ere death should o’ertake me

“As the quest for light is the quelling of darkness,  
so is the pursuit of life the postponement of death.”—cab    
   
the shadow of death has pursued me from birth,    
diminishing daily my time on this earth;    
yet, have i life hunted with every last breath,    
determined to outrun the shadow of death.    
   
when darkness, at night, camouflages my light,    
the minions of evil make rampant my plight,    
the vesture of morning aborting the kill,    
as glorious sunshine enflames every hill.    
   
the will to be willing, the courage to stand,    
the faith to be faithful in sinking quicksand;    
the life to be living, the shame to abhor    
in confluence rise, where no hope was before.    
   
if life, then, should slay me before i am old,    
may all of my trials prove harvests of gold;    
ere death should o’ertake me, my life i lay down    
which, when it returns, shall be sealed with a crown.    
   
© Copyright 2023 January 14    
by Clyve A. Bowen♫