Poetry 6

RUBY LUCILLE SMITH

Poems on this page include: My Shrine, Third Request, The Cornerstone, The Phantom Ride and Caring.

THE SHRINE

A piece of earth

      And I from God

Joined in Birth

      To walk the sod.

Earth's form will dwell

      With will and want

Mine, life to fill

      No lust to haunt.

I tried so hard

      To build a shrine

And light it in

      This soul of mine.

But I know now

      This cannot be

For God already

      Gave it to me.

Flame is not mine;

      Deep in request

I found this shrine

      I like the best.

In dust and rain

      As earth I trod

I shall retain

      My shrine with God.

THIRD REQUEST

Removed from earthly mind,

Between a dark and dawn

I took that one step beyond,

A place where life goes on.

Like a day pressed in night,

In a cube of light were we,

An angel seated at a desk

And I in mortality.

She, like a vapor of light,

Seemed perfect,

Beautiful, graceful, a true

Intellect.

I didnt know who I was

Or who the Angel be;

My only want was love

And the trust I found in me.

Unspoken words were made clear

As she gave to me

Reflected thoughts, passing my ear,

That settled in clarity.

Three gifts I have to give,

Now choose them with your will;

This is not where you live,

Not all has been fulfilled.

Wisdom, thought I, for one,

And God to guide my way,

These two would I have,

The third I cannot say.

Pause erased my thinking,

A hollow shell I stood;

Her eyes in me sinking

Told me she understood.

A pleasing look of love,

Then she raised her head;

A light shone from above

To place me in her stead.

Sudden noise entered there

Like the rustling of wings;

I looked up in a stare

To see what it would bring.

From out of darkness

As if being shoved,

An angel in black

Bewitched me from above.

I, thinking gorgeous one

Your attire fits you well,

Did not at all trust him

But watched as he fell.

He floated down across the desk

So filled with pride,

Then in his handsome form

Leaned on his side.

Feeling the laughter of her

I disliked his pride;

When she reached for his kiss

I changed inside.

I felt the kiss on my lips

I watched her give

Then I awoke to find

On earth is where I live.

I arose, went out to the window,

Looked up, saw a light,

There on a cloud I saw

An angel within a light.

As she looked at me

I felt her nearness there;

In this part of eternity

I knelt in prayer.

Holy God, I love you,

Please accept this in me

Though Im not worth the price

Paid on Calvary.

My form is still of clay,

Most of my treasures lost,

I shall never have enough

To pay such a cost.

I need a new temple

For my Holy Guest,

I humbly ask of you

To grant a third request.

Give me time for toil,

Let the light ever shine,

Feed it with your eternal oil

That I might build a shrine.

THE CORNER STONE

In my temple garden

     I planted seeds of good joy,

True and faithful servants

      I placed in my employ.

I went to much care

      Training them for me,

That others might share

      The blessings I see.

I am and yet, Im not the same,

      Seeing as I had never seen,

Deep in the soul of me

      I sip a living stream.

Nature so well blended

      Serving in her place,

True and lovely beauty

      Extends into space.

Out from a vein so rich

      It seems to increase,

I gathered for my shrine

      Jewels such as these.

Peace, such peace so pure

      I had never known,

So with these treasures

      I laid a cornerstone.

THE PHANTOM RIDE

To dust, to dust the flesh of men

      But to eternity the souls of them

Earth shall claim its toll from

      A lesser cause but a greater none

Than those who died that another clan

      Share equal rights and together stand.

The restless whisper, then a lull;

      It could be a soldiers call,

Maybe the wind through the trees

      But it sounds so like a mournful plea

Give back the blood for my veins

      Or bestow on us a greater gain.

The price was paid through loss of years

      From those dead and mothers tears

A treasure won, a bugle call

      Giving equal rights to all?

Hush you thoughtless mass of pride,

      Listen to the phantom ride.

Each hoof beat, one gave a life

      With it a trust to unite

Our race, our creed like a rainbows hue

      Now dulled by a selfish few

Raise that flag, our land of the free,

      Gives us, cries the phantom, our democracy.

      Caring

Someone nice told me you cared

       That I cannot stand alone;

Did you hear my mothers prayer?

       Is that why youll telephone?

You know I have a friend

       Who is nice as he can be,

But he can not hear or talk

       And he wants to speak with me.

I didnt tell my mother

       I kept it from my dad,

But at night I prayed

       For this little Lad.

Well, just the other day

       I knew that God was there

My friend spoke a word

       In answer to my prayer.

I just want to say thanks

       We will see it through;

How could we ever miss

       Since God has sent us you.

Poem by Ruby

For the Easter Seal Fund Drive

Radiothon March 1963