Greg Asimakoupoulos is Seahawks Coach Mike Holmgren’s pastor at Mercer Island Covenant Church and he’s the author of eight books (including a volume of poetry) and more than two hundred articles. Here is an e-mail he sent after he spoke with two of the poems he gave us at the breakfast where he was featured speaker.

I LOVED being with you guys on Saturday. What a
great group of guys you have.

Here's the poem you requested.

The Dash of Life

There is a dash on granite stones
that punctuates a yard of  bones.
Unlike the dash we raced as kids,
it separates two  dates.

This dash is not a race to run
It speaks of all the things we've done
It symbolizes how we've lived.
Our joys and our regrets.

This dash is not a pinch of salt.
It speaks of times we  were at fault
and other times when we excelled
at helping those in  need.

That little dash is just a line
that stands for how we spent our time.
And like our dash, our time is short
so make it count today.

by Greg Asimakoupoulos

Also, here's the poem I wrote  for your Men's Roundtable.

The Knights' Table

A table round.
Equality.
Where men of God
can grow to be
the kind of knights
who daily serve
their King
most willingly.

A table round.
Diversity.
Where age or job
is not the key.
But common ground
where seeds once sown
are pushing
through the soil.

by Greg Asimakoupoulos

 In 2000 Greg began writing weekly poetic commentaries to help pastors reference current events in their church communications. His "Sunday Soundbytes" gave way to "Rhymes and Reasons" in 2003. "I view my weekly poems for The Partial Observer as political cartoons comprised of word pictures," Greg admits. "I intentionally incorporate hyperbole into my word-play in order to provoke discussion or to make a point."

Greg Asimakoupoulos (pronounced AWESOME-uh-COPE-uh-less) is an ordained minister, published author and a freelance news reporter with the Salem Radio Network. He and his wife have three daughters and live in Mercer Island, Washington.

Books:
Ptarmigan Telegraph (Arctic Broadcasting Association, 2004)
Draw Me Close to You (Integrity, 2003)
Give Thanks wtih a Grateful Heart (Integrity, 2002)
Heroic Faith (Voice of the Martyrs, 2002)
Prayers from My Pencil (Mainstay 2000)
Jesus, The People's Choice (Mainstay 1999)
Moses (Fishermen Bible Study, Shaw 1997)
The Time Crunch (Multnomah 1993)
Periodicals he regularly writes for are:
Decision, The Covenant Companion, The Lookout, Leadership Journal, Stand Firm, Breakaway, Focus on the Family, Just Between Us, Christian Parenting Today