Poetry

'Because of Sin I fell'

"The fire of Hell glows strong and bright

Creating moans of death and plight

But, we refuse to change our path

Choosing instead, to forget God’s wrath

Why so blind, you freely ask? 

Death’s hidden behind a diamond mask

Lies so clever, twist all thought

Telling of comforts, cheaply bought

The precious blood of our Savior dear

Was shed for all, For those who fear

But, heeding not, our Saviors lament

We choose instead, a life of torment

Through a deadly swamp of sin we trudge

This burden on our back won’t budge

Still, we try to move it on our own

And take the burden on alone

Our breath is wasted, lost and gone 

All because, of a simple con

That lie that led us straight to hell 

Will never remove its fatal spell

  

The world has led us to believe

By works, Heaven we can achieve

But, Satan smiles his lie fulfilled

And earthly treasures we all guild 

But, after death, those gifts will cease

For, we never knew a lasting peace

Now, all that’s left is to despair

For now all sin has been laid bare

Justly tried, I’m damned to Hell

All because in sin I fell."

I can take no credit for this poem. It was my best friend's first poem. Of course my friend thought it was terrible, and not very good, but showed it to me anyways. It was a privilege to read it.

My friend said that some people didn't like it that much because it doesn't have a good rhyme scheme. 

I entirely disagree with them on that. 

Poetry isn't all about the rhyme scheme, in fact, some of the best poems have a lot of rhymes but not a constant flow of them. 

Some poems just don't have the "A-B-A-B" or the "A-A-B-B" structure. 

Now I would argue that if a poem doesn't have any rhymes whatsoever it wouldn't be classified a poem. 

But I don't think that people understand sometimes.

Poetry isn't all about the rhyme scheme. It's about the words.

I say the words because the words alone are what makes a poem powerful. It isn't the rhyme scheme that leaves someone in awe after they finish reading it. 

It's about the words. The words are what will stay with the readers. That's what will keep them coming back for more. 

Words that have depth and meaning to the poem. And if the poem is worth reading, like my dear friend's. 

That's what makes a poem good. When it's meaningful. When it makes people think.

Sure a steady rhyme scheme is helpful and makes it flow better, but if a few lines miss it, that alone doesn't make it a bad poem.

It's the meaning and depth of the words that matters. 

My best friend wrote an incredible poem. 

I couldn't have done any better. And considering it's the first poem that my friend wrote, I was even more impressed. 

I had the privilege of reading this, and you did too.

God Bless, 

  A.W.

"It's not real life"

You know, so many times I have heard people refer to the internet as not real. Once I heard a boy talking about how he was hurt from what one person said to him on the internet, and the person he was talking to shrugged and said simply, "Well, it's on the internet. It's not real life."
I hate when people say that.
It doesn't feel real when you talk to people across the internet sometimes, because you can't see their face, you can't hear their personal voice. It took me a long time to realize that just because you can't see someone's face or hear their voice doesn't mean they aren't real.
Whenever I used to give people prayer requests at my old church I would have to explain the whole situation to them. And they would ask me, "So where do you know these people from?" I would say, "I know them through a forum."
They would give me a strange look, and say, "Okay..." After an awkward moment they would just say they would pray, and they would never ask again.
People don't look at usernames on forums as real people.
I know when I first started debating on a forum, and I ran into some pretty screwed up people. For a while I just shrugged what they said off. And one day, when I started to get to know people it hit me. These are real people. They aren't apart of some computer. They are real. They are real.
They are just as real as the people who sit next to you at church.
Just because you can't see them doesn't mean that they aren't real, and they aren't in need.

A few months ago I was talking to a guy who, when I said I had some friends on the internet laughed at me. He probably thought I was a nerd. But in reality, the internet is a great tool to reach people.
There is a need in every place. I go on a forum constantly because I know that I have opportunities there, to share my faith, to encourage my brothers and sisters in Christ.
Sometimes people are afraid in their own churches and homes to say what they are thinking, or to share what they are going through. And sometimes it's easier to be accepted at a place where no one cares what you look like, or how you sound--they care about your heart.
And sometimes it's so much easier to write instead of speaking.
There is a need everywhere. Even on places on the net. There are people who are dying. There are people who are going through the storms and who keep looking at the waves instead of the Creator. There are people who are in need.
Yes, even on the internet.

Sometimes people are in trials, and sometimes they just need someone to pray. And even when no one understands who they know in person, it's encouraging to be able to go on a forum and have people understand you. And tell you that they are praying. Sometimes all you want is to hear that someone is out there who cares, and who prays, and who thinks of you.
But that won't happen if you keep telling others that the people on the other side of the computer aren't real.

I am sick of people telling me that it isn't real, because there are people out there who need encouragement and who need the Savior. There are people dying. Real people.
If you don't view them as real people then you won't pray for them like your pray for your unbelieving neighbor. You won't cry and pray for your brothers and sisters in Christ across the country if you don't even look at them as real people.

And you say that you can't know if someone is lying or serious. You say that you can't know if someone doesn't care or is sincere.
Open your ears and listen for once. And you'll hear their voices. Crying from the words, screaming from the screen. You can hear their voices. And sometimes that is more than seeing their faces every week at church. You might never know the faces that belong to those voices, but sometimes that's all you need. All you need to set you weeping and crying for those people is to hear their voices.


God Bless,
  A.W.