You may not know this but, at heart, I am a poet. Or, rather, I’d like to be a poet. Or, more accurately, I just really like poetry. That’s probably more like it.
There’s something to cadence, rhythm, and rhyme that speaks to me. Poetry has played an important part in my life. It has always captivated my imagination (and feelings) and, in many ways, impacted the way I see the world. I haven’t dabbled in a while but felt compelled this past week to write in verse when trying out a new pen and a new kind of notebook. (In case you didn’t know, I am a sucker for paper and pens…)
So, I’ll figure I’d share it with you today.
Shiny Things
Beware of shiny things
That sparkle to the eyes
As they insist on giving wings
To the most alluring lies.
Refuse to let them feed you
Empty promises in disguise
— or you’ll thirst all days anew
When they don’t materialize.
They’ll always call you to embrace
All they herald as being true
While in secret, to your face,
They say, “I’ve trapped another fool!”
And because they cannot live for long,
They’ll besiege you with pretenses
And sing you all their fleeting songs
That speak only to the senses.
And in that moment, you’ll make a choice:
You’ll look deep within yourself
For the true measure of things.
It lies not with them — but somewhere else.
So Wisdom gets a louder voice,
And a new way up begins:
Do not try to outrun the rain
And make home amid the thunder,
For there’s nothing to be gained
To live only here, where lightning sunders.
Instead, seeks shelter there
Where the sun is always gentle
And the weather is always fair
— for the Spirit is what transcends
This reality to the next.
It is the soul that’s fundamental
And should be the purpose of our care.
That is all that Truth commands
— and what gives meaning to the text.
Photo by Lucas Benjamin on Unsplash