Nothing and Something
It is nothing to me, the beauty said,
With a careless toss of her pretty head;
The man is weak if he can't refrain
From the cup you say is fraught with pain.
It was something to her in after years;
When her eyes were drenched with burning tears,
And she watched in lonely grief and dread,
And startled to hear a staggering tread.
It is nothing to me, the mother said;
I have no fear that my boy will tread
In the downward path of sin and shame,
And crush my heart and darken his name.
It was something to her when that only son
From the path of right was early won,
And madly cast in the flowing bowl
A ruined body and sin-wrecked soul.
It is nothing to me, the young man cried:
In his eye was a flash of scorn and pride;
I heed not the dreadful things ye tell:
I can rule myself I know full well.
It was something to him when in prison he lay
The victim of drink, life ebbing away;
And thought of his wretched child and wife,
And the mournful wreck of his wasted life.
It is nothing to me, the merchant said,
As over his ledger he bent his head;
I'm busy to-day with tare and tret,
And I have no time to fume and fret.
It was something to him when over the wire
A message came from a funeral pyre -
A drunken conductor had wrecked a train,
And his wife and child were among the slain.
It is nothing to me, the voter said,
The party's loss is my greatest dread;
Then gave his vote for the liquor trade,
Though hearts were crushed and drunkards made.
It was something to him in after life,
When his daughter became a drunkard's wife
And her hungry children cried for bread,
And trembled to hear their father's tread.
Is it nothing for us to idly sleep
While the cohorts of death their vigils keep?
To gather the young and thoughtless in
And grind in our midst a grist of sin?
It is something, yes, all, for us to stand
Clasping by faith our Saviour's hand;
To learn to labor, live and fight
On the side of God and changeless light.
poem by Frances Ellen Watkins Harper
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Related quotes
Signing the Pledge
Do you see this cup, this tempting cup,
Its sparkle and its glow?
I tell you this cup has brought to me
A world of shame and woe.
Do you see that woman sad and wan?
One day with joy and pride,
With orange blossoms in her hair,
I claimed her as my bride.
And vowed that I would faithful prove
Till death our lives should part;
I've drenched her soul with floods of grief,
And almost crushed her heart.
Do you see that grayp;haired mother bend
Beneath her weight of years?
I've filled that aged mother's eyes
With many bitter tears.
Year after year for me she prays,
And tries her child to save;
I've almost brought her gray hairs down
In sorrow to the grave.
Do you see that boy whose wistful eyes
Are gazing on my face?
I've overshadowed his young life
With sorrow and disgrace.
He used to greet me with a smile,
His heart was light and glad;
I've seen him tremble at my voice,
I've made that heart so sad.
Do you see this pledge I've signed to-night?
My mother, wife, and boy
Shall read my purpose on that pledge
And smile through tears of joy.
To know this night, this very night,
I cast the winep;cup down,
And from the dust of a sinful life
Lift up my manhood's crown.
The faded face of my young wife
With roses yet shall bloom,
And joy shall light my mother's eyes
On the margin of the tomb.
I have vowed top;night my only boy,
With brow so fair and mile,
Shall not be taunted on the streets,
And called a drunkard's child.
Never again shall that young face
Whiten with grief and dread,
Because I've madly staggered home
And sold for drink his bread.
This strong right arm unnerved by rum
Shall battle with my fate;
And peace and comfort crown the home
By drink made desolate.
Like a drowning man, tempestp;tossed,
Clings to a rocky ledge,
With trembling hands I've learned to grasp
The gospel and the pledge.
A captive bounding from my chain,
I've rent each hateful band,
And by the help of grace divine
A victor hope to stand.
poem by Frances Ellen Watkins Harper
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Conductor Bradley
A railway conductor who lost his life in an accident on a Connecticut
railway, May 9, 1873.
CONDUCTOR BRADLEY, (always may his name
Be said with reverence!) as the swift doom came,
Smitten to death, a crushed and mangled frame,
Sank, with the brake he grasped just where he stood
To do the utmost that a brave man could,
And die, if needful, as a true man should.
Men stooped above him; women dropped their tears
On that poor wreck beyond all hopes or fears,
Lost in the strength and glory of his years.
