The first two parts of this poem were posted in slightly different and rougher form when I first came to Quoteland about a year and a half ago. The first section was actually the first piece I ever posted here in the Writers' Club. I had intended to write a third section soon that would tie up the larger arc of the ode, but whenever I tried, the words just didn't come. Now, they've come, and without the assistance of a meatball sub.
A Sinner Confessing
Black as coal, my bitter soul
That sins and hates and rants.
I know full well that I'm bound for Hell,
Where the devil and his demons dance.
I'm far from pure and damned well sure
Of the evil that abides in me.
It runs my life, so full of strife,
And never will let me be.
I'm a hell-bound man, and I'm on the lam
From all that's pure and good.
I run and hide, for I cannot abide
To do as the righteous would.
I’m a sinner, sure, and the awful lure
Of Earthly gain is strong.
Try as I might, I’ve spurned what’s right,
And always chosen what’s wrong.
No choice have I, so I cheat and lie,
and follow my natural way.
Sin follows sin, and I burn deep within.
Am I holy? The verdict is nay.
I'll burn and rot, and deserve that lot
For being the sinner I am.
I'm a miserable lout, deserving no doubt
Of the Almighty's wrath in the end.
A Sinner Questioning
Can there be hope for a mortal dope
Who’s lived a life so foul?
Or am I doomed to a fiery tomb
With Lucifer on the prowl?
I’ve earned no bliss, I’m sure of this,
With all my wicked ways.
But despite my sin, could I get in
To where the Father stays?
Am I locked out, beyond a doubt
Cast to perdition’s pit?
Or from the grave can I be saved?
Is there a chance of it?
Could there be love from Him above
Enough to ransom me?
A love so great to vanish hate
And eternally set me free?
If I beg for grace, will his mighty face
Smile to welcome me in?
Or beneath his crown, will a vengeful frown
Pass sentence for every sin?
The final thought that I shall jot
Before I rest my pen:
There’s a Word of grace from a holy place,
And that Word has always been.
A Sinner Redeemed
Though born to sin that burns within,
I’ve heard a better Way.
I’ve got a peace that does not cease,
And guides me day by day.
This peace I’ve heard is called the Word
The Christ, the living Lord.
By kings and slaves this one who saves
Shall always be adored.
Although I’m flawed the Son of God
Redeems me from the fall.
Weak as I am, I knew the Lamb,
I heard his blessed call.
All words are pale, all songs will fail
To adequately tell
The love of him who saves from sin,
Who drew me out of Hell.
But still I sing to praise the King
Who calls me his own son.
To raise my voice and oft rejoice
I’ve only just begun.
This Ode I’ll end, my reader friend,
With promise sure and true.
This Jesus Christ who sacrificed
Has shed his blood for you.
-Leonidas
"Confronted with the choice, the American people would choose the policeman's truncheon over the anarchist's bomb."
-Spiro T. Agnew
"Those who would sacrifice liberty for safety deserve neither."
-Benjamin Franklin
I'd rather learn from one bird how to sing than to teach ten thousand stars how not to dance - e e cummings
