On early passing

On early passing
Into time transcending
Tick by tock
It ceases not

Still time our ally
Or time our foe
Shall we e'er to know

The sand that sifts
Through the substance
Of our skin
Shall surely do us in

While still we may
Make something
Of the clay
That is drifting
Away

Its pathway
Unchanging
Though always
We engaging
In our own Imaginings

Of worlds and wonders
Beyond our own understanding
Of lives unending

Yet always
Descending
Deeper and deeper
Into the depths
Of our own depravity

Till gravity
Has its way
And our lives
In its play
Go swiftly
Away

As once more
Bits of clay
Are we dust
And decay

So what of today
Of yesteryear before
Shall we look yet far
Back to what we know
No more

Before we pass
Through that open door
Here's to life
And love
And hope

That we may pause
Before this season's past
Could be our last

In thanks
To fall
At the foot of grace
The author of time
And space
Awaits

Though patient
He may stand
His footprints
In the sand

Will soon
But fade
If we
Should fail
To follow

For waves of glory
Will soon wash
Away

Oh to pray
That we may
Not be caught
And washed to sea

Where we
In all our misery
Be lost
Eternity
At sea

-Joshua Lee Foist

Oh to grace for which I scarce can face

Oh to grace for which I scarce can face
The trace of thy indescribable embrace
For that of which I trust in word
Yet fear to accept in action

And this my reaction
Cannot grace to cover my shame
Cannot grace for scars of which
I am to blame
Cannot grace by any other name
For this if grace
I must depart

For know thee deep my heart
Is torn from thee
For that which full of envy
Malice and disguise
Tis full of fury and lies

How could thy way be found in me
How canst such good o'ercome me
These words reply me
Lack they truth
For mine own action
Is its proof

And foolish is it
Full of shame
For this I am to blame
Yet why pursue
Such loss
As me

Why take up thy cross
For me
My sin repent and return
In me
Though strive I
Not enough to free

Desire is deep
Yet deep despair
Doth shroud me in
Its lair of sin

What love is this
Betrayed in kiss
Still clings to cross
Tis all for loss

My faith so faint
The trials taint
And still remain
Thee to the course
The shadow of thy cross
Doth paint the path to life

Today and what remains
In me must cling
Though all but failing
To thy faithful charge

Though grace may drag me
From despair
Tis still enough
To carry there

Yet lift my eyes
From the dust
And faithful to
Thy way may trust

For hopeless
Are mine own
Attempts

Though daily
Must I repent
May this my
Steadfast joy
Be found

In he who
Blinded eye
Made see
Canst still
Redeem
Those lost
As me

-Joshua Lee Foist

Upon these last five minutes

Upon these last five minutes
For what shall be
Look back we
On a day
As spent

In part I do
Resent my way
Of which did err
This day

Twas selfish me
Caught in my own
Depravity
Longing for what
I could not see

Yet filling
More with
My own desires
And less for those
In need

The day as past
For what it stands
Yet foolish I
Watch it go by

And I alone
And wondering
Where again shall find
When a year by chance
Should come once more

Shall I at end
Look back in vain
Upon the day
I did not gain

Humility in me
Need more to grow
And less of selfishness
For which I do adore

Should stead abhor
The thing for which I bring
And live in love and servanthood
As He for whom this day has come

May love and grace
Carry me
Beyond this day
And all the rest

May I by them
Be ever blessed
If in part I live
By heart for all
And give of me
Though small
It be

-Joshua Lee Foist

On things fast approaching

On things fast approaching
While time is fast encroaching
All once anticipated
Tis now near its end

For what can we know
Of what may come
While we await
The world ahead seems
Great

All too oft the future we long
Yet forget the present near gone
That fading mist may pass us by
Before we know

So what to the now that remains
And the moments that may be
Wait and see shall wait
Shall we

Before they too shall flee
What shall we
Where will we
When such moments
Pass us by

May we rich
And full
Dwell them in
Before they yet
Are no more

-Joshua Lee Foist

Outside the eyelit hole amidst the muck and mire

Outside the eyelit hole amidst the muck and mire
There is a world of wonder and desire
Waiting, while within, one wonders
If tis all a dream or chance
Some scarce trace of hope
Beyond

Yet only a single eyelid sees outside
This rotting disease
So enshrouded and caught
In this waste and rot

Where ought one find
The strength to break
The bonds of these cords
That confine them

For harder one grasps
Then tighter they pull
Care not they for anything else

They joy in the misery of others
While the few remaining ounces of life
Ooze out in their last attempts
To fight the angst and strife

Till powerless end
Without the strength
To defend
Must bend to its will
Its hunger its
Thrill

Yet once did I see
A light outside
This misery
Illuminated mystery
Beyond this plague
This pond

