was far away
His soft paws brushed my face
while I tried to remember how to move my arms

On a road in the desert I knew you were there
I could sense the hidden witnesses who knew nothing
The ground was hard and hot
Nathaniel had joined Anniessa as they stood strong
While red dust blew through their hair and they muffled their thoughts
I watched you quarter me with a steak knife from my kitchen
You laid my parts side by side
You cursed me and could not understand why I was mad
The spit from your mouth was hotter than the wind

I heard my soldier fighting and calling my name
I saw formless minions clenching her arms and covering her mouth
You refused to hear me so I didn’t to speak
Above the muffled screams of my soldier
You made known all your accusations
No one spoke for me because the buildings caught on fire
I knew I was still alive because I remembered His words
You also cursed Him because you didn’t act in your own power

In the arms of my soldier I awoke
as my feline baby wove his way in
Bathed by the softness of their eyes I was finally near peace
Every blow, every burn, every cut still fresh
I cried in pain, in my body and sorrow in my mind
My Commanders voice whispered the truth in the quiet
because He had already won
You can’t reach me unless I let you
and I am learning how to not let you in

I AM Here

by Summer D Clemenson | Jul 18, 2016 | Poetry

In a quiet only known with You
You are God
I can reach out and touch the gifts of Your praise
In the colors of Your rainbow are Your radiance and mercy
and I have been allowed to be here!

You chose me before You made me
or the earth and all its wonders
You tell me how much You love me
with every breath You breathe into me

I am but to praise You with Your own love and faith
and I will stay here for awhile
because it took so long to see how much You gave for me
To stand here and minister to You with Your own song
with Your own truth

In a quiet only known with You

Four Words

by Summer D Clemenson | May 18, 2016 | Poetry

I heard You yesterday
surrounded by trees and strangers
I felt You walking with me
I looked for someone coming
over my shoulder and all around
and then You spoke

“Do you feel Me?”
Four words relieved my anxiety
Yes I feel You
Our steps were in unison
and I wasn’t alone

Greeted by people in need
people in a hurry
people who can’t see me
You were steady and leading
I have stumbled looking for You
Today Your strength kept our path

“Do you feel Me?”
Four words show You trust me
to know You are here
Our steps are in unison
and I am not alone

New Floors

by Summer D Clemenson | May 17, 2016 | Poetry

I know how to scrub floors
I can do it in any dress
whether in drag, rags or coiffed to the nines
I am here to serve
On my knees with or without implements
I’ve cleaned up messes I didn’t make

I have grown and I have watched
you drop your plates, scraps and shrapnel
where I can see
you maintain your stature
and my body become one with the floor

At your pleasure I have served
watched my sisters at their stations
until I was alone
Then a swift kick in the rump
can send me airborne
to scrub what no one else saw

On my last trip down
I decided to stand up
and walk away;
maybe learn to dance in my own house
because her smile made floors out of clouds

Many Foundations

by Summer D Clemenson | Apr 20, 2016 | Poetry

My father worked hard and built two houses
one wanted to be an island
the other wanted to be the world
When he left the island he never came back
It was my job to keep it from floating away

While my light shone bright You sought me
Before my small hands could break
You breathed into me Your life
because without You I wouldn’t be

My father collected 4 porcelain dolls with painted faces
but I was really a house of mirrors
My dress was full to cover my broken parts
because no one wants to see some things

To bless those You need to be seen
You made me with the ability to see
Mirrors tell truths minds can distort
You heal wounds even we can’t see

My father came from a railroad house;
he built with tools he had learned to make
Tools the world says are strong but not on an island
I’ve moved to the city
The island likes to be what it wants to be

When I walk by a mirror I am surprised to see smooth skin
The other dolls have cracks from smiling too hard
Your wind has scattered them to their hills
But I stand here because this one You made for me

You have built my new house
You’ve sent me a sergeant to be strong when I can’t
My mirrors are broken but we want to hang Yours
Your light shines through every dark place
Your carpentry will make sure my father and his houses are welcome
Your foundation is forgiveness and we will have strong floors

You Have My Hands

by Summer D Clemenson | Jan 3, 2016 | Poetry

In the quiet You are here

In the clatter & destruction

You are here

When I reach out my hand

You meet me as far as I need

I know that You know

that I know

You know

I can’t walk alone

So You are with me every step

You know every tear

every drop of blood spilled

every wound

that I can’t allow to heal

You are the perfect salve

I will never go septic

When I stop

strangling myself

You will be the air I breathe

Because You are my heart

that beats

the synapses that fire

and You will not let go of my hands

Written by Summer D Clemenson 12/29/2015

The Great Reception

by Summer D Clemenson | Nov 3, 2015 | Poetry

You are great and massive

Without You

I am a speck in someone else’s eye

In Your might

I grow

As we walk I become more like You

While You hold me

I illuminate within You

Arms outstretched

as the boughs of a mighty oak

Your roots run deep and steady

The breeze in the leaves

speaks of Your Spirit

I feel it moving

I repeat the song it sings

and watch it heal

I am refreshed

by Your river that overflows

In Your shadow I will never move

November 1, 2015

Wellness Works NW

by Summer D Clemenson | Mar 26, 2015 | Marketing

Wellness Works NW serves Cowlitz County, Clatskanie & Rainier by offering:

