Website working again; new poem posted

Yesterday, the server that hosts this website inexplicably shut down. It was down for over  a day. My apologies to you, my readers. Thankfully, it seems the problem(s) have been corrected.

Anyway, I wanted to announce I’ve posted another poem, as promised. This one is entitled “A Psalm,” and that’s exactly what it is. If you’re familiar with the Book of Psalms in the Bible, you’ll know what to expect. I wrote it in the style of a psalm translated into English, however it’s certainly not divinely-inspired Scripture. But then again, I’m sure there were many psalms that were written but not included in the Bible. Regardless, like many of the Biblical psalms, mine is a prayer for deliverance.

You can read more about psalms here.

You can read the poem here.

A new short story will be posted Friday!

A Psalm

A Psalm
By Nathan Marchand

Vindicate me, O God,
Be not deaf to my plea!
My enemy has triumphed over me,
His heart swells with pride at my defeat.

His tongue is forked like a serpent’s,
His words the venom of snakes.
He spits them in my face,
Burning my eyes nearly to blindness.
My dearest friends drink his venom
and are poisoned against me.

Cut out his tongue with Your Sword of Truth,
O LORD God Almighty,
So that he may be silenced.
Be my Shield against his venomous darts
that my integrity will shine.
And be the Serum of Truth
that purges his lies from my friends’ hearts.

My LORD and King,
You are the God of Justice
Before Whom all unrighteousness perishes.
Look upon me and bring me justice
while I am yet in the land of the living.
Then I will proclaim your praises to the peoples,
Your great deeds to the ends of the Earth,
That all may know the glory of my God.
                                                                        Selah

New stories and poems this week!

Hello, “True Believers”! (Stan Lee could sue me for how many times I steal that term). It’s been a while since I’ve posted any new stories or poems, so I decided I would post three new ones this week, starting today. The others will be posted Wednesday and Friday.

Today, I posted a poem entitled “Pearl of Great Price.” It’s a love poem, of sorts, written in a style akin to Biblical wisdom literature, such as the the book of Proverbs. However, the poem was inspired by Jesus Christ’s parable of the pearl (Matthew 13:44-46). You may notice several allusions to these works in the poem. Did I have someone in mind when I wrote it? That’s for me to know and you to find out later. Maybe.

Click here to read it.

Pearl of Great Price

Pearl of Great Price
By Nathan Marchand

Long have you searched the world
Seeking her—the rarest treasure.
She is worth far more than rubies,
But who can find her?

She is a precious stone, a pearl of great price,
Often thrown before swine
And trampled in mud,
But never losing her luster.

Find her while she may be found.
But if you do, you must sacrifice.
Sell all you have, lay your pride aside.
Only then, by suffering, can you pay her great price.

But it will seem like a pittance,
For her beauty is matchless,
And like a snowflake, there is none like her,
And never will be again.

Will you fight to earn her?
Will you prize her, cherish her?
Will you polish her so she may shine?
Do so, and she will be your crown forevermore.

I’m going to Gen-Con 2012

I just finished my registration for the Authors’ Avenue at Gen-Con 2012. I’ll be selling copies of my books there, including Pandora’s Box, Destroyer, and The Day After. The convention will be held August 16-19 at the Indianapolis Convention Center (ICC) in Indianapolis.

Gen-Con is one of the oldest and largest gaming conventions in the world for over 44 years. It showcases the latest movers and shakers in the gaming world and many related products. You can learn more about the convention and register to attend here.