Tag: Testing

Shelter

O shelter from the stormy blast, hold me fast;
Quick! Speedily take me neath your covering,
Hovering over me against the tempest raging
And engaging all humanity in utter calamity
With no break for mercy’s sake – we quake –
O hide me and abide with me, (do not chide)
And save me from the rage all around about
That writes itself on each page of our history;
O shelter from the stormy blast, hold me fast!

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Fog of War ~ Cry for Help

It is the fog of war and I cannot see clearly as I am nearly blind,
And so I bind me to you, my Beloved, clinging to you kind hand,
And you tie your band around my waist lest I here waste away
In this foreign land with battle trenches dug deep into the earth
From which every soldier must show his worth even in dying,
Crying for mercy and peace and I, too, beg the warfare to cease;
Oh, my Beloved, give me new lease on life and let all strife end!

Here is my heart and all of me, too, to do with as you might will;
Take and seal me for eternity in fraternity with you forevermore,
But bring relief now as well as the bell chimes out this late hour,
And show your power to heal, and to fill me with your great love
Above the cacophony of this world into which I’ve been hurled!
And write my own name on your palm and calm all of my fears
Which lurk ever near to my very soul and so wholly fill this hole!

And grant me sweet serenity even now . . .
Oh, grant us serenity even now, my Beloved

As I Cross This Ocean Deep

As I cross this ocean deep where secrets keep,
My fair soul sends forth its prayer so very bare,
And naked I stand before the band of angels,
Aware of weakness of flesh, with fresh songs
So melodious and filled with love from above;
Ah! But can I sing with them and bring peace
To my spirit so troubled within me in serenity,
While the waves come higher quenching fire
In my heart, taking the better part of my self
Into watery caverns buried beneath the water?
And when shall I reach the coastline of glory?
When shall I sit in peace to tell my paltry story?
When shall I walk the distant shore in peace
With new lease on life – new, abundant life –
Given to me as gift as I lift my hands to heaven?
Ah! I cross this ocean deep where secrets keep,
And in this journey grow into brand new birth
For all that I might be worth on the other side;
So, dear Lord, help me on board this regal ship
Not to slip in despair, knowing you will repair
As you lay this my heart bare without one tear,
And so I shall yet be all that is meant for me . . .

Waiting is the Hardest Part

Waiting for you is the hardest part,
As it tears at the fabric of the heart
That is already in the clutches of love
Above all else, my dove, and it makes
For an excellent bout with doubt,
Wondering if he is really worthy,
Asking if there will be only disdain
Such that this waiting is but in vain,
Pulling at his very spirit to abstain;
Ah! But have we come this far in life
So rife with pain to throw away gain
Of love to be found in the sound
Of our two hearts beating as one?
So shall we meet and seat ourselves
Neath the same sun with love begun
And discover together if our destiny
Lies along one common path or two;
But waiting is still the hardest part,
Tearing at the fabric of this heart . . .

The Query Psalm

When you came to me in the wasted land I was at the door of death,
And you stooped low and, face to face, breathed on me your breath,
But I was so utterly weary I didn’t even know what you were doing,
So I heard the sound of your voice as you lifted me from the ground,
Telling me all would be alright as you walked on through the night;
And I could scarcely comprehend, but you did not reprimand me;
We only travelled on and then I only remember awakening one day,
Lying in green pastures with the serene stream gurgling nearby me,
And you were there, so near and dear, tenderly tending my wounds,
And later I was able to eat and drink and stand on my very own feet,
And you smiled wide, embraced me, and I could feel your heart beat;
Then I looked around in awe as I saw hundreds and thousands here,
Each of them dear to your heart, my Beloved, but what of me now?
You’ve not left me bereft of your love, but is there something more?
You know that I adore you more than any other, but is there more?
No, I am not abused or misused by your hand, but is there yet more?
Oh! I see the sand in the distance and ask, ‘Am I part of your band?’
Yes, I see the sand in the distance and ask, ‘Am I part of your band?’
Ah! There must be some reason that I will know in due season . . .
Because you came and found me, not I you, and you redeemed me;
Yes, when I was at death’s door, you breathed on me your breath . . .
Of Life

An Unexpected Departure

Many days washed away during an unexpected stay
In a place secluded from the pace of ordinary ways
For the repair of mind to find fresh peace and solace
And a newer lease on life and serenity unfurled
In this world of painful woes and watery wishes
And now to see what may yet be in store for me
With hope … always anticipation in an emancipation
From baseless fear with God so near and angels dear
Yes, with this I have made the return
With hope that burns right brightly!
After days washed away during an unexpected stay

Sonnet of Trepidation

Whence cometh this fear that grips my heart in despair?
And why, with such a boon, should my soul need repair?
Ah! But this dæmon stalks at night and during the day,
And who will rescue me now and his malevolence repay?
Oh, that I might laugh once again in free joy and in peace!
God, givest thou thy servant bravery and in life new lease
That he might better serve thee in this time untarnished,
And walk with head held high in your truth unvarnished!
Lo, does this deadly pestilence stalk me ever so crudely,
And doth heavily weigh down mine heart quite so rudely
That these feet of mine hath most assuredly become lead,
And the cowardly trepidation of soul is mightily well fed;
But shall I await the doom that largely seemeth to loom?
Nay! Not while there is aplenty of room in empty tomb!