Where colors around
In glory abound
Such wonder ere known
Of life here shown

Still how to come
This world beyond
Where tis chance
Evade from this trance

What power that be
Lets me see
Beyond the shadow
Of this shroud

Canst one be aloud
Outside this waste
Is there a hope
That hovers
The surface
To wait

To wonder
If such hands
Could sink in under
To grasp neath this
Perishing putridity

If there be any validity
In its ability
Oh might it seize
Me from this world
Of disease

May it please to rescue
This hemorrhaging heart
And pull me from this plunder
That hath prisoned me under

Yet at last when it came to it
No good could be found
To pull me from this shroud
I voiced aloud:
"How canst I endure to remain
Outside of this pain"

"Tis no hope thee shall
While still in this state"
Spoke he the voice that did wait
Outside the pond

"Thy only hope is release
When thou hath found thee
A steady peace
When thy body decease

Then come with quickening
Thy wondrous reckoning
For thy wrongs of waste
No more abhor
Now art thou chaste

When my will embraced
Shall find thee
In thy sweetened garden
Of grace

Where no poison
Scarce can thee trace
For such evils
Have now depart

When thou hath fully come
To know me by heart
So shall I be pleased
To see thee dwell
In my affection and art"

-Joshua Lee Foist

And why these days must come to this

And why these days must come to this
For all the answers sure to miss
Why must the doubt
And ere the pain
Yet still remain
Ah still remain

Is this the thing
Tis all a game
Of fate
A fever
Come to late

If to debate
Then what's to come
If all the answers
All become

What of this
Or what of that
Can't hope it all
Should be revealed

Yet for what is
What stares one
In the face
Cannot replace
Cannot withstand

And so we hide
Behind our words
Our idols of obsession
The worlds within
Our own possession

And this our one
And true confession
At least for this
One can assess

Here lies the loneliness
Here lies the twilight days
When all the world
Fixed in its gaze

And wonder still
Beyond the thrill
What comes of it
What comes of it

To wait
And wonder
And plunder it
That fit is mad
And overspent

These things
For which one does
Resent
Of habits born
Yet to
Repent

And all for this
One cannot trace
The words of which
One wish
Erase

If to again
How would it be
For you
Or me
Could we
Agree

If for the now
If it should change
Or all remain
What would we
Gain

Inside the pain
What we obtain
Can we yet
Find
The freedom
We desire

Or lead we
All our lives
Upon a
Wire

Yea to the end
What come
My friend
May it be
If now
As to
the
End

-Joshua Lee Foist

Oh to but trust tomorrow and ere what lie ahead

Oh to but trust tomorrow and ere what lie ahead
For this day near over and what ere remains
So much undone, yet as for that which lies before
May I yet learn to be thankful for

There are but days I long for what's to come
And yet, here I sit and wait for it
And wait, and wonder, and wait for it

Oh to be, the wonders of now
While still I think on that which may one day
If tomorrow should ne'er yet be
What shall come of me
In this moment, in this day

So much we easily let slip away
While we linger on
To come what may

And so as I retire the day
May I not forget
That to which this moment
Hath spent

May I not lead a life
Of regret
Nay, may it be
Of moments of wonderment
That I should be so very blessed

For hows and whys
And saying goodbyes
Are all of things
That ere one strives
To change

One's palm outstretched
To hold the sand
And watch it sift
Through one's hand

I life less planned
And more by chance
As free and full
Without control
Of what may come
And come again

Yet thankful for
A pleasant trip
Of travels scarce
Outside one's grip

These moments yet have spent
And all a part
That's known by heart
For all their pieces do align
Into a life that's known as mine

-Joshua Lee Foist

There is a voice within the wind

There is a voice within the wind
An eerie echo envelops one's skin
That pierces through the darkest place
Convicting and compelling one
Concede to its grace

How deep the scars
And gushing wounds
Though pain prolonged
With healing proves
It penetrates
One's very being
Yet this it must
To gain one's trust

And more the means of grace
To death must face
To know the healing power
Within its veins
Redemption found
In hearts contrite

Forgiveness follows faith
Whose foundation lies
Upon the one
Who opens eyes
And hearts to know
The gift of life
Is found in this

When love so great
Should pay the price
To die the death
Deserved for all
That they may find
In sacrifice
Salvation comes
To all who fall
And rise again

Who cast their sin
Upon the lamb
Who comes to heal
And restore
The lost, the broken,
And the poor

That those who thirst
May never more
For full and filled
Are they
Who fall before the throne
And claim him for their own

Yet only by his grace can come
To those he's called from everyone
To leave this world and all behind
That they in him salvation find

-Joshua Lee Foist

There is a joy that yet descends this day

There is a joy that yet descends this day
Despite the ups and downs that often may
For this day of thankfulness
May we ere yet be reminded of this