What heard they? Lo! the ghastly lips of pain,
Dead to all thought save duty's, moved again
'Put out the signals for the other train!'
No nobler utterance since the world began
From lips of saint or martyr ever ran,
Electric, through the sympathies of man.
Ah me! how poor and noteless seem to this
The sick-bed dramas of self-consciousness,
Our sensual fears of pain and hopes of bliss!
Oh, grand, supreme endeavor! Not in vain
That last brave act of failing tongue and brain
Freighted with life the downward rushing train,
Following the wrecked one, as wave follows wave,
Obeyed the warning which the dead lips gave.
Others he saved, himself he could not save.
Nay, the lost life was saved. He is not dead
Who in his record still the earth shall tread
With God's clear aureole shining round his head.
We bow as in the dust, with all our pride
Of virtue dwarfed the noble deed beside.
God give us grace to live as Bradley died!
poem by John Greenleaf Whittier
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The Swan Song
Now I'm getting all fluffy for Bedtime Stories, this is how I see the Ugly Duckling in a Poem form, and I hope I do justice to the timeless classic by Hans Christian Anderson.
Do you remember?
The story of the
Ugly little bird
It was picked on
And trodden on because
Its plumage was plain
It grew up alone
Thinking it was
To clumsy to play
It watched with a tear
Alone and afraid
As winters and summers
Passed its lone life
It grew up with fear
And lived all alone
Accepting its life
It grew up that way
In the reeds of the marsh
But then one day
Hiding behind
The reeds of the marsh
It watched a swan land
In migration to pass
Graceful and pure
It bowed its handsome head
With grandeur and pride
He cocked his head held high
He swam to thro
To attract a new wife
And then just beyond
Behind the tall marsh reeds
He spotted the beauty
Alone and afraid
And it stopped in its wake
To bow its head
Just once more
At the confused ugly duckling
Behind the reeds of the mash
Taken by surprise
It cried in confusion of fear
Why do you mock me?
With your head so low
That only happens
When taking a wife
Said swan to the duckling
Its head still bowed low
Your beauty is wonder
Come now be my wife
Shaking its head
In cried in its rage
I am not a beauty
I cannot be your wife
Slowly it lifted
Its fine handsome head
Then said to the duckling
Look yonder my beauty
At your reflection ahead
Then looking at ripples
Where its teardrops fell
The ugly little duckling
Saw a swan instead
The handsome young swan
Once more bowed its head
I beseech thee my beauty
Be my wife, be my friend
Now a young swan
And duckling no more
It ruffled its feather
Its plumage snow white
Then bowing with tears
Her beauty so bright
Together they flew
As husband and wife
poem by Kaila George
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The Dying Gamblers Story
In a little secret Gambling house in a city known for fame
There sits a man of tender years his head bowed down in shame
That young man told a story as sad as can be
And if you will but listen this is what he said to me.
A year ago I had a wife but she was called one day
And as she lay so near to death she pressed my hand to say
I'm giving you my wedding ring to cherish all your life
And with these words the reaper called away my loving wife.
Soon I started gambling til I never had a thing
And on a hand I thought would win I bet my dead wife's ring
I drew the card and looked at it, Oh God I cried aloud
I've lost my dead wife's wedding ring to this drunken jeering around.
When he had finished speaking he bowed his head and sighed
And we who heard his story knew that he had died
But that dying gamblers story didn't mean a thing
Too bad they said, dealt the cards, and bet his dear wife's ring.
poem by Kenneth T. Schofield
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The Night of Death
Twas a night of dreadful horror, --
Death was sweeping through the land;
And the wings of dark destruction
Were outstretched from strand to strand
Strong men's hearts grew faint with terror,
As the tempest and the waves
Wrecked their homes and swept them downward,
Suddenly to yawning graves.
'Mid the wastes of ruined households,
And the tempest's wild alarms,
Stood a terror-stricken mother
With a child within her arms.
Other children huddled 'round her,
Each one nestling in her heart;
Swift in thought and swift in action,
She at least from one must part.
Then she said unto her daughter,
"Strive to save one child from death."
