Resist

5 Comments

Resist

When temptation comes to visit me

And with subtle voice insist

That I should yield my liberty,

I clench my teeth, “Resist!”

 

It circles round my spineless back

Reminds me all I’ll miss

But thoughts of gain instead of lack

Nerve answer made, “Resist!”

 

Once some noble pastor’s wife

When named on martyr’s list,

On price of yielding faith for life,

In blood, left word, “Resist!”

 

She grieved in damp cell’s solitude

Yet answered duty’s call

And daily her resolve renewed

From bloodstains on the wall.

 

I cannot leave my battlefield

With courage less than this

So when enticement comes to yield

Red letters shout, “Resist!”

 

How many times have I been saved?

By that sacred martyr’s word

The road to glory is still paved

By concupiscence deferred.

 

I may not ever strive to blood

Against allures of sin

Yet, I still know to brave that flood

I must resist, to win. 

 

For Satan has no pressing need

To trap souls through persistence

He only must incite the deed

In those with no resistance

 

So when the hour comes to each

When soul’s in jeopardy

Resist, and let your prayer beseech-

Then stand, while demons flee.


Poem Comments

(5)

Please login or register

You must be logged in or register a new account in order to
leave comments/feedback and rate this poem.

Login or Register

Olan01 commented on Resist

11-12-2010

I like this for you are speaking about fortitude and will. In this we have our hope of survival, not only of self but species for without it we have nothing but fear and cowardliness.

HarverTomsson

11/13/2010

incarceration+transcendent resolve=inspiration. We all are in her debt.

simoneaugustus commented on Resist

01-15-2010

If faith were easy, everyone would have it, right? Beautiful reminder of how one's resolve and faith can conquer any demon.

HarverTomsson

01/15/2010

The Bible says God gives everyone a measure of faith. it's what we do with it after He grants it, that determines if it dissipates or grows. And it's the rough spots in life that seem to propel faith, as well as test it. Thanks for your insightful comments.

Hampton commented on Resist

01-07-2010

A beautifully conceived poem about temptation written in the grand style of a master.

ginga commented on Resist

12-28-2009

Such a wonderful way of describing temptation. It's as if you are preaching to the choir and that choir is you! This is a marvelous self-therapy poem! ginga

HarverTomsson

12/28/2009

Yeah, sometimes we need a bit of self talk just to be assured someone is still listening! HT

Kdaddy commented on Resist

12-28-2009

Love the spirituality of this one. Great advice given here to all that read.

HarverTomsson

12/28/2009

Thanks, Kdaddy, I need to remind myself I haven't resisted unto blood yet, on my journey home. blessings. HT

Poetry is what is lost in translation.

Robert Frost (1875-1963) American Poet.

HarverTomsson’s Poems (107)

Title Comments
Title Comments
Apogee 0
Conversation With Amelia 3
Juicy Fruit 12
Tomorrow My Dream 9
Small Talk 7
Zoographic Renewal 6
The Most Beautiful 13
Starfish Maiden 7
Pig-tails, Freckles, Kisses and Eggs 21
A Satisfactory War 24
In the Way That Cowboys Know 20
Desert Dwellers 8
The NIght Dick Driver Died 8
The Ant King 6
Cold Cuts 5
Sweetcakes, Tarts, and Muffintops 4
Heads of State 7
Once I Had an Outie 7
Whispering in Central Park 7
Some Wonderful 7
Vestiges of Superstition 3
Come Sadie, Come 5
Two Mothers 7
Goya's Ghost 8
Eye On The Sparrow 5
Gibberdelish 5
Easy Pieces 6
Rêves Rouge 7
Eating Chocolate 5
Soul Fusion 7
Angel of Enniskerry 5
Deconstructin
g English
7
Ten Second Kiss 5
Sweet Perimele 4
Transits 6
The Shot 10
Your Reading Room 7
Counterpoints 6
Status Quo 10
Eleanor Hotchkiss 10
The Magic Locket 10
Alpha Numerics 7
Halfway Measures 6
Proved Wrong 6
Christmas Gingerbread 6
Distant Fire 8
On the Way to Lost and Found 10
Debating the Goddess 19
The First Moon of Elatia 47
A Taste of Amontillado 27
Mutt and Jess 9
Here On Time 15
Heroes and Villians 11
Kumbaya 9
Three Umbrellas 11
A Life Less Theoretical 8
The Rhyme of Heroic Orange 7
Rabbits' Dance 5
Erasures 27
Pray Naked 17
Light Beckons 6
Sly Moon Sibilants 11
After the End 9
Feel the Wind 7
City Lights 3
Snowy Swallows 5
Your Song of Home 6
Comforting Sand 9
A Plain Poem 6
Souvenirs de Saule 4
My Own Valentine 5
Wolf Moon 13
Deke 'n da Debble's Yarn, Part 3 6
Deke 'n da Debble's Yarn, Part 2 6
Deke 'n da Debble's Yarn, Part 1 7
Above the Store 10
Whispers 8
As Good as a Name 6
Resist 5
Where the Church Casts its Shadow 8
I'm Praying For You 2
Key West 3
Midnight Prayers 5
Double Feature 4
What Does Love Know About Forever? 7
Gestalt 9
Running to Chicago 5
The Wake of My Heart 3
Am God 6
Birches 3
Duet 4
Kneeling at Nativity 3
Thanksgiving Sabbath 7
An Aussie and Four Horses 5
Decisions, Decisions 4
A Song of Shenandoah 2
Oracle of the Susquehanna 7
To Tia 4
Friends 7
Sing Me A Song 10
A Promise of Summer 14
Trial By Jury 15
Detainees 8
Rendition Passage 18
Walking Past the Dancers 22
Of Destiny and Station 6
The Far Side of Fear 18