For what trials or troubles may come this day
May we yet cheer them away with a true display
For joy crumbles away the proud of heart
And reminds them of a simpler stronger art

There is a strength beneath the marrow
That flutters as the youthful sparrow
Yet poignant as the piercing arrow
It penetrates the hardest of hearts

For though we each in part play a convincing role
We ne'er have strength of which to control
For all in vain are we
Wasting away in our own vanity

Humility reminds of what we have forgot
That we are far more fragile than we dare express
Yet for all our false hopes of happiness
Canst come they close to this

A thankful heart knows its part
For all it knows tis given it
In grace and bounty rare
None other of which it can compare

Yea thankful are the hearts that care
That see beyond their own despair
For all one is and ere shall be
Tis wound up in the grand mystery

For life itself a gift
And how shall we invest in it
How shall we remember it
While still this life remains

May we walk its course in thankfulness
With all our strength and exuberance
May we yet shine through the dismal grime
The light of hope while still there's time

-Joshua Lee Foist

Look not thee to the world for thine own fulfillment

Look not thee to the world for thine own fulfillment
Let not the idle tongue of man be thy initiative
For frail and feeble are their follies
They flounder from far and wide

There is a dismal trace of dillusion
That ere yet captures thee
The portrait is cracked and crumbling
And minions are mumbling
Of thy undoing

All desire affection
Yet upon its collection
Perfection is fleeting
And jealous they
Deceiving 

For all their heart's desire
And yet require
Tis all of vanity 
This thing of humanity

None shall attain
This world of gain
The cost too great
The price too high

Twere better instead
To die
For all their deeds
Shall scarce remain
When all their fame
Is gone

-Joshua Lee Foist

Sit quiet and idle I

Sit quiet and idle I
In a company that do deny
Hypocritical am I
And they as I

Yet try as I
Canst seem to tread
This path I dread
Of sickness am fed

Deep beneath the surface
A cancer yet grows
And each one knows
Still the masquerade of woes
Erodes the accurate analysis

How long must the fungus
Ferment this merriment
When shall the scars
Shed their scales
And reveal
The wound as real

Each is not without excuse
Ere it a verbal or emotional
abuse
A portrait obtuse
To distract itself

From lies well hidden
In a shroud forbidden
Seen by a precious few
The rue that cannot be true
Yet is

When shall we
Be as we really are
Naked, hemorrhaging and rank

And worse it is real
For no fiction
Can scarce remove
This infliction

It must be removed
From without
And within
This sin
That devours
And erupts
Under our skin

Can only be killed
And revealed in full
By one in complete
Control

And we must bear it
We must let
The healing ravish us
To humility
And awe

For we are far worse
Than we think we are
And more loved
Than ere we ever can know

If only we would learn
At last to let go
Before the hours
And moments
Should pass

Alas at this
Shall we betray
With a kiss

Or repent
And believe
Shall leave
This life
We grieve

In anguish
In shame
In glory
Proclaim

Tis finished
Tis done
Release
The son

-Joshua Lee Foist

There is a great noise in the void

There is a great noise in the void
Of mind and men
Mesmerizingly manipulative
It seethes through the soul
Like a sycophant out of control
Sucking all life in its full

Anxiety overloads
The imagination explodes
In the possibilities
The terrors of all existence
Devouring all reality
In its presence

Yet deep in the pit of this despair
There is something out there
Something amidst the chaos
Unscathed by all that's around

It tears through the layers of deceit
And causes all to melt away
Like vapor dissipating
Under its feet

Nothing can overcome it

And slowly breath
Gives birth to breath
And breathes through
This existence

It yearns in its repentance
To join this new resistance
The victor is near
He comes to quench all fear

Now is the hour
Comes haste he to devour
All dread and despair
For all who do not draw near

Come quick then to join him
For he shall surely
Carry thee under his wing
And safe and secure thee
To his kingdom bring

-Joshua Lee Foist

In this momentry bliss

In this momentry bliss
I am lost in the wonder
Of your welcoming kiss
The sweet joyous surrender
In the autumn of november

There is a taste in the air
Fluttering leaves a'falling
Colours of red and amber
In a sunset scene

Lost in a mesmerizing dream
A moment suspended in part
The wonders of thy glorious art
Yet a taste so sweet and tender

Of a world once known
And yet still shown
In these breathes of bounty
Where one wishes never to leave

Still deep in my melancholy heart
There is a joy that cannot be tamed
In an hour yet known
Or wonders yet seen

Shall awake as one lost in a dream
Of something long ago
Once familiar
Now returned

