The speaker took his seat again;
The congregation sat enthralled.
Of course, they felt alive, refreshed,
Ready to go to cannibal land,
If so the Lord called,
Or so they thought.
And when they stood to pray, I watched—
Their hands were raised, emotions reigned.
Perhaps some dreamed of martyrdom
In far-off wild and heathen lands
And at the gates—their diadem

Over dinner that very night,
They heard a radio voice appeal.
No oration this but simple words
Of scripture—sharp and clear and real.
If they’d had ears, they would have heard,
The Lord was actually calling them.
Not to distant lands, but to obedience.
Will these be the ones on that awful day
Who’ll stand before the throne and say,
“Lord, Lord, did we not work for Thee?”
And He must say, “Depart from Me.”

-n- June 1985

[Disclaimer: I am not proud of most of the “poetry” that I have penned in my lifetime. I am no poet, but most of these poems were written at times when prose could not have provided the necessary expression and release. My poems are as important to me as singing may to be to someone who is not endowed with a singing voice—it justifiably fulfills a need. Thus, although not primarily meant for the consumption of the wider audience, it has a place in my blog, which, as I have mentioned before, also functions as a platform for my own retrieval and use.]