Heart Of A Young Man
Look, young man
Soothe your eyes
Let her gentle sways speak to your soul
Yes, some may pour out the cup
'Tis only the vision of their emptiness
But this one
This storehouse of life
See how she sails across the face of the earth
Free, yet grounded
Feel how the grace of her reaches into your heart
Ask yourself, young man
Are you one who would raid her barn?
Would you gorge yourself?
Devouring the wheat stored therein?
And at the first pang of hunger
Seek the shelter of another?
Or will you be one who works in the field?
Will you endure the sun?
And bend you back?
Toiling honestly for your pay?
Ask
Gaze into the pool of your heart
Ask of the face you see:
Which are you?
Are you servant or thief?
For if you will first toil
At the end of the day
You will stand straight
You will gaze on what your hands have wrought
Then you will eat your bread
Which you have well earned gratefully
And life will stir in your belly
Your heart will swell with joy to see
That the store within the barn has increased
You will have deserved her most precious gift
Stephen Pursell, 10/21/98