by The Highland Shepherd's

A REFUGE AND A FORTRESS IS MY LORD

A Refuge and a Fortress is my Lord
a wall defending me, unharmed;
protects me from the inner sword
my own! Without Him I, unarmed,
Face outward, fictive, foes
while peril from the rear takes me by stealth.
Vapour of depression in my spirit blows,
fear’s breath brings ill beneath the mask of health.
In panic, outward walls are raised;
despair makes enemies, not friends.
Violence answers violence, reason crazed
death walks the turrets, the rupture never ends.
God, from love, His perfect wall creates;
renders needless, human fears and hates.

Poems from the Eighth Decade
Copyright © Harold Macdonald 2004 used with permission

Harold Macdonald Poetry