Oh! My Soul! (Ode) Poem by MBJ Pancras

Oh, My Soul! Where art thou when my body lies in rest
That cares and worries have shrouded it day and night?
Wilt thou guard my corpse close sitting with a rod
That the messenger of death shall take it away?
Or wilt thou sleep close to my corpse and escape cares?
For when my body is at rest I know not what happens unto me
Whether my presence on earth is real or a mystery,
Dreams flash across the horizons and they’re strange and eerie,
Is that thou, my soul, art working in my dreams?
Oh, my soul, tell me, is this rest a rehearsal of death imminent
That I should prepare the way of death to Way of Life?
Ominous dreams lash threats at me, and art thou aware
And pleasant dreams caress me, and art thou aware?
Unravel this mystery unto me, O, my soul!
Every wink of my eye carries each of the day’s cares,
Tell me, O, my soul! Where art thou when my body is at rest?
Art thou not shrouded with attires of fatigue and distress?
I know my eyes shed tears if thou art agonized,
And thou art one in me, yet where art thou when my body is at rest?
I know thou art distressed with my worldly cares and needs,
And I know my body reacts when thou art distressed.
But tell me, O, my soul! Where art thou when my body is at rest
That I shall know how mystery of life works in me.