Aloe and Myrrh
Its hard to hold on to the rope
When the skin on your palms is gone
The pain makes you forget the hope
That what you're doing still needs to be done
When Gold goes into the fire
Or Marble submits to the chipping
Patience must be our desire
For the rope only burns when we are slipping
For the craftsman must cut what he measures
And he is working with living stone
With each touch he turns souls into treasures
Those he cherishes surround his great throne
Guard your heart, mind and will from the spoiler
He would wound and exploit any crack
His lies and snares will hinder the toiler
Disguised with care, recognize his attack!
For we wrestle not with flesh and blood
And those around us are secretly hoping
When terrors and trials come in like a flood
Our trust in God finds us coping.
Author notes
Get well soon Gwen.
Aloe is an herb used since bible times for healing, very effective on burns. Myrrh is used for medicine, as a fragrance with romantic overtones. It is also used during delivery of children. I hope, that it brings you some small comfort...
Written October 15th, 2005
A contest entry
- In Honor of Vera Rich and all cancer survivors. by ecrivain01.
300 points, ended October 27, 2006, 15 entries
Bronze trophy winner
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest - HELP ME HELP THEM by magik hawk.
300 points, ended March 16, 2007, 35 entries
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest - I need LIGHT by Darcs Dove.
550 points, ended February 25, 2007, 32 entries
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest - My best Friend by teenagefailure.
1500 points, ended March 24, 2007, 34 entries
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest - Protect Life by Arkbear.
3300 points, ended July 16, 2008, 30 entries
Honorable mention
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest - Dear Departed Friend by Misty Melody.
850 points, ended September 13, 2008, 78 entries
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest
What did you think
Comments
1 - 30 of 30
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Nice
Interesting and it rhymed! Still have trouble on non-rhyming poetry.
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hope has to be powerfull to beable to keep our faith and live life to the fullest....i actuly felt touched reading this. thank you.
hugs. -
Thank You!!
Thank You for Your entry: Aloe and Myrrh
This piece tugged hard at my Spirit, I had read this before but for some reason my clappies did not stick like with the others who also commented- I read Your words several times and what grabbed me was the reference:
When the skin on your palms is gone
The pain makes you forget the hope-
Also: For the rope only burns when we are slipping-
how true that is- I imagine there are others who could relate to what You speak- I'm Blessed You are here Congratulations on sharing the wealth
Excellent Voice to Inspire
Powerful images You have brought forth
Thank You for sharing Your Heart also Spirit!
Best wishes to You in the contest Sweet Soul
**Judging will be done shortly...
Many blessings too
and much love & light~ Desire~*~
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Great write and example of holding on.
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Excellwent write here
From beginning to end it captured me like wow its so true what you have here
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Hello ~
I could not agree more..>>>>>
And he is working with living stone
With each touch he turns souls into treasuresI am blessed to read your words.....I believe they shall touch those in need.....thank you for sharing and God bless you!
Bear ~
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I'm not certain in comparison why the dq, but this one is so spiritual and cuts through a lot of clutter that others might have invented. You stayed on the course you set and the maintaining of that made the write go very well. The words are keepers and the lines in themselves are as well. I do not have time right now to see who took silver or gold but it must have been good to beat this out. RC
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Thanks so much for writing this for gwyn!!!
Im sure she will love it!!!
Wonderful poem thanks!!!
-Erin -
"Patience must be our desire
For the rope only burns when we are slipping"
Sighhh...Indeed, Ben~Jammin'...but I would rather have had burned or skinned palms, remembering the beauty of the view I almost had, than to be safely ensconced at home, away from the sunset on the mountain I tried to climb...Don is still waiting for a promise to be kept...as am I...Thank you, my Friend...I'm doin' alright... Wanda
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Magnificent!!
Congratulations on Your trophy win
Thank You for sharing this with us~
Bless Your Heart
Many blessings to You
Best wishes too
and much love~ Desire~*~
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Thank you so much for my Bronze trophy, ecrivain01 ; this is one of my favorites, for Vera is a classic whom I deeply admire.
If you would revisit Crop Circles on a Random Planet ,allpoetry.com/Poem/2261312 I fisked most of the metaphors in a conversation with Crystaldust and I would like your opinion. Once again, thanks!
Edited on Oct 27, 9:50 p.m. because ''. -
I have read much about the soothing qualities of aloe and the annointing of myrrh to heal, but what I do know is that the strength of heart and mind of those who have cancer makes a huge difference in their progress. Those of us watching do sometimes feel helpless and many rely on faith to cope as well.