"Which one?" said the anxious daughter,
As she stood with bated breath.
Oh! the anguish of that mother;
What despair was in her eye!
All her little ones were precious;
Which one should she leave to die?
Then outspake the brother Bennie:
"I will take the little one."
"No," exclaimed the anxious mother;
"No, my child, it can't be done."
"See! my boy, the waves are rising,
Save yourself and leave the child!"
"I will trust in Christ," he answered;
Grasped the little one and smiled.
Through the roar of wind and waters
Ever and anon she cried;
But throughout the night of terror
Never Bennie's voice replied.
But above the waves' wild surging
He had found a safe retreat,
As if God had sent an angel,
Just to guide his wandering feet.
When the storm had spent its fury,
And the sea gave up its dead
She was mourning for her loved ones,
Lost amid that night of dread.
While her head was bowed in anguish,
On her ear there fell a voice,
Bringing surcease to her sorrow,
Bidding all her heart rejoice.
"Didn't I tell you true?" said Bennie,
And his eyes were full of light,
"When I told you God would help me
Through the dark and dreadful night?"
And he placed the little darling
Safe within his mother's arms,
Feeling Christ had been his guardian,
'Mid the dangers and alarms.
Oh! for faith so firm and precious,
In the darkest, saddest night,
Till life's gloom-encircled shadows
Fade in everlasting light.
And upon the mount of vision
We our loved and lost shall greet,
With earth's wildest storms behind us,
And its cares beneath our feet.
poem by Frances Ellen Watkins Harper
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Dead In Sight Of Fame
DIED--Early morning of September 5, 1876, and
in the gleaming dawn of 'name and fame,'
Hamilton J. Dunbar.
Dead! Dead! Dead!
We thought him ours alone;
And were so proud to see him tread
The rounds of fame, and lift his head
Where sunlight ever shone;
But now our aching eyes are dim,
And look through tears in vain for him.
Name! Name! Name!
It was his diadem;
Nor ever tarnish-taint of shame
Could dim its luster--like a flame
Reflected in a gem,
He wears it blazing on his brow
Within the courts of Heaven now.
Tears! Tears! Tears!
Like dews upon the leaf
That bursts at last--from out the years
The blossom of a trust appears
That blooms above the grief;
And mother, brother, wife and child
Will see it and be reconciled.
poem by James Whitcomb Riley
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Life? ? ! ! ! !
.
Mad cofused forgotten used Thats me
trust in my self is the path
that guides me
i can say whatever to get you
to notice me
but as the second child
I'm like a slave doing jobs
that your to busy to see
you say your working all night
but i do things to
caring for yo kids is not possibly what I'm hear to do
I'm hear to learn
graduate and play professional ball
start a family have a son maybe a dog
its sad how you don't support my dreams
i been holding it in for to long and now its free
live to love life if thats true I'm extinct
Im like a marathon runner on the track with no feet
this shit irrates me
you know my dad left when i was only in elementary
i lost my father figure early in my life
he never looked back
he found another wife
i want you to listen listen real good
i want you to treat me like a mother really should
and not like a black boy coming straight out the hood
i hope you understand
i hope you listened well
i hope you took notes
on all the things that failed
cause I'm a man
and i have to be respected
as a african male
no fun intended
And when I'm a father
ill love my children
more then my father ever did
when he was with me
telling them good night
every other day
and kissing there head
promising it will be ok
poem by Jonas Blueford
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Im a man? ? ! ! ! !
.
