Copyright © 2001 Benjamin A. Shelton
This poem is part of a collection of very old poems I wrote when I was fairly young. As a result, the vocabulary and general tone of the poem may not be up to par with many of my newer works.

The answers we await are always elusive,
Never, does it seem, that the path is clear.
Forever do we look into the days of tomorrow,
Yet still we are trapped in yesteryear,
For the days in which we are lacking,
We yearn more for that of which we want.

But caution must be taken in stride,
For not one of us knows what awaits.
Held in the hands of Chronos is time,
The Keeper of tomorrow and Holder of today.
But by far cry is it to say we do not care,
For pain will wrench our hearts to know not.

But aid ’tis not far from home,
For in a moment’s time, you can find hope.
Simply and swiftly, just look around you–
Perhaps answers, too, you will find.
Do not think for a moment that care is not with you,
For many more do, indeed, feel for you.

Lift you eyes, dear friend, unto the sunlight,
And bring your head up from the shadows.
Darkness is not a complement of God’s children,
For heaven, too, will weep with you.
Just like friends who care will spill tears,
And be wrenched with pain for your sake.

Come with me to the land of clouds,
Where happiness bubbles from the ground,
And joy sprinkles from the skies above.
Watch the fields sway in crisp, summer air,
With the dusting of bright reds and yellows,
Moving and dancing with the wind.

Smile, dear friend, for a smile will warm today,
And rid yourself of a sunken heart,
For the pain will flee at the face of happiness.
Watch the pain you feel scurry away,
Much like a rabbit startled by the rustling of leaves.
Run away, it will, at the face of happiness.

Feel your pain fade, fade, away, dear friend.
And feel the warmth of joy tingle in your feet,
Working up through your legs, your back,
And finally, into your heart where the smile lurks–
That elusive creature — the smile,
Burst forth with joy, dear friend, and smile…