Forgotten Ground Regained

Where Echoes Call and Crash (After Psalm 4)

I wrote this poem as part of a sequence of alliterative takes on some of the individual Psalms (Psalms 1-8) that I wrote between 1997 and 2000.
I walk alone where echoes call and crash Against a sky whose silence overpowers all my pain. Please hear me, help me, Lord, relieve My heart: O God whose ways are right and good, In mercy grant my prayer.
I stand alone, astounded at the faithlessness of friends Who trade God's truth for shadows, His glory for their shame. How long will liars twist the truth, Delude themselves, delight in idols And deceit? But God reserves the godly to Himself, Delights to hear their prayer.
Angry, alone-- how hard not to hate -- How hard to hold back, not to slip into sin. When I walk my heart burns, when I lie down my loss Is too bitter to bear. Be silent, my soul, And rest! Give God His due and trust Yourself into His care.
They say, "Will God save us? Or give us good things? How long must we wait for proof of His love?" Lord, lift the light of Your face on me, fill me With gladness greater Than their harvest songs: True comfort is in prayer.
I can lie down alone, for Your Spirit and power Are my constant companions to soothe me to sleep. My safety, assurance, security come From God, Faithful, Eternal, Omnipotent Lord Whose presence shines in prayer.
Published in Forgotten Ground Regained: A Quarterly Journal of Alliterative Verse, New Series, Issue 6, Spring, 2025
Copyright © Paul D Deane, 1999
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