Would Anybody Care? Poem by Denis Martindale

If I should pen my deepest thoughts,
For this whole world to share,
Not treat these as my life's reports,
Of which I'm well aware,
Or pour out prophecies untold,
For this whole world to heed,
Would these be treated like pure gold
By those who paused to read?

If I should raise my pen again,
For love songs from my heart,
Not treat true love with true disdain
But like God's greatest art,
Or press ahead to write a play,
Some drama to express,
Would such be seen as just O.K.,
Or cause great happiness?

If I should dream and wake anew,
In Heaven, not on Earth,
Would Jesus tell me what to do,
So that I proved my worth,
Or would He merely say I lack
The writer's gentle touch
And then politely send me back,
As if not loved that much?

If I should die, then laid to rest,
Would angels hold my hands,
Be full of praise that I was blessed,
Successful in God's plans,
Or would I merely rest as dust,
Unbidden to God's Throne,
To join the faithful and the just
For whom Christ died alone?

If I should fail the poet's path,
That pilgrimage to make,
Would failure be my epitaph,
My legacy to break...
And yet I ask, of readers now,
As if a solemn prayer,
Is there one soul who cares somehow,
Would anybody care?


Denis Martindale, February 2017.