The Time to Give Him Thanks
In the still and pristine morning,
When the flowers bathe in dew,
And the meadows stir from slumber
With their creatures, not a few;
Just before the mountains shiver
At the coming of the light,
And the elk in stately splendor
Ventures forth to bay the sight;
That’s the time to rise and praise Him
For the gift of life today,
There is time before the business
Of the world to kneel and pray;
When the earth and sky are blushing,
With a soft and trembling kiss,
And their radiance infuses
All the world with rapturous bliss;
When the sun its golden pitcher
Pours upon the mountain flanks,
And the land is bathed in glory,
That’s the time to give Him thanks;
In the pause that comes at midday,
When the lion seeks no prey,
And the mothers turn to slumber,
And the little ones to play;
When the sun has reached its zenith
In the race across the sky,
And the world takes rest from labor
For a moment with a sigh;
That’s the time to kneel before Him,
And to rest within his grace,
There is time to stop and praise him
And just look upon his face;
When the beasts of earth are waiting
For the hush of even tides,
And the signal of transition
That the Lord above provides;
In the still and silent witness
Of all creatures here below,
We can see His loving wisdom,
And there’s time to let Him know;
In the glowing when the crimson
Has beset the cloudy sky,
And the birds in concert winging,
To their nests do homeward fly;
When the sun is dropping downward
To its berth beneath the sea,
And the darkness drawing on its
Somber cloak ‘round you and me;
That’s the time to draw the closer
To the One who made the day,
And who has us in His keeping,
That’s the time to stop and pray;
In the twilight, in the evening,
When the stars come out to shine,
To remind us of His goodness
In the midst of darkest times;
When the moon appears in glory,
With the sun upon her flanks,
There is time then to remember,
That’s the time to give Him thanks.
Roger Crane, a native of San Diego, is a retired English teacher. His self-published book of poetry is Revelations in the Dawn.
Nice imagery with “the elk in stately splendor…to bay the sight” and “the sun its golden pitcher”.
Thank you, Cheryl. That’s one of my favorite lines too, because I love the image of an elk as the herald of nature.
Roger, this is a beautiful and sensitive testimony of faith.
Thank you, Margaret. I believe that thankfulness is next to godliness, as well as faith.
A happy Thanksgiving Day, Roger. Your poem covering important points of any day implies it is always time to give thanks, with that word occurring morning and evening. Both times you rhyme it with “flanks.” In the morning the sun brightens the flanks of the mountains, and in the evening, the moon receives light of the sun on her flanks. Observers on earth therefore see that glorious light even though the sun may have set. Grand idea to convey in rhyming the poem’s most important word!
Thank you, Margaret, that means a lot coming from you. I was hoping someone would notice that.
A beautiful rendition of incredibly-gorgeous-day, Roger – never read one better, and a wonderful piece to wake up to. Great job. 🙂
I blush, Mark, at your praise. It just congealed for this poem. Thank you very much.
Happy Thanksgiving, Roger. The prayerful serenity of your poem touches the heart along with the beautiful imagery.
Thank you, Roy. Serenity was certainly one of the themes here, because it is what both nature and thankfulness can give us. I’m so gratified that you felt touched by it!
A poem reminding us not to take the world about us for granted. Most timely, Roger.
Paul, I thought I’d replied, but alas no sample, so here goes again. Thanks, and I appreciate your noticing.