Poetry of a Martyr

I read a book back in October, 2006 about the life of John & Betty Stam. They were chosen to receive the martyr's crown. I blogged about the book here. I was going through some files on my computer. I found a couple of Betty Stam's poems. I thought I would share them with you.

I'm Standing Lord
By Betty Scott Stam (1906-1934)

I'm standing, Lord.
There is a mist that blinds my sight;
Steep, jagged rocks, front, left and right
Lower, dim, gigantic in the night.
Where is the way?

I'm standing, Lord.
The black rock hems me in behind;
Above my head a moaning wind
Chills and oppresses heart and mind.
I am afraid.

I'm standing, Lord.
The rock is hard beneath my feet;
I nearly slipped, Lord, on the sleet.
So weary, Lord, and where a seat?
Still must I stand?

He answered me,
And on His face a look ineffable of grace,
Of perfect understanding love,
Which all my murmuring did remove.
I'm standing, Lord.
Since Thou has spoken,
Lord, I see Thou hast beset.
These rocks are Thee.
And since Thy love encloses me, I stand and sing.

This next one is a lighthearted one. I love the rhythm of it.

A Jingle of Words

By Betty Scott Stam (1906-1934)

Don’t you love the common words
In usage all the time;
Words that paint a masterpiece,
Words that beat a rhyme,
Words that sing a melody,
Words that leap and run,
Words that sway a multitude,
Or stir the heart of one?

Don’t you love the lively words—
Flicker, leap and flash,
Tumble, stumble, pitch and toss,
Dive and dart and dash,
Scramble, pirouette and prance,
Hurtle, hurdle, fling,
Waddle, toddle, trot and dance,
Soar and snatch and swing?

Don’t you love the lengthy words—
Subterranean,
Artificial, propagate,
Neopolitan,
Revelation, elevate,
Ambidextrous
Undenominational,
Simultaneous?

Don’t you love the noisy words—
Clatter, pop, and bang,
Scrape and creak and snarl and snort,
Crash and clash and clang,
Crackle, cackle, yowl and yap,
Snicker, snare and sneeze,
Screech and bellow, slash and howl,
Whistle, whine and wheeze?

Don’t you love the colourful—
Amber, rose and gold,
Orchid, orange and cerise,
Crimson, emerald,
Purple, plum and lavender,
Peach and Prussian blue,
Turquoise matrix, jade and jet,
Hazel, honeydew?

Yes, with just the common words
In usage everywhere,
You can capture incidents
Beautiful and rare.
In words you have a weapon
More mighty than a gun;
You can sway the multitude
Or stir the heart of one.

We got snow and ice 2 nights in a row. Today the sun is shining brightly. It is currently 27 degrees. The high is supposed to be 31. Both Michael and I have been having our moments over losing Dixie. We know she was just a dog, but she was our buddy and friend. Even the other dogs are a bit mopey. Michael just came in and told me that you can really feel the warmth of the sun out there and that today is a new day. We called the breeder we got Dixie from. She had her dog fixed and is not doing puppies anymore. She gave us the name of a couple of people that have those lines. We are waiting to hear back from them.
Thanks for all the kind words. Many of you have called or sent emails. Someone even sent us an e-card.