Poetry on the topic of lament and longsuffering is something I realize I have historically neglected. There was a time when I supposed that no one really wanted to read such work. I thought this to myself without ever critically thinking about it.
However, I have recently been prompted to reflect upon the accuracy of such a notion. Being reminded of how poems on despair, sadness, and the darkest times of life are often remembered fondly, I was set about to prepare writing such works of my own to share with the world.
This piece ponders the endless toil of life that seems to go on each day, and how it can be a long time before the good one does shall come to bear its fruit in a way that is relevant and notable in the awareness of the one who planted the seed. That long wait, spoken of as a “march,” is a dreary experience which tempts one to give up prematurely and abandon the works of good.
Only through great discipline and perseverance does one continue on the right path despite this, reminding himself constantly to do good for its own sake; and of all he knows that is to come because of what has already been. For the good work of the Lord which we know to be true assures us of the hope that is to come (1 Corinthians 15:12-28). This assures us of the worthwhile nature of the good we do now (Mark 9:41 & Hebrews 6:10).
Long are days that pass on by
Never ending do they seem
Tempting both to live and die
As if one's life, a wretched scheme
When all goes by so slow each day
In the ways that matter most
So easy doth then slip away
The hope that would keep us at post
For good is short and pain is long
Each finds us then to come along
Our company on this long march
Not just to quench, but more to parch
Where do we look then day by day?
Just to the sky for times to come?
Is all one's peace yet held at bay?
Still something our days now keep from?
Perhaps it is, and perhaps not
In some ways "yes," and others "no"
For pain is not to be forgot
Yet peace, inside, we always know
Then patience is our blessing now
That keeps us firm and shows us how
To persevere through all that be
Now matter what we come to see
On this long march, we wait to end
With broken hearts and weary souls
Moving still through each new bend
Forevermore to pay its tolls
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