Vale of Tears

When life becomes roughly assailed by fears,
And wanders too close to the vale of tears;
My only recourse is to find, at length,
A forgotten reserve of inner strength.
I look to my family, those I love
More than myself, loving far and above
Any remorse or regret I could face,
Should I choose to suffer loss in their place.
In those dry, barren hours spent alone;
When the fearful aching reaches to bone;
When I cannot help, but to count the cost
Of wand'ring alone in the desert, lost:
I let my fears go, make solace my goal,
And let my tears flow, to water my soul.

Mick McKellar
October 2018

Bits and pieces. Scraps of an old poem, abandoned during the chill darkness of an early winter morning. Vague fears dancing in semi-lucid dreams. All of this resonated with the palpable fear of losing something precious.

Mick