Edited on Oct 20, 5:51 p.m. because ''. -
With all due respect, Deercatcher - there is nothing necessarily "noble" (or ennobling) about suffering. It is just a fact of life that one has to cope with... (And some people, alas, "cope" by being so "noble" that they create hell-on-earth for those around them!)
The important thing - as I see it - is simply to get on with one's work as best one can - and not cause unnecessary problems for other people...
But - to come to your poem - I am glad to see that someone else appreciates the use of herbs and oils. There is - alas - a lot of nonsense talked and written nowadays about "alternative medicine", but some of the well-tried traditional therapies do indeed assist the modern iatrochemical treatments. -
It speaks to the nobility of ... suffering with character, which Vera has masterfully done; touching the lives of those around her, watching.
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Not quite a propos, but much better than the other one. I like it. Thanks for entering and good luck in the contest.
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This was a beautiful poem, I really enjoyed reading it. Also, I think the title you chose for it is absolutely magnificent. It's attention captivating and holds a mysterious, but simple beauty about it. The format and flow of this poem were excellent. Great job and thanks for entering.
~AutumnButterfly/Courtney -
Myrrh was also a favorite of pregnant women so it has a tie to birth as well.
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Interesting combination these two substances - learned something new tonight - and enjoyed reading the poem - good form, rhyme and language used, easy to read and understand.
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Your title "Aloe and Myrrh" sounds so peacefull an relaxing the same as your verses. Thank you deercatcher for this very interesting poem.
~Sonja~ -
Thanks for the heads up. I looked into the aloe plural thing and found nothing conclusive. Aloe vera, the burn plant and Aloe of the scripture appear to be different plants. I found some use of plural like I used it but I changed it as you suggested anyway. The point is one of the plant/spice/ointments are for healing, and one is for burial. And when you are ready to fix that pagan thing, contact me. I can help. (giggle) Does a pagan revel in the wonder of nature? If so check out my poem GOLDEN.
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great read. i'm not christian, i'm actually pagan, but i can appreciate the reference. i kept looking down because i could feel the rope cutting my hands as i slipped!! a beautiful work
p.s.
the plural of 'aloes' is actually aloe unless used with a singular verb.
p.p.s i don't pretent to be a grammar freak, but i read it and it sounded funny to me, so i looked it up on dictionary.com and they mention the whole singular verb thing... -
A most beautifully spiritual and touching piece you ahve penned. One cannot say enough to trly express the gratitude from taking the time to create such a wondrous prayer for another. A heart of gold you have... a true treasure.
Blessings
celticmoon -
great write....made me think of a song
"you are the potter
I am the clay
Mold me and make me
Master I pray"
he is our creator and sometimes his methods for molding are uncomfotable to say the least ..but i'm a far way from where i need to be all we can do is hold on to his promise that his not finished with us yet and in the end all the trials will be more than worth it...Thanks for entering
God BLess
TYler -
Very different, and absolutely beautiful write deercatcher. Where it says; Guard your heart mind and will from the spoiler.Put a (comma) between HEART/MIND. love your write. Best of all luck to you my friend. and God Bless,G.
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Hey ptman, ever had a rope burn? I take care of trees too. Did a Shigo biology seminar 3 days on a mountain in North Carolina in 86. I'm called deercatcher when I caught a 6 pt buck in town next door to a job I was on and the cbs local filmed my doing it. It made national news in nov 2002. I think knowing how to do dangerous things (treework) helped me pull it off.
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This is really good! Just love the rhythm of this poem the imagery is clear and apropos to the subject matter.
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It gives me great joy to share in the work of the one true comforter. Your comments gave me shivers. Thanks for your welcome words. I believe you were the one asking about favorite status. Im a neophyte here and don't know what that means, If there is something I must do let me know. Other wise please do! Best wishes, Ben
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This is a very powerful and spiritual piece here deercatcher. Well crafted and filled with deep thoughts and emotion. I loved the line that the rope only burns when we're slipping. Such an awesome metaphor. Well done my friend.
~Lyrical
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Needed this inspiration today. Think the skin on my palms is almost gone. This was stunning.
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crystaldust 16-10-05 08:27
Love it, especially turning souls into treasures. Turning woodcrafting into wordcrafting into poetry is a powerful way of sharing your thoughts with other people. The alternate rhyme and strong metre show me someone cutting into stone or shaping wood with the tools of your mind. Oh, I like this kind of thinking and writing.More to come, I hope. I see the contest is being judged. Haven't looked at the entries yet, but hope the setter places this in the first three. Talk again soon - yes? Joy
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