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Home Poetry Culture

‘Crystal Spires or Lake of Fire?’: A Poem by Peter Venable

September 8, 2024
in Culture, Poetry
A A
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poems 'Crystal Spires or Lake of Fire?': A Poem by Peter Venable

.

Crystal Spires or Lake of Fire?

The day shall come. For some, just like a thief
That sneaks unknown. An accident and grief.
__Our flesh and spirit sever.

For many souls, slow as a morphine drip
Their life submerges like a sinking ship.
__Such vigils last forever.

It is assigned for every soul to die.
It is mercy that time beclouds our eye.
__It’s either now or never:

We choose our fate. Eternal life or gloom—
Heavenly bliss or smoke and sulfur fumes?
__Where shall we live forever?

.

.

Peter Venable has been writing poetry for 50 years. He has been published in Windhover, Third Wednesday, Time of Singing, The Merton Seasonal, American Vendantist, The Anglican Theological Review, and others. He is a member of the Winston Salem Writers. On the whimsical side, he has been published in Bluepepper, Parody, Laughing Dog, The Asses of Parnassus, and Lighten Up Online (e. g. # 48)

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Comments 4

  1. Wayne says:
    2 years ago

    amen. You will live forever, question is, where.

    Reply
  2. Roy Eugene Peterson says:
    2 years ago

    Perfect Sunday sermon and the question for the ages!

    Reply
  3. Cynthia Erlandson says:
    2 years ago

    Well-expressed, with nice meter and rhyme scheme.

    Reply
  4. Margaret Coats says:
    2 years ago

    The only question that matters, Peter. You lead up to it with brief, clear, and solemn lines, indicating implicitly that we make choices every step of the way, and thus should take care where we are headed. Your 50 years of experience in writing show to excellent effect here.

    Reply

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