.

Midnight Wind, old friend!

Moving curtains once again?

My silent reminder.

Not a figment of my mind, or any mythical march,

It was the numbing of my face, as I walked against you in the dark.

I’ll never forget how the road looked,

And how mornings would find me wondering,

Who had carried me through the fight;

Who concealed this teenager from harmful strangers,

Until the night was banished by blurred street lights.

You were a welcome companion,

Even when your presence was as cold as ice.

Despite my drunken stupor, and my clumsy broken prayers,

You wrapped each word with insight;

Lifted sighs with tender care.

Old friend, you moved a still-small voice to meet those youthful ears;

Hinting at better days, beyond the haze of a child’s eyes once filled with tears.

Teaching me to listen, and pay attention from the start,

That empty bottles never healed any man’s broken heart.

I’ve not forgotten what might have been lost.

If it hadn’t been because of costly grace,

and ein feste burg ist unser Gott [i].

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‘Stand in awe of God […] For He has not despised or abhorred the affliction of the afflicted, and he has not hidden His face from him, but has heard, when he cried to Him.’ (Psalm 22:23-24, ESV)

©RodLampard, 2018

Photo Credit: Alexandre Guimont on Unsplash

[i] A Mighty Fortress Is Our God.