Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, POSTPONED, by JAMES CHRISTIAN LINDBERG



Poetry Explorer

Classic and Contemporary Poetry

POSTPONED, by                    
First Line: God! Did I hear you call? Yesterday? Today?
Last Line: You see, I'm busy, because you made me that way.
Subject(s): Ambition; Death; God; Hope; Learning; Prayer; Dead, The; Optimism


God! Did I hear you call? Yesterday? Today?
But I'm not ready, God. That's all I have to say.

No, I'm not afraid to go.
That much, I'd have you know.
In fact, the thought of going fascinates with wonder,
Just as I thrill at your lightnings and thunder.

I long to be a part of the Eternal Mind—
The ardent hope of all mankind:
Omnipotence—to plan for myriad things to do,
And have the power to see them through;
Omnipresence—to plan for a cruise to some distant Star,
And presto! Distance and Time have vanished; there is no near and far;
Omniscience—to know the miracle of growing trees,
And comprehend the swing of Pleiades.
Yes, God, I am eager to start on these new adventures,
But first I must cancel overdue debentures.
For instance, I must write a book or two
And visit China and Timbuctoo;
I must follow the lure of the cosmic ray
And harness the tides in Fundy's Bay;
I must help Science discover the answer
Of "Why the dreaded cancer?"
I must ... But why go farther? You plainly see
The unfinished jobs you have assigned to me.
They must be tackled and a hundred more,
Before———before
My soul has earned its right to liberty.

Yes, Lord, I think I know your plan
For unsatisfied, ambitious man:
From a vantage point on some ranging planet,
He may observe with admiration
The intricate scheme of your whole Creation.
And that is, perhaps, well, for the lazy shirk;
But, Lord, you gave me the urge to work.
You have challenged me to unravel your Infinite Mind,
To grope through the darkness and eventually find
The best way out;
To wrestle with Doubt
And triumphantly know
Why This and That are indisputably so.
Such travail is glorious fun—
To learn for oneself how the Master-Magician's Tricks are done.

And so, Lord, I ask you, trouble me not today;
You see, I'm busy, because you made me that way.





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