Devotional Poetry

Tests and Difficulties: 19 short poems

1
Overcoming Self

Thread by thread I sever the strings
That manipulate and entangle
That dominate and strangle
My soul's independence.

2
Sand Storm

Lost in the desert of self,
I can't se beyond the swirling sands
of my own selfish desires.

The sharp grains
of my vain imaginings
tear to shreds my concept of self.

3
Tests of Faith

Salvation doesn't end the struggle!
Once faith is confessed the tests begin:
Walking barefoot over broken glass;
Swimming naked in a blazing sea.

4
Waves of Ego

The waves of ego
Break against the rocks of tests
Dissipating in tide pools

5
Pressure Building

Pressure building, slowly building,
Building yearly, building weekly,
Daily building, building, building;
Sudden bursting. Barrier gone.
Changes comes. Life goes on.

Pressure building, quickly building,
Building hourly, building minutely,
Over seconds building, building:
Sudden Busting. Barrier gone.
Change comes. Life evolves.

6
Point of No Return

Pursuing salvation
The seeker ascends
Toward the point of no return

Pursuing the Beloved
The lover ascends
Beyond the point of no return

7
Salvation Achieved

Salvation doesn't end the struggle!
Once faith is confessed the tests begin:
Walking barefoot over broken glass;
Swimming naked in a blazing sea.

8
Goal Setting

You must know
Where you are in relation
To where you want to go

9
Guilt

Guilt is the fire of hell!
Compared to it physical pain is bliss.
The pangs of a newly awakened conscience driving away sleep.
Knowing you haven't did your duty;
That you've disobeyed God's laws and commands.

10
The Hill

Up close and personal,
the hill dwarfs the distant higher peaks.

Enticing in the dawn,
the climb becomes a chore beneath the noonday sun.

11
The Believer's Duty

The believer's duty
is to battle,
         to toil,
         to overcome self.

The ultimate struggle
is to overcome
the infidel within.

12
Knowledge and Obedience

Knowledge of God is
the first requirement of the
soul's development.

Obedience is
the second requirement for
soul's development.

Obedience and
knowledge foundation stones for
soul's evolution.

13
Waking Up In A Strange Room

No cat
Kneads my bare arm
With her needle sharp claws
To waken me from a sound sleep
No cat

Coffee
Consumed day old
From a Styrofoam cup
Colder than ice black as midnight
Coffee

Breakfast
Lat night's supper
cold hamburger cold fries
Stale potato chips flat soda
Breakfast

14
The Bridge

The difference
Between truth and what humanity believes to be truth,
Is a chasm wide as the Grand Canyon and deep as the Mariana Trench.

The bridge
Linking the illusion of truth with truth,
Is the independent search for truth,
which gives safe passage form one side of the chasm to the other.

15
Impasse

Ascending
Alone the narrow twisting
Staircase is impossible
The possible descending

Descending
Back into the dark swirling
Mist alone is possible
The possible revolting

16
Out of the Dark Abyss

Out of the dark abyss,
echoing with the cries of lost souls,
I climb toward the dawning light of hope.

17
The Mountain

The mountain is high;
the climb is steep;
and he true path to the crest
goes straight up the cliff face,
sometimes disappearing completely
to leave you hanging in mid-air.

While the false path meanders up,
and down,
and around;
sometimes even crossing the true path.

18
Misery Loves Company

Surpassing imitation,
unhappiness is
not to be persuaded by reality,

or moved
by entreaties unless
its root cause is discovered.

19
Necessary Improvements

Conscious
each test reveals
necessary improvement,

Awakened souls
never hesitate
to mount the steed of endeavor.

Poet's Note ▼

These poems were written over several years. The inspiration was different tests or difficulties I encountered.