Mad cofused forgotten used Thats me
trust in my self is the path
that guides me
i can say whatever to get you
to notice me
but as the second child
I'm like a slave doing jobs
that your to busy to see
you say your working all night
but i do things to
caring for yo kids is not possibly what I'm hear to do
I'm hear to learn
graduate and play professional ball
start a family have a son maybe a dog
its sad how you don't support my dreams
i been holding it in for to long and now its free
live to love life if thats true I'm extinct
Im like a marathon runner on the track with no feet
this shit irrates me
you know my dad left when i was only in elementary
i lost my father figure early in my life
he never looked back
he found another wife
i want you to listen listen real good
i want you to treat me like a mother really should
and not like a black boy coming straight out the hood
i hope you understand
i hope you listened well
i hope you took notes
on all the things that failed
cause I'm a man
and i have to be respected
as a african male
no fun intended
And when I'm a father
ill love my children
more then my father ever did
when he was with me
telling them good night
every other day
and kissing there head
promising it will be ok
poem by Jonas Blueford
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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A Man Like Me
Should you ever meet
A man like me
On a road or some busy street
With a back so scared
Head bent low
And eyes that have seen defeats
With a soul that fight the past
Where sorrow's play their broken harps
A living death, and all that's left
It this man with a broken heart
My family? Well? They've no right
To judge, or critize, nor even condemn
Because, sometimes their actions
Are just like them
Oh such careless steps, such thoughtless deeds
Oh how my misery starts
For I have faced, so much abuse
And that's what gave this broken heart
So humble, I think you could be
When I come passing by
For even the greatest...(God) ...
Was never so great
That He didn't stop to help and cry
I've tried not to lose my faith
I've held to love, all my life
Even when among all that strife
So even when sorrow throws, all those poison darts
Or when I've seen hope, all gone
I've walked alone and continued on
With broken heart
My family you've never walked in
this man shoes
Or seen the things, these eyes
have seen
Nor stood and watched with helpless hand
While the heart inside of you dies and stings
I never was a rich man, or master painter
Or had any words of art
Yet I still claim
I Love you same
Even with this broken heart
Life sometimes been so terribly cruel
There was a time I even prayed for death
There was a time of pain... when pain...
Was with every pain filled breath
So I say help that man, or friend
Or even your brother, along this road
It matters not... from where you start
For it was God...whom made you
To help that man, with a broken heart
poem by Clyde Bryson
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Ascension
I have been down in the darkest water-
Deep, deep down where no light could pierce;
Alone with the things that are bent on slaughter,
The mindless things that are cruel and fierce.
I have fought with fear in my wave-walled prison,
And begged for the beautiful boon of death;
But out of the billows my soul has risen
To glorify God with my latest breath.
There is no potion I have not tasted
Of all the bitters in life's large store;
And never a drop of the gall was wasted
That the lords of Karma saw fit to pour,
Though I cried as my Elder Brother before me,
'Father in heaven, let pass this cup!'
And the only response from the still skies o'er me
Was the brew held close for my lips to sup.
Yet I have grown strong on the gall Elysian,
And a courage has come that all things dares;
And I have been given an inner vision
Of the wonderful world where my dear one fares;
And I have had word from the great Hereafter-
A marvellous message that throbs with truth,
And mournful weeping has changed to laughter,
And grief has changed into the joy of youth.
Oh! there was a time when I supped sweet potions,
And lightly uttered profound belief,
Before I went down in the swirling oceans
And fought with madness and doubt and grief.
Now I am climbing the Hills of Knowledge,
And I speak unfearing, and say 'I know,'
Though it be not to church, or to book, or college,
But to God Himself that my debt I owe.
For the ceaseless prayer of a soul is heeded,
When the prayer asks only for light and faith;
And the faith and the light and the knowledge needed
Shall gild with glory the path to death.
Oh! heart of the world by sorrow shaken,
Hear ye the message I have to give:
The seal from the lips of the dead is taken,
And they can say to you, 'Lo! we live.'
poem by Ella Wheeler Wilcox
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Vashti
She leaned her head upon her hand
And heard the King's decree --
"My lords are feasting in my halls;
Bid Vashti come to me.
"I've shown the treasures of my house,
My costly jewels rare,
But with the glory of her eyes
No rubies can compare.
"Adorn'd and crown'd I'd have her come,
With all her queenly grace,
And, 'mid my lords and mighty men,
Unveil her lovely face.
"Each gem that sparkles in my crown,
Or glitters on my throne,
Grows poor and pale when she appears,
My beautiful, my own!"
All waiting stood the chamberlains
To hear the Queen's reply.
They saw her cheek grow deathly pale,
But light flash'd to her eye:
"Go, tell the King," she proudly said,
"That I am Persia's Queen,
And by his crowds of merry men
I never will be seen.