And ever shall be
A world of mystery
Revealed
Once winter's wonders
Have ceased

Come spring
And joyous dawn
The dew of which
We look upon

The day forevermore
When at once
Walk we through
That open door

The journey ended
Reunion sweet
When at last
Our lifelong love
Shall meet

-Joshua Lee Foist

The Winds are Changing in Ways I know not Where

The Winds are Changing in Ways I know not Where
The airs of innocence elude me
Their ominous shroud encircles me

The dying and the old world once new
Now drift all they from view
Once romantic were they the warmth of their touch
We waltzed in the wonders of winter's affair

Yet no longer are the days most rare
The sun is cold upon my skin
The wintered wind that brushes in
Chills to the bone

And I all alone
Must endure this eerie silence

Who can know the heart that softly beats
The hunger and the pain
The moments that remain
Scars that sear with every tear

How long the waiting
For what may yet come again
Is this the end of things
Or the beginning

Of once known now ending
Could hope yet be
Waiting in wonder
Just beyond the dusk and thunder

If only the chill
Would warm again
The rain would cleanse
And find thy fondest friends

Oh days without number
In a world of wonder
Where all is made new
When things come steadily into view

Perchance the pain
Is on the path
That leads to pleasure
That which is found in thy greatest treasure
Of wonders without measure
When all things pass away
Into the dismal gray
And light and life anew
Shine through the morning dew

-Joshua Lee Foist


*Inspire in part from Philip Glass's Violin Concerto

To this unbridled bliss I do depart

To this unbridled bliss I do depart
How wondrous thy glorious works of art
Mine eye sits in awe as I gaze
Upon the evening starry host

Of whom shall I boast
Such glory and grandeur behold
And they are of old
Yet thy origin are sure

A mere glimpse of the glory
That lies beyond
Of galaxies unseen
Of beauty beyond compare

For that which awaits
Far beyond one's field of view
In the softness of the morning dew
Or the dawning of the early morn

Thy glory doth adorn
All thy great perfection
Of all thy grand design
A part of which inherit is mine

Yet thine alone the praise
Tis all thy own
And doth in me amaze
A world of wonder

Though men would plunder
Yet, still it cannot lose
Complete its richness
Sweet

For though there is a brokenness
Thy greatest art
Is found in this

Thy own dear son
Who came to earth
In humble birth
His greatest worth

Was found upon a crooked cross
Where all his loss
Our greatest gain
For all who'd call upon his name

Of all the richest glories give
This one alone that we might live
Yet in thy greatest gift doth lie
Thou conquered death it did defy

For King of Kings
Creator lives
And spreads his wings
To heaven brings

His new found lambs
Ne'er lost a'more
Forgiveness found
In faith hath crowned

A life anew
With thee
And true
Forever and beyond
All time

-Joshua Lee Foist

At 28

At 28 the life we wanted
Has it now come
Or gone to late

At 28 the things we tried
The lessons learned
If it should be our fate

At 28 as we look ahead
To the dreams our lifelong have fed
How long must we wait

At 28 what goals shall we set
In a year where shall we be
Will the way be straight

At 28 when all has passed us by
Shall we look back and say
Those days were great

-Joshua Lee Foist

So spit in the face of my savior

So spit in the face of my savior
Is there mercy enough for sinners like me
When all around the demons of darkness surround
The soul that is hid is still hidden in thee

Where ere may I run and hide from thee
Way deep in the darkest pits of the earth
Or high on the hills or mountains above
So great is a saviors love for me

No sinner is safe all are found
Whether repentant or rebel to him
Wide open his arms to welcome them in
What love can pierce the darkest of hearts
What price must be paid that all sinners be saved

Though constantly falling and failing
Oft fleeing the faithful the fleeting
In faith is found a love that abounds
All wounds are healed and sentences repealed 

For few who find such favor in thee 
For those once lost and now found free
Still faltering still failing
Yet grace all prevailing
For love is a river 
That flows from its giver
And cleanses and covers
All scars 

-Joshua Lee Foist

In this my idle obsession

In this my idle obsession
Where all my depression
Wanders its way

Seeking the shadows
To suppress its shape
And hide its terrors
From trespasser’s errors

But wandering eyes
May yet it surprise
Though grand its disguise
Can’t cover its lies

For fear may yet scare
One out of despair
If cornered out
Into the open air

In time may come to rest at last
Yet, gentle the touch of healing hands
Must comfort and coax it
Through the shifting sands

For time is a rough
Wave of contention
That carries us on
Its careless suspension

-Joshua Lee Foist

We are a cluster of complicated circles

We are a cluster of complicated circles
Surrounding ourselves in our own
Systems of symmetry

We are a façade of friendships formed
Of fascinating phrases with little
Function of fellowship

Our associations of our own choosing
Excluding others while errantly unaware
Engaging in our own attractions
While all surrounding factions
Function in form
With little to no interest
Of inclusion adorned
In the grand illusion

