Poetry Information

The Valley Of Pain


We were exiled from the Garden of Eden.
Its sinless wonders nevermore to regain.
So every man on life's toilsome journey,
Must enter the valley of pain.

We don't enter because of desire
And it's certainly not a voluntary fare.
But, rather, it's a matter of destiny
Compelling and forcing us there.

Eden's garden; its beauty so magnificent,
Can't be reclaimed; it is a lost paradise.
Trees of knowledge and life gone forever,
We are now paying consequences price.

The valley of pain is bleak and lonely,
And all heartache must be suffered alone.
The petty and trite ceases to matter.
When facing hurt as never before known.

In pain's valley, no restaurants exist.
Shopping malls can't be found anywhere.
There's no joy to be had from entertainment.
There are no parks, for it is no picnic there.

There are no banks in the valley of pain,
No theaters, no lounges, no beach.
In this valley, we have no lofty aspirations,
Surviving the only goal we hope to reach.

Pain's valley in not a poor man's haven;
We'll find no comfort, or ease or rest.
Nor will we encounter family or friends
For this valley is one's own personal test.

Bitter anguish is experienced in this valley,
A site of conflict on a titanic scale.
A place of failing and spiritual torture,
Of deficiency and interminable travail.

When we enter the valley of pain,
We no longer worry about unpaid bills.
We don't fret about outstanding car notes,
We don't care about acquiring new skills.

When we enter the valley of pain,
We don't dabble in vain vanity.
For this valley inevitably drives us,
To the very brink of human sanity.

When we enter the valley of pain
Family prayer just will not do.
Praying in the church is insufficient,
And social prayer is inadequate too.

We must find our own secret hideaway
Close the door to the world and all its strife.
We must surrender ourselves to our God
And let Him work a miracle in our life.

Saundra L. Washington is the author of two coffee table books: "Negative Disturbances, Homilies that Teach," and the book from which this poem is taken, "Room Beneath the Snow, Poems that Preach." She can be contacted at: http://www.clergyservices4u.org


MORE RESOURCES:

Simmons festival taps poetry as bridge to Chinese culture
Boston Globe, United States - 5 hours ago
"Poetry is a more complex interaction between the cultures," he said, noting that the form is often embedded with cultural cues that are completely ...


Poetry book of the week: The Lost Leader by Mick Imlah
Independent, UK - 11 hours ago
... book's outstanding poems, includes the couplet "you'd fixed it/ For the powers-that-be up there to pay me/ To do a poetry reading with Kathleen Jamie". ...


Visual Poetry show opening Sept. 13
Peterborough Examiner, Canada - 5 minutes ago
But these 10 women and one man, calling themselves the Visual Poetry Group, are doing that at the Kawartha Artists Gallery this month. ...


Russian poetry, put in perspective
The Age, Australia - Sep 5, 2008
Perhaps Anna Akhmatova did come among us last weekend, through the medium of other writers reading her poetry, in both Russian and English. ...


Sibal turns to poetry to take a dig at Left
Expressindia.com, India - Sep 5, 2008
Thiruvananthapuram, September 5: Union Minister Kapil Sibal on Friday turned to poetry to take a dig at Left parties, the UPA government’s erstwhile ...


Experience the Emotions of a Korean Man Through His Poetry -- New ...
MarketWatch - Sep 5, 2008
Currently, the poet resides in Los Angeles, writing and translating poetry and stories. To request a complimentary paperback review copy, ...


In poetry, author finds way to express the horror of 9/11
Cape Cod Times, MA - 3 hours ago
"Poetry is very demanding," he says. "You get something right, and the thing next to it really clangs. Then you get the next canto polished, ...


Poetry allows me to express myself: Kapil Sibal
Economic Times, India - Sep 5, 2008
But the evening was not all about poetry. Sibal was forced to talk about politics. "We (politicians) too are sensitive. We too have feelings like any other ...


The week in books Danger, poetry! Puffs from the grave; new blood ...
guardian.co.uk, UK - Sep 5, 2008
... We Need to Talk about Kevin and Browning's poetry, due to the regrettable presence of "My Last Duchess", withdrawn from school libraries. ...


Hindu

Remembering Nissim Ezekiel
Hindu, India - 15 hours ago
But somehow, even after the other faculties degenerated, sensitivity to poetry remained unimpaired. Santan recounts how they visited Nissim at the nursing ...
Lines in memoriam Hindu
all 2 news articles

Poetry - Google News

home | site map
© 2006