"I'll take the crown from off my head
And tread it 'neath my feet,
Before their rude and careless gaze
My shrinking eyes shall meet.
"A queen unveil'd before the crowd! --
Upon each lip my name! --
Why, Persia's women all would blush
And weep for Vashti's shame!
"Go back!" she cried, and waved her hand,
And grief was in her eye:
"Go, tell the King," she sadly said,
"That I would rather die."
They brought her message to the King;
Dark flash'd his angry eye;
'Twas as the lightning ere the storm
Hath swept in fury by.
Then bitterly outspoke the King,
Through purple lips of wrath --
"What shall be done to her who dares
To cross your monarch's path?"
Then spake his wily counsellors --
"O King of this fair land!
From distant Ind to Ethiop,
All bow to thy command.
"But if, before thy servants' eyes,
This thing they plainly see,
That Vashti doth not heed thy will
Nor yield herself to thee,
"The women, restive 'neath our rule,
Would learn to scorn our name,
And from her deed to us would come
Reproach and burning shame.
"Then, gracious King, sign with thy hand
This stern but just decree,
That Vashti lay aside her crown,
Thy Queen no more to be."
She heard again the King's command,
And left her high estate;
Strong in her earnest womanhood,
She calmly met her fate,
And left the palace of the King,
Proud of her spotless name --
A woman who could bend to grief,
But would not bow to shame.
poem by Frances Ellen Watkins Harper
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I Would Do For You
The Mother looks into the eyes of her child,
With the love that is so deep and true
Then she hugs her child and loves her child,
And says, “ there is nothing that I would not do for you”.
She loves her child more than she does herself
She’ll places her child above all others
For the child she would die, And not even ask why,
As the child is hers, and she is the mother.
She knows she’ll will always be there for her child
No matter the pain or a reason why,
Just to see it smile or hear it laugh
It is the greatest joy that a mother wont hide.
She will follow her child throughout her life
That being the reason why she says she lives
The love is so great for a mother and her child,
That there is nothing that she would not do or give.
She thinks of her child constantly when she is alone
She knows no pain or discomfort when the child is near,
She is only here to make her child happy and wise
While hoping never to bring her child a tear.
I now look into the eyes of my wife,
The woman who I love with a love so deep and true,
As a mother loves her child, a man he loves his wife
And with her in mind I say, “ there is nothing that I wouldn't do for you”.
Randy L. McClave
poem by Randy McClave
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Made Me A Man
As I work with the sweat upon my brow
As so to support my family my wife and child
I do for them, all that I can,
As GOD, he made me a man.
I Protect all which is mine and what I own
Which includes my possessions and also my home
At my wife’s side I will always stand
As GOD, he made me a man
I will never ever lie or cheat or steal
Never hurt anyone when instead I could heal
As I know what is in my greater plan
As GOD, he made me a man.
I will never ever start a war or even a fight
Whether I be wrong and they be right
I will talk with them, until we both understand
As GOD, he made me a man.
I will not break the vows I made to my wife
No matter the problems or even the rife
I know years from now in front of GOD I will stand
As GOD, he made me a man.
A soul and a life GOD he gave me
He showed me the roads and told me to be free
I gave up being a boy from worries I had not ran
As GOD, he made me a man.
As I say my prayers alone at night
I humble myself to the Lord and his might
I know that GOD, he made me a Man
But I am the one, who made me who I am.
poem by Randy McClave
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Away The Bowl
Our grateful hearts with temperance burn,
Away, away the bowl,
From dram shops all, our steps we turn,
Away, away the bowl;
Farewell to rum and all its harms,
Farewell the wine-cup's boasted charms,
Away the bowl, away the bowl, away, away the bowl.
See how that staggering drunkard reels!
Away, away the bowl;
Alas, the misery he reveals,
Away, away the bowl;
His children grieve, his wife's in tears!
How sad his once bright home appears!
Away the bowl, away the bowl, away, away the bowl.
We drink no more, nor buy nor sell,
Away, away the bowl!
The grog-shop's offers we repel,
Away, away the bowl.
