The Poetry of Mark Daniel Milbocker 
Hell

It is by light
that we see darkness
by night
that we await the dawn:

One day I closed my eyes
to rest my head -
my heart to silence
the pain of facing myself.

A quiet sleep - 
neither warm nor cold
a silence of 
sound unheard.

And as I looked away
in that restful moment,
as I surrendered by will
and gave up 
my last breath...

I ceased to “sense”
the world around me
though I awoke
and walked amongst my friends.

I found a love that
I had never known:
Gentle arms
that I desire.

I found a touch
that satisfied my hunger
a life of pleasures
and abundant riches.

And year upon year,
my happy days
rotated past my
dreaming eyes.

At times an inner music
brought me to the
surface of my soul
as if I might awaken.

Though I thought
I was awake -
Could the dreamer
see he’s dreaming?

We know from
the colors of our days
that the vivid grays
of night
are only the creations
of a mind asleep
wishing within
the wee world
we imagine.

When our lives become
only a feeble dreaming,
we have nothing to
hope for but hell.

Oh Lord, rescue me
from my folly!
Restore the inheritance
of your son!

Lift my chin
so I may see you -
Prick my heart
that by the pain of yearning,
I may not bear to sleep.

Then the clouds of ignorance
will melt the dross
of impurities into
a brilliant knowledge of Your Truth.

And by seeing you,
I may love you.
And the hell I could not see
will become a daily
heaven on earth,
giving each love in my life
new meaning,
new strength and life,
a new hope
to last for eternity.
■





©1997 Mark Daniel Milbocker  All rights reserved.