Death Held Me Captive! Poem by Denis Martindale

It was black. I felt no emotions, and I could hear nothing.
It was a dead zone and nothing more.
There were no heroes, villains, angels or demons.
It was neither hot nor cold.
I stood alone as if emptied of all hopes and dreams,
with only the loneliness of my thoughts.
Who knows how long I would remain sane
in such a lonely death experience as this?

But time, as I perceived it, had passed,
and I wondered if to pray or not.
What if I prayed and God refused me an answer?
What if God permitted me no escape?
Should I try to test God as a last resort?
Was this meant as a final test of faith?
And if getting no response, what then?
But I had to know if God was willing or not.
And so I prayed in the name Of Jesus.
Spare me, God, please be kind enough to spare me.
Let me not end like this with eternal separation,
my thoughts and nothing else.
There is no profit in my untimely death for either of us!

And all at once, the black melted to become grey
and then cleared away to become white.
Then I heard birdsong as an extra sign of hope.
Then something appeared next to my feet,
I saw a tiny plant arise and grow
to become a beautiful red rose that stood beside me!
I heard the Word of the Lord call to me,
and this was a miracle granted by God's amazing grace.
Then I heard someone singing Amazing Grace as confirmation!

I woke up on what was my deathbed.
All I could do was just to stand up and smile
despite the tears of relief that I wept.
I was alive, like never before,
with a spirit-filled testimony I could share with others.
Take it or leave it. That was their choice.
Even so, there was no denying it. Yes! I was alive!
I had returned to the land of the living!
Halleluyah! YES! Amen! Amen! And Amen!


Denis Martindale, as my Gospel poem for Easter,2024.