United in a temperance band,
We 're joined in heart, we 're joined in hand,
Away the bowl, away the bowl, away, away the bowl.
poem by John Pierpont
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My Fore-Elders
When from the child, that still is led
By hand, a father's hand is gone, ---
Or when a few-year'd mother dead
Has left her children growing on, ---
When men have left their children staid,
And they again have boy and maid, ---
O, can they know, as years may roll,
Their children's children, soul by soul?
If this with souls in heaven can be,
Do my fore-elders know of me?
My elders' elders, man and wife,
Were borne full early to the tomb,
With children still in childhood life
To play with butterfly or bloom.
And did they see the seasons mould
Their faces on, from young to old,
As years might bring them, turn by turn,
A time to laugh or time to mourn?
If this with souls in heaven can be,
Do my fore-elders know of me?
How fain I now would walk the floor
Within their mossy porch's bow,
Or linger by their church's door,
Or road that bore them to and fro,
Or nook where once they build their mow,
Or gateway open to their plough
(Though now indeed no gate is swung
That their live hands had ever hung ), ---
If I could know that they would see
Their child's late child, and know of me.
poem by William Barnes
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A Wife
at the night seems long, wondering
mind calls for a solitude, where the heart
felt the emptiness of the soul
each birth calls every memory to live
and begin the unending journey of the heart
where each moment lives what the immortality
of destiny calls
dare not to face the bright moonlight shadow
of where it started to grow and bloom, the
innocent child flourish in thy love abode in
the mother’s womb of thy father's lap
hold on to the sweat that goes, for labor stand
in the kittle pot amidst the burning sun of the
skin makes it fun, happy as it could be in the
lingering hand as the children grown
now the day has ended, as sun has shown the
reflected wrinkles in the moonlight face of the
beautiful Maria in the homeless dress as the
party goes, late comes near in the ageless
bacon of love
solemnly it face the beauty that exist in the past
as it request the best that our naked eyes had
profess, thank you that you came in my light you
bring the moonlight night a sky as so bright
for you are the sun shine of my life
you are a wife who came and live my life so bright
till you will be my wife through out eternity
poem by Antonio Liao
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The Benefits Of His Presence
I will seek you with my whole heart
And learn to walk in your ways
I will seek you with my whole heart
And follow you all of my days
I love your word and your Spirit too
And I will praise you with all of my heart
Without you I would be forsaken and lost
I needed you right from the start
With my whole heart I cry to thee
Keep me close let us not be apart
Speak to me oh Spirit of God
Your Word is hidden in my heart
I rejoice in the Lord and in all of your ways
You have made the crooked paths straight
You lead me in the way of righteousness
And on your word and your Spirit I shall wait
You are the ground upon which I stand
Open my eyes that I may see
Your glory and splendor, your Spirit and truth
You are the Word who has set me free
You are the way and the truth and you are my life
Oh Lord do not put me to shame
My heart's desire is to follow you
And to glorify your precious name
Oh keep my eyes from worthless things
May they only ever see you
May I walk in the path that you have set
And praise you in all that I do
I will not be ashamed of the Gospel
It's the power of God to salvation
I will speak of you before mighty kings
And the Peoples of every nation
My hope is in the Lord my God
For your word has given me life
Your song comes to me in the middle of the night
As a bridegroom comes to His wife
The earth oh Lord is full of your mercy
And you have kept me from all harm
I will walk with my brothers who fear you
And you shall keep us from all alarm
In the midst of my many afflictions
I have learned from the error of my ways
I am drawn by your tender mercies
And they follow me all of my days
I delight in the your word that dwells in me
And I know I shall not be alone
For you dwell in the midst of a brand new heart
A heart of flesh and not of stone
My heart hungers for your presence oh Lord
I walk through a dry weary land
Yet through famine and drought my hope is in you
And suddenly before you I stand!
