Poem: "The Shadows in the Valley"
This poem came out of the October 2-3 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired and sponsored by rix_scaedu.
The Shadows in the Valley
When a soul approaches
the valley of the shadow of death,
all the demons stand back
to give it room to pass.
It is only when the soul
moves into the valley, and
usually somewhere toward the middle,
that the demons follow.
When the soul slows,
stumbles, falters
from feet to knees,
that is when the demons close in.
They yip and yell, bear their brilliant teeth,
flap wings as awful as thunderclouds --
there can be no stopping here,
for the only way out is through.
The soul drags itself onward,
hurrying now toward the far end
of the valley of the shadow of death
where God awaits.
The demons, too, are waiting
to see whether this day
they will become angels
or devils.