THE STRONGHOLD
This peom is inspired by Psalm 84, and two fortresses. The Croatian fortress of Klis that held out against invasion for 25 years and Edinburgh Castle which, despite over 25 attempts was never taken in battle. A poem of lament, longing and ultimate trust in God’s unfailing love.
O my oppressed and roughened soul, bruised by assaults
Why besieged, assailed, overrun, vanquished?
By a rough brutal lord, whose heart drips malice
Whose accusing tongue, lashes with vicious verdicts
Fomenting a fetid cage of poisonous chains
O my bruised breaking smouldering wick of a soul
Tossed and tormented by heavy seas of circumstance
Deafened by the tumultuous din of work and worry
Besieged by thoughts too dark and intrusive to number
Look up, crane your neck and see!
The citadel, high flinty dominance stamped permanently
Fiery volcanic rage hardened into icy igneous impenetrability
Your massive buttresses rising like sequoia above the plain
Not sweat built but eternal, elemental, rising high
The word became rock, spoken out of dark primordial chaos
Mountain fortress, impassive, solid, immovable
Not for you the prospect of assault, war, siege engines
The thickness of your seamless walls cannot be measured
Unbreachable, unscalable, your towering presence
Renders assault unthinkable, futile, invasion impossible
Without arrogance or defiance, you simply stand
Lofty stronghold, unassailable, inaccessible by force
Imperturbable refuge, watching all in calm confidence
Home to a good Lord, a kind king who bids me enter
Even a sparrow with bruised wing can find a home and
Build a nest near your altars. Blessed are they who dwell
In your stronghold, breathing your cooling, unhurried peace
Drinking deeply and thirstily from your wells of refreshing water
Blessed are they whose hearts become your Highway
Who discover their frail aging bodies house your lofty citadel
Who entering your temple fortress learn to
Sojourn, abide, dwell out of that refuge safe and secure
Slowing, savouring the goodness of each moment that you gift
Bringing springs and pools to parched dry earth.
Contributor: Gary Underhill