Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, THE COMING OF HOPE, by LYDIA M. WALKER



Poetry Explorer

Classic and Contemporary Poetry

THE COMING OF HOPE, by                    
First Line: A patch of moonlight glimmered in the / cell
Last Line: That seamed his roughened hands and felt an iron bar.
Subject(s): Hope; Optimism


A PATCH of moonlight glimmered in the cell,
With stripes of shadow where the grating came,
As if all things must share the taint of hell,
If they but enter in that place of shame,
And even moonlight bear the brand of blame.
The man who crouched behind the stony wall
Twisted his head. A voice pronounced his name.
The eyes which joyed to watch a lizard crawl,
Lifted and saw a woman, lily white, and tall.

As soft as starlit ripples flowed her hair,
As bright as starlit marble glowed her face,
She seemed a thing of starlight, standing there,
A shining vision in a sunless place.
And he who was condemned, who knew disgrace,
Who looked on good as something dim and far,
Who, from his baseness deemed the whole world base
Believed he dreamed, until he touched the scar
That seamed his roughened hands and felt an iron bar.





Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!


Other Poems of Interest...



Home: PoetryExplorer.net