HOLDING OUT

I hold out hope
Like a beacon
Shining forth
Into the future
Its rays breaking up
The dread darkness
Into fleeting specters,
Making room for dreams
To stand, discovered.

The two that remain

Are kept close by,
Delighting in the unseen
Exposed by hope
And giving out light
Of a different kind,
Its warmth disarming
History cold
And chasing fear.
 

These three I carry,

Traversing time
As if it moved
On whispers low,
Neither seen
Nor barely heard
While high above
Clouds of wisdom
Gather with belief.

Schism

Within the darkened dungeon walls

The locks are cinched up tight
So no one hears the desperate calls
For hope, for bread, for light –
While just above a feast is held
Inside the hallowed halls,
As those who walk in freedom
Take the blessings meant for all.

The captives do not know how close

Their rescue, in truth, lies
For they are separated from
The source of redeemed life,
And while they long for being saved
Before they reach an earthly grave,
The privileged won’t dare to go
Into the dungeon’s gloomy glow.

Is there but one who’d dare to help

These suffering souls to rest?
A selfless fan of mercy
And the least of those he bests?
While putting others first, with love,
To offer up the key,
A willing soul to teach them how
To walk amongst the free?

For when we stop to realize

How little we deserve
Compared with how we’re magnified
With favor unreserved,
We can not help but want to share
With all who know the need,
The boundless love and tender care
In God’s great family.