When for all its worth
Is lost in its own isolation
For this its common
Association

Where once might have been
A common kin
Where once could be
A community of three

Now is one secluded
And uprooted from the rest
Still their unsuspecting jest
Remains repressed

Oh for the skill of observation
Of open eyes and wild imagination
Where all were welcome
As they come

With arms outstretched
To everyone
For all engaged
In a single proclamation
That all may come
And join as one

-Joshua Lee Foist

Thy secret is found in thy savior bound

Thy secret is found in thy savior bound
From where all life that lingers
Still within, endures all doubt
And sin

Though the sycophant of sin
Doth suck the life within
That life which remains
Restores thy every breath

The battle which rages
For seemlingly endless of days
Will once and for all
Come to an end

When all is made right
In the great architect’s
Delight

Though the darkness
And doubt that drag thee about
Ne’er yet seems to conquer

Lift thy head
And see in light
The hand that pulls
Thee through thy plight
Through all the darkest
Depths of night

For hope remains
Within the veins
For His blood
Tis the only life
That remains

To fill and breathe
Life into thy
Near corpselike
Form

And carry thee
Onward
And out of
The storm

-Joshua Lee Foist

On days of dreamy eyed wonder

On days of dreamy eyed wonder
My heart tends to ponder
Where or when or if twould be
A moment of serenity

And then maybe
Once more
To wait and see

When moments of time
Seem so fleeting
For all the while
These thoughts repeating

Wishing, hoping, praying
Yet still, this uncertain bliss
How long, if ever twill come

The mind that's fixed
Grows numb with its fever
Toiling at times

In trial there's triumph
Yet tossed by the winds
That carry this curse

Where shall it lead
For whom, for what
For all of life's
Imagining

Seems distant and cold
Lost in this old
Memory of youth

Yet trial is its proof
Its test by which
To teach the best

Still uncertain
And unsettled
It all seems

Simple to say
And less to
Pray

Earnestly hoping
Crying out
Wordless requests
Comforted, clinging
To broken shards
Of the soul

Trusting though tried
Confident yet
For all this war inside

Yet still, yet still
A wonder, a thrill
A power beyond

Lies within
It reasons
With wisdom
Of worlds unknown

Yet conquers the doubt
That plagues one about
And fills with assurance

In faith renewed
Its promises proved
Assurance in hope
Of the future ahead

No matter the fear
Of what seems as strange
There's a comfort
Bears deeper
Than the bone

Its proof is shown
Through deeds
Made known

That all may taste
And see
This glorious
Victory

-Joshua Lee Foist

There is a beauty beneath the bud

There is a beauty beneath the bud
That bears deep beneath
The bitterness and dread

It longs to soar
From this canopy of waiting
Where desire is a fire

Unquenched it remains
In the belly of hunger pains
For longing and learning

Brings substance that's discerning
Tis bounty to behold
Beneath the manifold

Yet there lies a beauty unbridled
Brandishing its best
Till that day twill it be blessed

A blossoming bouquet
Shall be its sweet array
As it welcomes in the day

Of a bright beginning
That's boundless and free
For one privileged to enter
This grand mystery

For time hath taught
The wisdom it hath brought
Though tempted and tried

Its true love ne'er denied
For though in its heart
Desired to depart

A deeper yearning
Twas ere yet burning
Begging its allegiance

No matter the cost
For the price though great
Was more than worth
The wait

-Joshua Lee Foist

But of future things who can know

But of future things who can know
Where the sun will rise
Or the wind begin to blow

Tomorrow yet near at hand
Still the same
Remains unplanned

Desires of the heart
Begin to play their part
But the choice remains ahead

Still farther yet
The unknown is a terror
For one without control

Like tumbling blindly
Down a twisting and turning
Tunnel

Never quite knowing
Where it will lead
Or when shall it end

That which is just out of hand
Is far more greater
Than the hopes of what we'd planned

For only the author
Of life itself
Has all of life

Awaiting on a shelf
Set aside
For its proper use

For here we are
Waiting
With eager anticipation

Uncertain
Of our future
Destination

Tis faith
And truth
Of which tis bound

That holds us here
In the moment of our gaze
Waiting upon a prayer

Longing for
That unexpected
Pathway

Or unchanced meeting
To bring forth
The rest of life

In this heart beating
Tis still time
Ahead and yearning

Longing to be fed
On drops of dreams
Unsaid

For all our joys
And wonders
Of tomorrow

Borrow from the best
Who knows the rest
And where shall be

Eternity just ahead
Past the daisies and desires
Of untrodden trails

Leading ever onward
Toward the pathway of life
Where all worry and strife

Shall cease
When at last have come we
To the garden of peace

-Joshua Lee Foist

Twas of tea and serendipity

Twas of tea and serendipity
That bore the collaboration
Of these conspiring artists

