Just Do It.
_My spirit’s wings shall soar
_Although at times I stray.
When I’m downcast… when life’s storms blast…
_I gaze upward and pray.
_Fed up with sin and war…
_Outside, inside my mind.
I do not know where I should go.
_What task have You assigned?
Beyond a Reasonable Doubt
When You appear on stormy clouds…
With lightning flash and thunder cloud,
_Who could deny You are?
But until then, You are unseen.
Billions still claim, just myth and dream.
_You are the Morning Star.
Peter Venable has been writing poetry for fifty years and his poems have appeared in The Lyric, The Merton Seasonal, The Christian Century, and other publications. More of his work can be found at petercvenable.wordpress.com. His “Roofless Church” merited an Honorable Mention in The Best Poems of 2024 in the SCP’s International Poetry Competition.
“Beyond a Reasonable Doubt” makes a simple yet strong assertion of faith. There is no argument, just the confident statement, “You are the Morning Star.” Still, with the title, this poem declares the association of faith with reason, a reason that lies behind and beyond words.
“Just Do It” is a lovely lyric with a complex scheme of internal rhyme and end rhyme. The poetic craft involved seems to say that “just doing it” cannot be hard. Soar on, Peter!
Thanks!
Peter, your faith comes shining through in these precious gems. They are reasoned and inspiring.
Love the first poem, incredible reflection on prayer. It’s often tough to find out what God has in store for us.
I’m not sure if these two poems are to be taken at face value, or if something more is going on, what with ‘Just Do It’ being Nike’s motivational slogan, and Venus being both the Evening Star and the Morning Star, a planet, and not a star at all.
‘Fed up with sin and war… / Outside, inside my mind’ is a very poignant couple of lines for these turbulent times. And truly, in extremis, everyone becomes a believer.
Thanks for the reads, Peter.