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Previous Challenge Entry (Level 4 – Masters)
Topic: Angry (08/02/07)
Strolling in twilight, I breezed along
with a wandering step and a lilting song.
I smiled to think of the day’s bright sun,
a day filled with laughter, good friends, and fun.

Then one little thought like a cloud came in
and cast a shadow o’er where I’d been.
A gallop of hooves with that thought stirred the ground,
and I was surprised as I spun around.

A colt as lively as a new dawn’s day
nuzzled my hand as if to play.
I stroked the mane of this creature fair,
a beauty of nature and wonderment rare.

It trotted proud and nickered a call
as if to invite me to ride with nightfall.
And then a strange and mysterious thing
occurred as I clutched his ebony mane.

He grew with the night, a stallion he stood
with flaming eyes blazing by the deep woods.
The thought that had cast such a shadow before
returned on the wind, now unveiling far more.

The face of a friend, who my trust he betrayed,
appeared in a shimmer of light gone astray.
Resentment that I had forgotten returned.
Dread bile of pure anger within me now burned.

The blaze of that fury took over my will,
turned night’s calm serenity into death’s chill.
Upon that dark horse, I clasped and held tight
as he thundered into the wild depth of the night.

I could feel, I could smell, the sweet taste of revenge
as I plotted the painful demise of my ‘friend’.
The stallion ran faster with my every thought,
and I seethed satisfaction. Revenge could be bought.

The pot of perdition now boiled in my gut,
stoked well by the blaze of the vengeance I sought.
“No matter the price!” I hissed in the wind,
“I’ll bring down that villain who called me his ‘friend’!”

The mane of that stallion burst into a fire
that blazed in the night of my fury’s desire.
Then all of my being in flames of full wrath
careened down the slope of Hell’s lethal, steep path.

No more could I breathe. No more could I speak.
The roar of Wrath's stallion made Death’s call complete.
The anger I courted now fed me to powers
that added me to Hell’s insatiable fires.

Pure fodder was I for the belly of sin.
Hell’s mouth opened wide to let this fool in.
“My God! Oh, my God!” I cried in that night
with thoughts purified by terror’s dread fright.

And on the last slope of my soul’s quick descent,
I realized what ‘to repent’ really meant.
“Oh, is there no way? No true rescue? No light?
to save me from this horrid end of my life?”

“My God! Oh, my God! What a fool I have been!”
Then all of Hell thundered with the Voice of “I AM!”
A silence as soothing as rain on parched ground
enfolded me, wrapped me, in peace all around.

It seemed I was sleeping in His Holy arms.
I drifted in safety from all of Hell’s harms.
I’d have joyfully stayed there within that blessed place
where the home of sweet Mercy was my Savior’s Face.

I opened my eyes and found I’d returned
to the solace of day’s end, the path I had spurned.
With eyes to the stars on that clear autumn’s eve,
I vowed to live humbly, obey God’s decrees.

I vowed to release hellish anger and sin.
I vowed in His strength to leave vengeance to Him.
And then in a whisper by His Spirit led,
I vowed to ride only on the Winds of His Breath.


“He makes the clouds his chariot and rides on the wings of the wind.” Psalm 104:3b NIV
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This article has been read 2112 times
Member Comments
Member
Date
Verna Cole Mitchell 
08/09/07
This is a powerful poem of analogy. The stallion so vividly portrays The anger of a person't heart. The change of direction for the MC is beautifully expressed.
David Butler
08/10/07
A stirring analogy here. Our anger and hurt, our desire for vengeance appears as a magnificent stallion, a noble thing, so we let it run away with us, until we wake up to where it's heading. Powerful!
Inappropriate anger has often been glorified and romanticized in media. Little has been said about the heartbreaking damage it can do. You did that here. Well done.
Betty Castleberry
08/10/07
This is wonderful. I love the creative interpretation of the topic. Love the imagery of the stallion. The flow is smooth, and the words are so meaningful. Well done.
Sharlyn Guthrie
08/13/07
simply breath-taking
Jan Ackerson
08/14/07
A stunning achievement!
Joanne Sher 
08/14/07
The imagery is amazingly wonderful and stark. Excellent.
Catrina Bradley
08/14/07
You've clearly illustrated who anger runs away with us if we get on and ride. Love the horse analogy - so fitting.
Pat Guy
08/15/07
Once again such delight to read such incredible talent.

Bravo dear friend!
Mariane Holbrook
08/15/07
Oh, my! I can hear this being read aloud in class or somewhere by an actor with a deep voice, his voice rising and falling, and people sitting on the edges of their seats! It's so wonderfully descriptive and your meter is flawless. This is a treasure and I hope you give it a special place in your book! (You are writing one, aren't you??) You'd better. When I grow up, I wanna write JUST. LIKE. YOU.

The fact that I've passed my 70th b.d. has absolutely nothing whatever to do with anything. LOL
Loren T. Lowery
08/15/07
This shows so well how quickly things can change in our lives simply because we choose not to let go of our anger. I liked the way the ending brought us back to peace and hope.
Dee Yoder
08/15/07
What a vivid image of where a ride on the Anger horse can take us! I think this might have been written for me, because I've felt such frustration with someone in my family and every time I think of what to do, I hear God's voice say, "Vengeance is Mine." Until today, I was thinking He meant He would set things to rights and punish the person for the wrong-doing. Now, I think He means, "Let it go! It's not your fight and it's not your business to worry about how I deal with another." So, thanks for being the writer God used to FINALLY get me to see things His way!
Brenda Buikema
08/15/07
Wow! I liked the decriptiveness of this piece. Well done and very engrossing!
Laurie Glass 
08/16/07
What an original idea for the topic. And great imagery.
Edy T Johnson
08/18/07
I'm with Mariane. I wish I'd written this poem, destined to be a CLASSIC, in my estimation. Since I started reading at the bottom of the EC list, I can only imagine what is ahead in the ranking, but this is unsurpassed writing IMHO. Into my favorites you go.
Beth LaBuff 
08/29/07
I was AWOL this week so didn't get many anger entries read. Your poetry is PURE poetry! It's absolutely stunning, each thought, word choice, metaphor, meter, EVERYTHING. Amazing! I love this stanza "The pot of perdition now boiled in my gut,
stoked well by the blaze of the vengeance I sought.
“No matter the price!” I hissed in the wind,
“I’ll bring down that villain who called me his ‘friend’!” "

This rates right up with "Devil's Stew" and that was a favorite of mine.

Thanks for your comment on my confidence entry...you are very kind...AND you made my day! :)

Dianne Janak
09/14/07
Linda, I just read this and sat here totally in awe of the depth of this piece. If only we could all remember what happens when we do not forgive...and what it does to our spirit. WOW! I don't know what else to say except what a gift God has given you. It's blessing me today!
Linda Watson Owen
09/12/10
This poem placed 7th in the Editor's Choice list.