And the enemy that has sought to destroy me
And take advantage of my perilous state
Did not reckon on the faithful loving-kindness
Of my God who'll not leave me to my fate
You are beyond all comprehension
And we breathe because you exist
You sustain the heavens and the earth below
Righteousness and peace they have kissed
My strong desire is to do thy will
And my soul thirsts to please you oh Lord
I am hungry to know even more of you
It's so sweet to hear your word
Your word is a lamp unto my feet
And it keeps me on the road ahead
And though I am tempted to stray from it
It lights up the path I must tread
Every word that proceeds from my precious Lord
Is life and salvation to me
Keep me close that I may hear you Lord
Keep me close so I may be free
This Word that burns at the center of my heart
Was written by you for me
This strong desire that has ruined me for life
Makes me desperately want to see
To see you high and lifted up
Where the train of your robe fills the temple
I fall down in fear at this terrible sight
Yet I find you so sweet and gentle
Your mercy flows like the river wide
And your love is as deep as the sea
And of your forgiveness there is no end
From Calvary it flows eternally
And rivers of water run down from my eyes
For men have rejected the Son
Yet despite their rejections we shall rejoice
For the victory on Calvary won
I rise before the breaking of dawn
In the wee small hours of the morning
I search for you with all of my heart
And for the world my heart is in mourning
They will not hear, they refuse to listen
They are stubborn in al of their ways
Yet your children will rejoice with all of their hearts
And follow you all of their days
This heart, this heart you have given to me
Is the greatest treasure of all
And your words of love are written on this heart
So that I may never fall
For I was fallen and dead in my sin
Just like Lazarus, dead in the cave
Yet you came to me, right where I was
And you were mighty to save
Arise my child come forth and live
I speak to your heart of stone
Roll away, roll away, and now become flesh
Walk with me and you'll never walk alone
And so it was, the promise fulfilled
All the prophets had longed to see
This heart of flesh, the law fulfilled
The Christ that has set me free
poem by Frank McEleny
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Our child once grown
What if my wife revealed that she was pregnant by me?
However, what if our child one day chose simply not to believe?
In nine months and eighteen years, I need to answer this question.
Nine months for God and my wife to give birth to the little one.
Eighteen year for us to train them in the way that they should go.
But, it is our child choice in whom to believe once grown and outside our front door.
At home, our child shall be instructed about the consequences of their sin.
Our child will understand the punishment of God for sin in the end.
I will train our child up in the Godly way that they should always go.
I will show them the love of the wonderful God I personally know.
Once grown, by us, our child shall be shown how to live life righteously.
Regardless in whom they believe, they will always be our child to me.
How would I feel if in spite of everything I taught and showed our child?
Our child decided, once grown, to take another way in life for a while.
Although taught while young not to steal; once grown they stole any way.
Although taught while young not to lie; once grown they lied every day.
Would I abandon them as quickly as the rest of the world?
Would they still be the prized apple of your heart and still be daddy’s little boy or girl?
Still, there is always a chance our child might choose in God not to believe.
If our child does, it is not because of the lack of the right instructions from me.
I will love our child even if by their life they chose not to follow God.
Because no matter what our child is an important part of my heart.
In who to continue to believe that major choice of life shall be their own.
But, they are still our child though they choose not to believe or act right once grown.
poem by Reginald Walker
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Psalm 119
I will seek you with my whole heart
And learn to walk in your ways
I will seek you with my whole heart
And follow you all of my days
I love your word and your Spirit too
And I will praise you with all of my heart
Without you I would be forsaken and lost
I needed you right from the start
With my whole heart I cry to thee
Keep me close let us not be apart
Speak to me oh Spirit of God
Your Word is hidden in my heart
I rejoice in the Lord and in all of your ways
You have made the crooked paths straight
You lead me in the way of righteousness
And on your word and your Spirit I shall wait
You are the ground upon which I stand
Open my eyes that I may see
Your glory and splendor, your Spirit and truth
You are the Word who has set me free
You are the way and the truth and you are my life
Oh Lord do not put me to shame
My heart's desire is to follow you
And to glorify your precious name
Oh keep my eyes from worthless things
May they only ever see you
May I walk in the path that you have set for me
And praise you in all that I do
I will not be ashamed of the Gospel
It's the power of God to salvation
I will speak of you before mighty kings
And the Peoples of every nation
My hope is in the Lord my God
For your word has given me life
Your song comes to me in the middle of the night
As a bridegroom comes to His wife
The earth oh Lord is full of your mercy
And in that mercy you have kept me from harm
I will walk with my brothers who fear you
And you shall keep us from all alarm
In the midst of my many afflictions
I have learned from the error of my ways
I am drawn by your tender mercies
And they follow me all of my days
I delight in your word that dwells in me
And I know I shall not be alone
For you dwell in the midst of a brand new heart
A heart of flesh and not one of stone
My heart hungers for your presence oh Lord
I walk through a dry weary land
Yet through famine and drought my hope is in you
And suddenly before you I stand!
