Those Who Do Not Cry

No tear was shed that solemn day

By those who do not cry

A duty done with task at hand

Done with eyes so dry

It is not for lack of care

By those who do not cry

But done because it must be done

Where others cannot try

A duty laid at answering feet

With eyes that have no tears

They brace themselves and carry on

In the face of other’s fears

It is not a simple thing

Holding emotions all at bay

But they carry on and hold it in

Waiting for another day

Words were spoken soft and true

By those who do not cry

To comfort those in deep distress

Those who came to cry

It is never for a lack of care

This lack of tearful face

But as one who knows too well

That there are those in need of grace

So stoic faces hide the pain

Of those who do not cry

To bring peace to others now

Who can’t help but ask “oh why”

So called are those who help

On the days of deepest woe

Those who hold heads up high

Helping others to let go

It is all for deepest love

By those who do not cry

They love so much they keep it in

Until the moon is high

So when the day is done and gone

With time to heal the sorrow

Remember those who did not cry

And comfort them tomorrow

Lost My Way

My soul was weary
I had suffered for so long
I had led myself astray
And could no longer see the road
I had been through so much
I could take no more
My body grew weak
And I cried out in the wilderness
Asking why I had been forgotten
Why I had been left to the cold
Why I was so very alone
There came no answer
As I knew it was I who left
Who set my fate in motion

So I cried out for mercy
That I be given a swift end
But no end came to me
And I suffered still
I cried out in agony
What was I to do
Where was I to go
But there were no answers
So I feel upon the ground
And wept for myself
Knowing not what to do
I began to move again

I moved through the darkness
Yearning to see the light
When I came upon a man
Broken and beaten
Who had even less will than I
A sad sight to see
So I lifted him up
And tended to his wounds
And anointed his weary head
And when he was well
I once again left to roam the night

I traversed the terrible cold
Biting through my garb
Penetrating my very soul
And I came upon a woman
Frail and weak was she
With less than I to bear the winds
I took pity on her
And my cloak was hers
I left her with her new warmth
Still trying to find my way
Colder, more weary than before
I traveled on

A quick end I had been denied
And I hungered
But I came across a child
Left all alone
Too much like me to bear
The child had none
Not even bread for his mouth
Or water for his thirst
So I left him my portion
That the child might be saved
For I began to feel the end
Would be very close at hand

I was hungry
I was cold
I was weary
And I did not cry out
But laid my tired body down
And waited for the end
But the end did not come
Alas! There was a voice
From far upon high
And it asked of me
What I could offer to be saved
I looked about and had none

All had been given away
So I cried out I had naught
And the fog lifted
Much to my surprise
I cried out again that I had none
And the voice replied
"You gave rest to the weary
You gave warmth to the cold
You gave food to the famished
Who asked these things of you?"
I replied that no one had

A reply came to me
"Then I shall heal your soul
And I shall clothe your back
And I shall be your portion
That you be not hungry
That you be not cold
That you be not weary
For you have done this for others
With no thought of yourself
You have been led to the road
By your own doing
I am but the light that guides"

And in the light I walked
My bones not as heavy
My soul born anew
My hunger sated
But something new was there
I no longer felt alone
And looked to the light
That it guide me on my journey
That I remember my actions
And the grace that redeemed me
That though I may stumble
That I never again lose my way

Ashes to Ashes

There is a cross upon my head
A mark of ashes on my brow
It runs deep within my soul
And though the ash will wash away
The cross is yet mine to bear
I willingly carry it in spirit
Remembering blessings brought to me
From a cross bore long ago
With this in mind I carry on
And go forth in grace alone