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Faith We Bear

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Faith we bear like loosened chains

after years of sluggish walking.

 

Faith unpricked by joy, and strengthened

be the anguished doubt, rides the rounds

of every sphere (musical or scream)

to lead us past the greed

used to justify our undoings.

 

Faith we bear that salvages

the anxious, wanting heart, brings

peace to both the striving and the struggle,

brings paradox – a tense but still guide –

an anchor, a fruit, a voice to listen to,

one that is jealous of all that bruises

this faith we bear

            with armour consciously

            down.

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Copyright © 1997 by Allison Grayhurst

amazon.com/author/allisongrayhurst

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First published in “Zygote” 1997

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You can listen to the poem by clicking below:

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“Allison’s poetic prose is insightful, enwrapping, illuminating and brutally truthful. It probes the nature of the human spirit, relationships, spirituality and God. It is sung as the clearest song is sung within a cathedral by choir. It is whispered as faintly as a heartbroken goodbye. It is alive with the life of a thousand birds in flight within the first glint of morning sun. It is as solemn as the sad-sung ballad of a noble death. Read at your peril. You will never look at this world in quite the same way again. Your eye will instinctively search the sky for eagles and scan the dark earth for the slightest movement of smallest ant, your heart will reach for tall mountains, bathe in the most intimate of passions and in the grain and grit of our earth. Such is Allison Grayhurst. Such is her poetry,”  Eric M. Vogt, poet and author.