Mountains

Once I made a mountain out of all that I did treasure,
And heaped upon it, stone by stone, things of earthly pleasure.
Standing proud upon its peak; looking down where I began,
I shouted out to those below, ' behold how great I am! '
Then, in the breath of silence that is felt before the dawn,
That mighty mountain I had made, crumbled, and was gone.

So I made another mountain with my fear and rage.
Hoarding all my treasures, I placed them in a cage.
Heaping on them jagged rocks of anger and distrust,
And everything that brought me pleasure, filled me with disgust.
Then, in the breath of silence between the notes within a song,
That awful mountain I had made, trembled, and was gone.

In my pain and anguish, I cried, ' enough Lord, I give up! '
Then a stranger said to me, ' my son, drink from this cup. '
As I drank that soothing water, a change came over me.
While it wet my soul, I wept uncontrollably.
Then the stranger softly said, ' come follow me dear brother,
And let your mountain build itself, while we aid another. '

As we wandered all around, serving water to the weak,
Suddenly to my suprise, I was standing on a peak.
The stranger kindly smiled and said, ' God's word flows like a fountain,
When you helped me spread His word, He made you this new mountain. '
Then I fell upon my knees, thanking God for humbling me,
And allowing me to drink His cup of truth which set me free.

This poem was a finalist in the May 2009 poetry contest