Wellness Plans for Individuals & Businesses
Fitness Assessments
Weight Management Counseling
Personalized Menus & Shopping Lists
Personal Training

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Elevated Marketing Concepts

by Summer D Clemenson | Nov 25, 2014 | Poetry

You are so much bigger than myself

Drowning in communication

Caught in the chords that we’ve confused

I am straining to hear You

but the addresses are new while the links look unchanged

—

Critics have had their say

The constant wailing and lamenting

has captured thousands of hits

But only You know what I am mourning

—

The information I have depended on

cannot be found

You see my creation and documented the keywords

I have worked hard to maintain a user-friendly site

but the pop-ups have led me astray

Will You tell me where I am going?

—

The polls are in and the adware has been effective

My arms are exhausted from constant hacking

You are the one that connects the parts of me You made

while the marketing continues to mix

—

The slideshow is entertainment while I wait

for the entire page to upload

A glitch in the database

stops my head from speaking to my feet

while technicians install Your latest update

There are 3 empty chairs at this station even though You never leave

—

The fine print clarifies that You are always refining

My code is always being updated

I look forward to being newer and better when You are done

as silver purified in a furnace on earth 7 times

The Song and The Dance

by Summer D Clemenson | Nov 8, 2014 | Poetry

In the warmth that fills me

You claim Your place inside

Like a child I behold Your face ablaze

Giggles escape in adoration

as I reach up to look better at Your eyes

as I run my fingers through Your hair

—

As long as I stay here

You are my breath

You empower my opportunities

and even while I look to You

You leak out of my pores

—

The voices singing Hallelujah

erupt and fill the room

We sway in Your arms

but only use words that seem too small

In You we find our likeness

while you manage the production in Your Word

—

Desire to move on my own

takes me out of Your light

So I will stand on Your feet

and let You lead

I fail when I try my hand at choreography

—

There is a whisper in my soul

that answers every question

Like a child I behold Your face ablaze

Giggles escape in adoration

Who I am is in Your gaze

and You are the song and the dance

Jamie Chases Butterflies Got a Facelift!

by Summer D Clemenson | Oct 2, 2014 | Marketing

Back in October of 2011 I surprised my oldest friend with a blog. For years she had been talking about writing more and one day I was inspired to build her a blog where she could write whatever her heart desired. In the last 3 years Jamie Holloway has been able to use words to describe her path as she learned to deal and heal with Vasculitis. Although Jamie was forced to live with a trach for many years in order to be able to breath, miraculously she was always able to speak, which is not very common, but most importantly, her readers were also able to experience her finding her inner voice and learn to communicate better and advocate for herself.
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Making the Grade

by Summer D Clemenson | Sep 13, 2014 | Marketing

The buzz on the street is that people are afraid to buy websites because they don’t think they can edit them or that I can update them fast enough. I am super excited to get feedback, even when it tells me that I haven’t spoken enough on this topic. It is kind of like a report card…and I just gave myself a D…that is not good enough.

At Exclaim Media Video and Marketing we love to help people have thoughtful, clear marketing. That should be based on an easy-to-use website that can work for you when you are playing, eating and sleeping. Owning it ensures that it is yours and you don’t have to worry about whether you are following the compliance rules that you might be stuck with on some social media sites.

When I set up your new site, I build sites with WordPress because WordPress is easy enough to use that I don’t have to be a gatekeeper between you and your site. Anyone that can type can be trained to edit your site. Since you don’t usually have big changes everyday this is something that your receptionist can do between calls, the mail sorter can do when they want to take a break from paper cuts, even your CEO can make updates while they eat lunch. Part of the cost of your site includes training to edit it. Beyond that build, if I can answer your question in an email or phone call…you won’t have to look forward to an invoice.

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The Monticello Hotel & Motel

by Summer D Clemenson | Aug 29, 2014 | Marketing

The Monticello Hotel opened for business on July 23, 1923 and was the centerpiece that the City of Longview was built around. The “fire-proof” 200-room hotel housed prospective residents and visiting business people who had come in search of property. Originally named “Hotel Monticello,” it was the first building to be completed in the planned city. The name was chosen in honor of the first pioneer community on the Cowlitz River, which was named after Thomas Jefferson’s plantation.

