Charge

By Cliff Lake

 

Charge

 

A task, a duty,

A call and service,

The onus hefted ponderous,

And choices absent.

Plodding progress,

Hindered results,

Finality still lies ahead.

He did not petition this,

Though it was required of him;

No other dared stand in,

Soft and pampered as they were,

He was already tempered in life.

Hard challenge and paltry advance meet,

His resolve hardens to granite,

He can no longer be swayed.

Offer gold! Present silver or better,

The silken thigh…

He has not turned aside,

Even death he has denied.

What loyalty compels this stout?

Only this:

He has given his word:

The coin he will not trade,

The currency beyond his barter,

He is bonded to himself.

Can you ask more?

He has no better to give than that.

And in the asking,

You will receive less.

He is committed to the charge,

He is consigned to this chore,

He is submit to this test,

He will fulfill.

Stand aside,

He does not stop,

Until the end.

 

Cliff Lake 3/19/2025

Copyright © Clifford Lake 2025

Location: Wichita, KS, USA

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

One Thousand Horsemen

By Cliff Lake
  One Thousand Horsemen   The call of an ally, A friend of old: “We ask your aid! Will you be bold?”   “Ancient terrors, Assail once more! Will you honor The oaths we swore?”   One thousand horsemen answer the call,   One thousand horsemen riding tall. One thousand horsemen, they prepare. One thousand horsemen, forth they fare.   “We have no word, Are we not heard? Are we forgot? Do you come not?”   “The terror hails, Our people quail! We are beset, Will you come yet?”   One thousand horsemen upon the hill, One thousand horsemen, duty they fill. One thousand horsemen make the climb. One thousand horsemen, are they in time?   “What do we hear? Is succor near? Have you arrived? Will we survive?”   “Hail faithful friend! Fear not an end! Our hope has come, Sound the war drum!”   One thousand horsemen, banners raised! One thousand horsemen, unafraid! ...
Read more

Dawnbreak

By Cliff Lake
  Dawnbreak   Long we endured the starless dark. Long we kept alive the spark. Long have we kept on keeping on, Long and long, we have awaited the dawn:   When the dawn comes, After the long and troubled night. When the dawn comes, When we step back into light. When the dawn comes, We will see what we’ve been fighting for. When the dawn comes, And we share the sun once more.   Long have they thwarted people’s will. Long have we fought our way uphill. Long have we been played as pawns, Long have we looked toward the dawn:   When the dawn comes, After the long and troubled night. When the dawn comes, When we step back into light. When the dawn comes, We will see what we’ve been fighting for. When the dawn comes, And we share the sun once more.   Long have they ignored the people’s need. Long have they succumbed to soiled greed. Long have we been fooled by misery’s spawn, Long has our strength g...
Read more

From the Ashes

By Cliff Lake
  From the Ashes   Blindly in their towers, Corporate greeders sour, Scarring Mother Earth with deep gashes. Lied to by their shills, Handing us the bills, Still, they will deny the climate crashes. They look the other way, And shorten up our pay, Scarring us with credit debt lashes. They look upon us lowly, As we are buried slowly, And leave us half alive among the ashes.   In the ashes we are consigned, In the ashes we’re left behind, In the ashes here we grind, In the ashes we're not blind.   Trickle down lying, At fault denying, Satisfied the machine steady gnashes. They see down their nose, Saying we chose, Telling us that we thrive in their trashes. How do they slumber, Knowing our numbers Are they prepared for backlashes? Losing their power, Now is the hour – Afraid when we rise from the ashes.   In the ashes we are consigned, In the ashes we’re left behind, In the ashes here we grind, ...
Read more