When days flit by like birds on wing
And shadows lie o’er all the earth,
When silence is no longer thought
A virtue to be sought;
And when all forms of decency
Have come to end, to shameless end,
Each action disregarding that
Which moral law requires.
When all of mankind seems to shout
The end of right, of truth and light,
As they proclaim, no conscience weighs
No heart for mercy prays.
Oh! when will daylight break this night,
This night of endless hurt and pain?
Will all the earth remain untouched
By doubt in doing wrong?
Mourn! oh world, for ye have broken
Peace, have turned it into hate;
This gloom is work of your own hand,
And yet you shameless stand!

*****

A ray of light penetrates my soul,
Uncovering what once lay hidden;
What do I see?
This image of me
Brings bad memories, unbidden,
Displaying dirty, shameful wrongs untold.
I am scarcely better
Or maybe I am worse
Than they.
In law by the letter
I practice “bless, not curse”,
But in my heart, what do I say?
Woe is me! for I am ashamed!
I pass judgement on those
Though my heart enclose
Countless wrongs unnamed.
I have no right to judge the world,
For I am worse than they.

*****

I am invisible.
Once it was on purpose;
Now I do such a service
To make me disappear.
I am shamed;
I am ashamed,
Humiliated before all.
“No hope for me,” I think
And in self-pity sink.
Disappear!
Do not be seen!
“I am not here”
Says my heart,
“For I am unclean.”
Hidden to all are my sins,
And inside cowardess wins.
I hide.
I become invisible
That none may see
What’s inside me;
In this way I’m invincible.
But I do not feel right.

*****

Awake! my soul,
For thou art whole!
Dost thou not remember?
Thou art saved from sin,
For thou are to Christ akin.
His hope he has placed
Inside thy heart
That thou may not waste
Thy life,
But live it to Him,
To His glorious will,
That thou might fulfill
His plan.
Do not be ashamed,
For though ye were blamed,
He has cleansed every spot
And has wiped every blot!
Nay, thou may not judge;
But say, rather, the news,
The news that hath saved thee.
Be not ashamed;
Be not a judge;
But be bold for Him who thy Lord thou hast claimed.

*****

When shameless stands the world in lust,
When every man has broken trust,
When all throughout, the cruel reign,
And every man disdain,
Oh Lord I proclaim
Thy holy name
Through toil and pain and desperation;
I sing Thy praise
Again and again,
For God, thou art my inspiration!