Burdens
“eternal weight of glory” —2 Corinthians 4.17
The conifers out back, weighed down with snow,
seem like a band of weary pilgrims who
have stopped to rest along their way. They know
their burden will be lifted soon, yet through
this season, they must bear it frequently.
They look so sorrowful and weary to
me; and I feel their groaning as I see
them bent and still and motionless before
me. They’re a witness, calling out to me
to bear my burdens silently, to store
up hope that soon my burdens all will fall
away, like Pilgrim’s pack, forevermore.
Then, all that weighs down on me, great or small,
will be my basking in His glory’s thrall.
T. M. Moore is Principal of The Fellowship of Ailbe, a spiritual fellowship in the Celtic Christian tradition. He and his wife and editor, Susie, make their home in the Champlain Valley of Vermont.
Fantastic! Thank you for this!
The imagery of the pilgrims stopping to rest, burdened by the snow is masterful, as are the two instances of ‘me’ at the beginning of the line to emphasise the narrator’s presence and the effect of the ‘pilgrims’ on him.
Thanks for the read.
Another Paul here Nice sonnet, T.M. I like the snowy conifer image.
Beautiful imagery and personification!
The image of evergreens bearing the burden of winter´s snow is a lovely metaphor for the believer´s situation in this present life, where trials, afflictions and burdens of various sorts are bound to weigh down our branches, especially as we move into the winter of life, awaiting God´s eternal spring and the melting of all mortal ills. Very well done!
I moved from Canada to Texas to escape the snow. That makes it a lot easier to appreciate the beautiful metaphor you have created for us. Bearing extreme heat in the summer seems easier to me, but I suppose the metaphor would also work in reverse down here in Texas.
All:
Sorry to be so late in acknowledging your kind comments. Thank you very much. The little “weights” we must bear in this life, Paul said, are not to be compared to the “weight of glory” we will know then and there. Maranatha!
Thank you for the reminder. It placed a burden beneath which I’m languishing today in its correct perspective. This is a beautiful truth for true Christians, and expressed beautifully. We will all be “basking in His glory’s thrall” . . . all and only because of Christ.
BTW, there are a lot of Pauls here, plus our fellow saint, Paul of Tarsus!
Thanks, Jeff. We are always tempted to want everyone to know about our burdens, even if they can’t do anything about them. Better to bear them in silence, keeping one eye on the weight of glory of which we will never want to be relieved.
A lovely idea here tidily expressed, though the end of line 6 puzzles me.
Why? If you mean line 5, it’s because this weighing down and bending under the burden of snow is not continuous, as you know, but repeated frequently through a certain time of year, which we will not mention for it might seem we are playing favorites. T. M.
I misread the unexpected stress, that’s all. If every time of year is not our favorite time, then we are all screwed.
Honest mistake. Thanks for taking the time to read my work and to offer your encouragement.