Before the First Step

When pressures grow too great to stand
And you can’t take the offered hand,
When wind and gales cause you to shake
And dreams and strength diminish, break,

When fear entombs the path behind
And excess caution leaves you blind,
When flame decays to comfort’s call
And fighting slows beneath the pall,

When anger rises from the deep
And, unanswered, is cried to sleep,
When patience gives way to despair
And anguish flows, too much to bear,

When marching time moves day to night
And others fill theirs, rich and bright,
When life is a short dash to spend
And “empty you” awaits the end,

When healthy growth cannot begin
And mocking laughter builds within,
When suffering is all you know
And lower still you try to go,

When wreckage rests as your life dies
And still you breathe, to your surprise,
Then. Clear air finds what smoke denies
And shows the start to opened eyes.