From Life to Death to Life and Other Poems

by Sarah Steele

From Life to Death to Life

The flower thought herself beautiful,

Perched there upon that limb.

She didn’t know she soon would fall;

She just loved looking prim.

But one day as she fluttered,

Dainty petals in the breeze,

She gasped as one began to float

Down right below the tree.

As she grasped her petals tighter,

They each began to fall,

And she lay bare, and suddenly

Felt, oh, so very small.

Poor Flower could not know

That the worst was yet to come,

For next she found herself afar

Way down from cherry plum.

She hit the ground and shuddered,

Not knowing what occurred,

Except that she was dying,

And then              -             her final stir.

The ground climbed over her body

And pulled it down in death,

And there she stayed all winter

While springtime held its breath.

Our little flower was surprised

That she was now a seed–

Her bottom taking root

While her top pushed through the weeds.

She couldn’t tell quite why

But her face longed for the Sun,

And she spent all her days

Gazing only at that One.

She grew each day a little more–

The outside and within–

And was suddenly reminded

Of the heights that she had been,

When she saw a struggling flower

On her own branch down below.

She spoke her kind, encouraging words

Of trust and let it go.

And then at last, she saw herself

As she was meant to be–

Not delicate pretty flower

But deep-rooted, growing tree.

The Journey

I am walking on a road,

And it's the middle of the night.

I am looking all around in hopes

For just a glimpse of light

To let me know how far I've gone

And how far’s yet to go,

But there's nothing here to tell me so.

I know I've gone a ways because

I'm not where I have been.

But I know I've got a ways to go,

So says the fight within.

How will I know when I've arrived

Or when I'm almost there?

Oh Lord, please listen to my prayer.

The Lord bent down and whispered,

“It is not for you to know.

This road has been well-traveled,

And it's nothing to outgrow.

You'll keep stretching and keep learning

‘Til your heart is fully mine.

So keep on the path that I've assigned.”

I'm still walking on that road–

Is that the dawn I see ahead?

And the hope inside me swells,

Although I'm also filled with dread.

But I know that God is with me,

And I don't walk there alone,

So I'll keep walking ‘til he calls me home.

The Colors of Prayer

Prayer is blue–
Swallowed in tears
With devastating news,
Unable to speak
For the grief that just grew
And grew.

Prayer is black–
Shadowed by pain
That bites as it smacks,
Unable to breathe,
Wails I try to choke back
And back.

Prayer is white–
Rotating between
Knuckles clenched tight
And the cry of a heart
That stammers, “This just isn’t right,
Not right!”

Prayer is gray–
Heavy sighs blown,
Murmurings say,
Eyelids locked closed,
Soul tossed by dismay
And decay
And now delay.

Prayer is green–
Breathing life anew
As the sobs start to wean
And the roots of my faith
Grow close to His ravine
And glean,
Soul cleaned
As the Lord intervenes
In triumph unforeseen!

Sarah Steele is a Christ-follower, wife to James, and mom to four lively redheads. Poetry has captured Sarah's heart since the death of her grandmother in early childhood, helping her to work feelings into written pictures. As a wordy extrovert, she finds its genre particularly useful in learning to be succinct. Sarah writes between homeschooling, watercoloring, and all the neighbor-loving.