While still the water was pouring
Out of the pot
This newfound friendship was formed

The future was bound to be bright
Upon this chance encounter
In time was sure
Something good would come

For only such unplanned occasions
Bring such grand associations as these
When none are sought
The rest are blessed
By the bounties that are brought
In this grand composition

-Joshua Lee Foist

The World Beyond the Looking Glass

At times I see it, like a light streaking cross my window
Still I gaze, out into the bleak darkness
Straining yet to see, a glimpse of this mere mystery

An illusion of the mind, or something beyond
From where or when, I can't begin to understand
Yet there it grazes past me once more
Flick'ring just a bit longer than before

This time I can't ignore
There is something edging beyond my door
An existence beyond a dream
Something within a world unseen

Cannot explain the world that lies beyond this window pane
Tis a memory, or so it feels, of a place once known
Of a time, where things once grew
Where all was in view

The world was new, untouched as the morning dew
No darkness had come to subdue this innocence
Yet now from my room, a distance between
The day and the night

The demons of darkness afright by the wondrous
Luminous light of the morn
Cast out from its wonder
Never to plunder

Yet still I gaze through the mist and haze
Straining to see the world that lies beyond me
A place of once I knew
Before me

Perchance again
Twill carry me across
The world that lies
Beyond the looking glass

Where all things are new
The breath of life is pure
Unstrained

No toil or pain
For all remain
Glistening
In the glorious light
Of the sun

-Joshua Lee Foist

Tis Times Like These That Try One's Patience

Tis times like these that try one's patience
When the many trivialities of life seem to be on the rise
Surely all is not as it ought to be
Yet in such moments one finds all passions for protest declined

What strength is there found in this
When all efforts are futile and foolish
The inopportunity causes a void within
To pause and consider the interests of men

Yea many are self-conceited and vain
And have little if nothing to gain
For pride is a fortified city of trust
Built by its own ambitions and wills

Yet for all its thrills
Once offered then
Canst hide itself from
Its arrogant sin

For trust in oneself
Becomes one's undoing
If all its pursuing
Is only itself

And when that must cease
At last shall come peace
Yet not without a cost
And a sacrifice made

For humility must come
If anything is to be done
There's hope still in view
If this fragile soul would
But gain a clue

For all is not made
By one's own hands
But by one who formed them
For His own plans

And wise is the man
Who knows it when young
For time hath a way
Of making one dumb

-Joshua Lee Foist

Of these unpleasant days

Of these unpleasant days
When ill forgotten thoughts
Come to graze

Twas once far off
And lost at sea
In a world
Of my own imagining

Yet the ache of life
At last reborn
The scorn within
My head adorn

This sin and shame
I bear once more
The youth of me
Again returns

And hearts that yearn
To be as then
Now fixed as now
In this forgotten place

A dream a dream
Twas once of thee
Of beauty and serenity
When hope did long

Upon thy every song
Where poems did lie
Of thy one desire

Retire the thoughts
Of yesteryear
To fear they may
Ne'er come again

Why waste this life
On broken dreams
Should cast them from
Thy idle mind

And find thy faith
Amidst thy fallen way
May come today
May come awhile yet still

Though all the thrill
Has fled and gone
Still look upon

The endless pool
The mind a fool
Did torture and rule

No more shall be
Cast doubt and fear
And all despair

For one is there
Who knows all pain
Hath bore it too
And more than you

Shall carry thee
Thine own
Depravity

Into that all forsaken land
And pull thee through
To wonders thee never knew

A world of hope
That lies ahead
That trusts

Thy tender touch
Doth comfort all
From sorrows great
And small

-Joshua Lee Foist

There are but days

There are but days
To throw this mad facade
Away twould be yet still
A pleasant mystery

If to be gone
From this great old world
Where tomorrows never done
For the days are but begun

Truth reveals the lies
That oft hide between the eyes
And show them for who
The me and you really are

So cast away
This shooting star
To shine down upon
The earth afar

Below shall we yet know
There is a light
That shines
Across the darkened night

Oh to but sing
Of thy joys shall bring
When all is as it truly
Should be

Shall see shall see
We when gone the worries
From them shall flee

And fade from our view
When just a world
Of you

All bright and new
This glorious
Road ahead

The path untread
Of where we'll be
Eternity

And most grand
Twill be
In thy long lost
Love

At rest and peace
From all strife and shame
When at last shall welcome us
By name

-Joshua Lee Foist

I'm caught tween the crossroads of faith and desire

I'm caught tween the crossroads of faith and desire
My heart's on a wire
Which way should I choose
Where winds often blow
Or walk straight ahead 
Trusting this fine line of faith 
Will hold to the end 