And the enemy that has sought to destroy me
And take advantage of my perilous state
Did not reckon on the faithful loving-kindness
Of my God who'll not leave me to my fate
You are beyond all comprehension
And we breathe because you exist
You sustain the heavens and the earth below
Righteousness and peace they have kissed
My strong desire is to do thy will
And my soul thirsts to please you oh Lord
I am hungry to know even more of you
It's so sweet to hear your word
Your word is a lamp unto my feet
And it keeps me on the road ahead
And though I am tempted to stray from it
It lights up the path I must tread
Every word that proceeds from my precious Lord
Is life and salvation to me
Keep me close that I may hear you Lord
Keep me close so I may be free
This Word that burns at the center of my heart
Was written by you for me
This strong desire that has ruined me for life
Makes me desperately want to see
To see you high and lifted up
Where the train of your robe fills the temple
I fall down in fear at this terrible sight
Yet I find you so sweet and gentle
Your mercy flows like the river wide
And your love is as deep as the sea
And of your forgiveness there is no end
From Calvary it flows eternally
And rivers of water run down from my eyes
For men have rejected the Son
Yet despite their rejections we shall rejoice
For the victory on Calvary won
I rise before the breaking of the dawn
In the wee small hours of the morning
I search for you with all of my heart
And for the world my heart is in mourning
They will not hear, they refuse to listen
They are stubborn in all of their ways
Yet your children will rejoice with all of their hearts
And follow you all of their days
This heart, this heart you have given to me
Is the greatest treasure of all
And your words of love are written on this heart
So that I may never fall
For I was fallen and dead in my sin
Just like Lazarus, dead in the cave
Yet you came to me, right where I was
And you were mighty to save
Arise my child come forth and live
I speak to your heart of stone
Roll away, roll away, and now become flesh
Walk with me and you'll never walk alone
And so it was, the promise fulfilled
All the prophets had longed to see
This heart of flesh, the law fulfilled
The Christ that has set me free
poem by Frank McEleny
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Man, Husband, Father
(10/24/12)
First and foremost - I am a man
And I had to gratify my needs
Then she came along and planted her seed.
Right then I knew she had to be part of my life
So I made her my wife.
But there was still something missing in my heart
And it was tearing me apart.
What was this need - this desire - that I had to fill?
I couldn't give up, it was bugging me still.
Then it dawned on me that I would never be complete
Until I had a child playing at my feet.
I fulfilled my goal that my wife would
No longer work- and all my friends called me a jerk.
I was always taught that the man must be
The family head - and on that road I would tread.
Being in the food line since the age of eight
I did not have to contemplate
Every one has to eat! So supermarkets and
Restaurant management I had to defeat.
I knew also that I would have to be a
" jack of all trades" - so I watched and questioned
Others who had the skills of plumbing, carpentry
Electrical too, these were things that a home owner must do.
I had become her husband, chauffer, and her friend
And to her, my ear I'd lend.
All her appointments, I was there
And the results we would share.
Then the news came that I waited to hear
That my wife was pregnant and my child she did bear.
Now I felt whole, I felt complete
This news wiped me off my feet
I knew already That a girl would be the part
Who would capture my soul, and heart.
They say only a mother can know the
Pleasures and pains- " but" in a fathers heart
He feels the same.
He does not feel the kicks and turns
And the morning sickness that a woman may feel
But he shares the joys that he sees on her face
As on her stomach his hand is placed.
Now my need, my desire was filled
And I rejoice to this day still.
© L. RAMS
poem by Louis Rams
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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