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I am Because You Are

by Summer D Clemenson | Aug 21, 2014 | Poetry

I would have nothing but death

and with a broken heart You made plans for that

You said there would be war

and rumors of war

You said You would come back

and I would take my eyes off You in order to guess

Even this is more proof of You

My neighbors revel in gossip and drama

while people You love

starve and sleep in the street

You said humanity would breed evil

and it has

I have tried to avoid dancing with them yet still I must repent

You know how hard I have tried to be good

and failed

Your love is so deep and encompassing and honest

Trust founded in you

has been raped by our greed

But in my heart You remain

You overwhelm me with Your grace

So I would be happy to look more like you

You said I would be persecuted

by liars, tramps and thieves

Your salvation is complete

even while I still remain ready to compete

I hear the song in my heart cry with You

because You replaced mine with Yours

You see me through Your Son even through my sin

I am slowly losing my first site and sound of judgement

because You require me to give up all

While You are my amazing gain

I live in a glass house You built

I am hidden by Your Name

You are Promise and Truth

You are Overcomer and Savior

I am because You are

The Wellness Plan

by Summer D Clemenson | Aug 14, 2014 | Poetry

You want me to live in your box

Your invitation is perpetual

and you think you won

In the black and white

I die

The death you embrace

The rigid walls cut my skin

You spend resources

to name my life as yours

Writing rules is your passion

You poke and prod

You question and assess

but you do it for you

while I fight to hold still

Powers and principalities

push me out of your realm

Push you into yours

The realness of fear

keeps us in opposition

It is not just flesh and blood

that makes us move

It’s life

I Will Fear No Evil

by Summer D Clemenson | Jul 17, 2014 | Poetry

I was kicked in the stomach today

I am the subject of a hit and run

Accusations runs wild

Fear plays loudly in stereo

and surround sound speakers

Not one bit of gratitude

has played for my ears

While I fly over their heads

Attacks come

from every direction

There is screaming inside me

Yet there is also quiet

that holds my attention

My gums are inflamed

my stomach is on fire

But You are here all the while

When I land

I will still be in Your arms

I will be in your peace

where I am never evicted

where I have what I need

Your countenance shines through mine

While I am in You

and You are in me

Image Credit: http://blessingsbeyondthebarnyard.com/2013/09/what-are-you-afraid-of.html

The Anti-Trust

by Summer D Clemenson | Jul 7, 2014 | Poetry

The gifts will continue to stack up

while you curse His blessing

Even while you mock His greatest creation

you will always have enough but I hold what you didn’t ask for

He cries for you

while you do what was done to you

Wounded and guarded

they pray for guidance while I carry them

Together we maneuver your obstacle course because

I refuse to hide your bad marketing

He cries for you

while you do what was done to you

You sing your own praise to all who can hear

You thank Him for divine gifting but don’t see what is in front of you

Depravity has been born out of neglect

While you shut me out in fear

He cries for you

while you do what was done to you

Keep tearing me down while you push them away

Don’t listen to me even though I speak through honest hearts

Ignore my communication and spite my questions

Only see the distraction instead of what I hold in my hands

He cries for you

while you do what was done to you

Note: As with any art what you see or hear is relative. I don’t usually explain any part of my poetry but the message on my heart while I wrote this is so important. The subject of this poem is so many people who are believers who don’t love people because people hurt them and stole their trust; there are so many of us. “I” is the Holy Spirit. “He” is Jesus. “They” are the messengers he has placed in our lives to show us something we need to heal. If you want to be healed Jesus knows what you need. Trust him. You can’t always trust your eyes & ears. If you have been abused your eyes & ears may have scars. Believers can’t rely on the sword and the law; we are no longer subject to the law because the life of Jesus will lead you in all righteousness.

Image Credit: http://elgarblog.wordpress.com/2014/02/28/the-pendulum-swings-patent-misuse-and-antitrust-by-daryl-lim/

Why Do You Need a Website?

by Summer D Clemenson | Jun 10, 2014 | Marketing

Screen captures from Angel Wings Rescue, The Monticello and The Petworks’ websites in 2014

Your website speaks volumes about your business. If you have a business, you need a website. If you have a business, you need a professional looking website. If you have a business most likely potential new clients will see your website before they see your storefront.

Although you and your employees (if you are lucky enough to have them) need to sleep at night, your website never sleeps. Your website will never go on vacation or maternity leave. Your website will never need sick days or overtime pay. Your website will never move, even if your storefront does.

A well-designed website can make your business appear larger by giving you a place to show off your portfolio and client testimonials. A successful website may ensure you don’t lose new clients to a business that does have a website because, believe me, your competitor does have a website. Of course, on the flip-side a poorly designed and maintained website will produce the opposite effect. If you have an unattractive or outdated website, you might as well go without.

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We Are the Wings

by Summer D Clemenson | May 30, 2014 | Poetry

Up high in the air

Only God really sees

Flying where he breathes

Only God really sees

Over rivers of his glory

washing and cascading

through canyons

and dry heat

The song we sing

Only God really hears

His song he sang

Only God really hears

The walls he made

to guide your path

Are glorious

as we fly

Our direction at his discretion

Only God really speaks

His word shake us

Only God really speaks

His message of love

is his glory we sing

from rainbow filled skies

we are the wings

Painting by Joshua Simila

EXCLAIM the Memories in VIDEO

by Summer D Clemenson | May 14, 2014 | Marketing

exclaim the memories in video In the month of May we stop for a moment and remember those who have paved the way for our life today; many who gave even their life for what they believed in.

I asked Karen what her first thought was about Memorial Day, which falls on Monday May 26, 2014. She said:

The first thing that comes into my mind when I think about Memorial Day are veterans that have fallen…and then I start to think about people, who I personally have lost, and how important it is to remember these people. Now we have memories and those memories are great. Those memories are so priceless….

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