The chasm is far
The way it is long
Far have I travelled
Yet much farther ahead

Oft are there days and nights that I wish
Twould glory yet take
And rush me away

Yet steady still steady
On must I go
Though faltering and failing
Barely prevailing
While hoping and praying
Twill make it 
Yet still

For oft in doubt
One hope is sure
My guide before me
Ere going the way
Steady and sure
His way it is pure 

Still my heart
Doth wander
From one to another
My dreams and desires
Divided within

For a love or a friend
To be faithful and true
Though tried and tempted
Oft as I do
I hope still hope
For one day
You

For deep in my soul
I know it is true
A dream a desire
To one day retire

To rest from this work
To cease from this toil
Where rivers are wide
And mountains for miles
Home lies beyond
The pastures and plains

The seasons remain
All pleasant
And full

So rich are their bounties
That blossom and bloom
A world without end
A garden of rest

-Joshua Lee Foist

When all such earthly treasures shall cease

When all such earthly treasures shall cease
Let this callous heart rejoice
For all such sorrows soon shall end
Yea leave them by the river bend

For all thy work and breath do bear
The blame of thine own selfish gain
So cast it to the farthest shore
Come kneel before thy blessed king

For in his eyes
Holds everything
For all tomorrow's days to come
Knows he every one

For he hath formed them
By his own hand
And hath restored
That which once
Had fled

And now by him
Once dead
Now alive forevermore
And surely shall remain

He who bore the pain
And bore the loss
Of his own son
Hath come hath come
To give life to everyone

That they may cast all earthy things aside
And in him always only abide

-Joshua Lee Foist

There are days as these

There are days as these
Where all the world around
Seems but a distant tune
Echoing oft and far
From this mind of me

The voices trail in and out
But I hear little of what they talk about
How much is really seen or heard

Do they know the word
On which my tongue is pressed
Is it clear or far from them
As they are from me

So oft I seem but lost in this haze
Where moments of time
Turn to endless days

When shall it cease
When shall it cease
When shall come
That pleasant peace

All seems quiet
And distant here
A world in all of disconnect
And I am one
A part of it

So what now
Shall come of this
When to return
And what to discern
In this

Perchance all of life
Tis lost in momentry bliss
All is lost and all is gained

For that which remains
Is true is pure
But only to be sure
Only to be

To be as one
Caught in the rays of sun
Full and bright
To only and always
Walk in its light
Till ere the waking day

-Joshua Lee Foist

Canst look I beyond the quickening ray of light

Canst look I beyond the quickening ray of light
That for which awaken me from dark of night
To that which once seemed tis gone
Lost somewhere amidst the wrong and right

All cannot be seen so clearly
For that which is in plain sight
Oft eludeth me, so oft eludeth me

My mind is twisted in itself
Conjured in its own imaginings
For happy meetings and bitter betrayals

Yea still love prevails
Still love avails much
In a heart that trusts
That hopes one day

What may yet lie ahead
Cannot be fed by sorrow and dread
Still hope ahead is rooted sure

In a heart that pure and true
Longing always and only for you
What ere the day may bring
What ere the night should sing

This one thing, this one thing remains
Faith, Hope, and Love
And longing for Thee above

-Joshua Lee Foist

On this thy last day spent

On this thy last day spent
While early morning hours fall
For all the days yet past
All seem they an endless haze

Thy troubles often torn
Within thy broken heart adorn
All is not forgot in this
Some may steal thee with a silent kiss

Yet, through the fog of woe
Look I, out amidst the darkened sky
Still hope lies within the heart
For know I the creator of thy art

Thy passioned poisoned mind
No greater death than this may find
Yet do not seek thy comfort in the crumbled clay
Let the spirit guide and form thy favored art inside

Creation is his prize and looks on he
With jealous eyes
On all they who would despise
And steal away thy purity

Despair not in what thee cannot find
For loves a greater here than humankind
Tis true and faithful still
Though all the world should strip it of its worth

The truth for all despise
Cannot be unchanged
For a mind deranged
Could not its wonders know

Its beauty grows richer day by day
While all the while is counterfeit decays
Till all at last thy chosen few
Shall see it full in plain view

And then for all its treasures bound
Unleashed to torture and to cleanse
All enemies and new found friends

-Joshua Lee Foist

All the world is changing

All the world is changing
Yet here I remain
Standing still

All former acquaintances
Scurrying
Yet here I stand idle and worrying

Darkness surrounds me
All shadows in light
I yearn for the night

Joys slow
And come
More quickly they
Go

What fair for dreams
So on they
Are slipping away

Slipping away
While doubts
Come to play

Stealing the warmth
That once came
In the day

Wintersome sprung
And chilled in its way
Come scattered and battered
And blown thee away

