This poem inspired by the Doobie Brothers' song, "Long Train Running"
Redemption
While the clackin’ of the wheels
And the rockin’ of the car
Was her nightly lullaby to what passed for dreams,
Lucy lost her soul to the razor shards
Of a broken heart and a memory best forgotten
Her passport to oblivion, that faithful bottle of Jack
And she tasted all he gave her until the
Blackness of the night
Matched the Darkness in her heart
And silenced the accusing voices:
“You’re just a disappointment, take a look at you.
You could have been something, but they’ve been
Removed from you. What would Daddy say,
Were he here to gaze upon this broken waif,
His daughter?” And in the night, the train
Rolled on to who knows where, nor cares.
While the clackin’ of the wheels
And that rockin’ of the car
In endless cycles spin, you’ve got to find
Down deep inside, the miracle your God
Has placed in you. And in that moment
When all roads point toward hell, Look Up!
That miracle within just might meet that
Miracle without now walking through that door
Had she eyes to recognize his presence.
His gaze was different, he ignored the label
Nor was she just diversion for his pleasure
In her he saw wonder and amazement
Because potential means much more than murky pasts.
“Who am I to judge and add rejection to your sorrow?
Just sit with me and hold my hand, we’ll learn from each other
And believe God’s grace holds much in store for our tomorrows.