What may come
Of this humdrum affair
A day a year
For what should I care

But here to glance
In romance
Through a dusty old
Looking glass

For all that these trials
And toils have taught
Is ere there a moment
Or season of bliss

A moment in time of this
Shall I miss

Twas ere there a time
All the world did seem mine

Yet there goes my heart
For no skill do I art

For know I the part
And well do I

Yet lack I the skill
To testify

All seems distant
And dreary of late

Canst find the reason
The reason to state

So sit I here
Without a blink
Just a stare

And look out into nowhere
Nowhere at all

-Joshua Lee Foist

For now the future ahead I fear

For now the future ahead I fear
Where might I be in scarce a year
A day, an hour, so soon
My thoughts steer sour

That which oft unknown
Holds a power unshown
For it holds back from us
That which we can control

We long to know all that we can
To plan all that we plan
For yesterday's blunders known
Perchance tomorrows wonders
Sewn by our own hand

Could we not find some joy
In that for which we had a hand

Sadly think I canst ever be
For the truth of which I see
Doth show that all we wrought
Tis woe

For we canst know all there is to know
For we have not the wisdom
To wield such works of art
Tis not our part to play

And yet still the wonder of it lingers there
Within our very souls
We have the will without control
Our purpose is known

Though its mere reflection tis shown
For we are feeble and frail
And canst begin to carry the burden
Of all we know

Tis our guide in whom we must confide
In him we hide our sorrow our pride
All that comes between us
Whether good or otherwise

And with such aid
Can we look to that which
Has yet to be made

And no longer fear that of which
Once were we much so afraid
For fear oft comes
By that which experience
Doth lack

Save for our friend
Who knows both beginning and end
We can most assuredly be
Confident in that which is
Yet to come

And this path ahead
For him already hath tread
Hath paid the toll
Of which our very soul
Doth cost

And for that price
All future things are sure

So fear not
That which lies ahead
If thee but walk
The path of him
Who paved it
Pebble by pebble

-Joshua Lee Foist

On going back

There are these days
Of which I oft wonder
I reflect on times past
On days without number

Would things have changed
I wonder
If things had been different
If certain meetings missed
What should be replaced

A lifetime to imagine
If things had been
That are not now
Again

Yet toiled though I may
With such thoughts of dismay
I can't but help to think
It's all part of a far greater plan

One of which I can scarcely see
Or understand
Each moment whether good or ill
Remains yet still
A piece in the puzzle
Of that grander design

For moments unchanged
Through joys and sorrows
Change they the tomorrows
Of which we know today

The lessons then learned
Ne'er prolonged
Beyond their perfect place

Each trial and test
Passes through the flame
It remains
Though marred by its memory

Yet still it guides
The course of things
Still to come

May they teach
That of which
Naivete did not know

And then depart from all
To let it go
Out into the world
And chart a new course

For time may tell the tale
Of all those who prevail
Through the trough times
The tumbles and torrents

The wisdom of which
Doth teach to each
That narrow path
Which leads to understanding

For in its knowledge
Finds one some strength
And courage to combat
All that may to it
Yet come

-Joshua Lee Foist

I near had lost my way

I near had lost my way
As slowly saw my idols crumble
to dust and clay
Alas that was but yesterday

Spring had come
For but a brief flutter
Then flurried away
Amidst the wind and rain

The cold and icy chill
Didst knock the thrill of it
from me

Indeed my heart sank for awhile
The wonder the imagining
All forgot all turned from me
And caught in the winds of winter's misery

I heard the cold wind cry out in the night
As the sleet and snow took flight
Yet somehow in their eerie cry
Heard I something far distant still

Twas familiar yet hard to place
It carried with it a tender grace
And then began I to once more remember
That voice so fond of which I oft longed to hear

Hope in all its haunting
Had wandered in and found me
wanting
My joys and follies all once employed
Now cast from me for all annoyed

Yet in this single note didst I
Find all I'd lost and wanted most
For here had all of life began
Yes here where none could fear or trap

So free and rich and full of grace
Still wonder within wonder
Twas all embrace

And soon I learned of all my heart
So long had spurned
Yet deeper and deeper still
Had burned and yearned
And longed to fill

All and nothing else
Could so satisfy
Surrendered my soul
To its full control
And satisfied all longings
In the deepest part

And when at last my breath regained
Once more began to see the life beyond the mystery
For there once lost had now been found
Twas love in all its richest and fullest displays
For in it was found all forgiveness
All hope, all joy in part
For here had found
The deepest longings of the heart

And perfect was it
Unlike its earthly perversion known
For here in all its splendor and beauty full grown
was found
And completely and wonderfully did it abound

-Joshua Lee Foist

Upon this open plane

Upon this open plane
Out into that field of dreams
Lies all possibility
And hope of that which could be

The greatest of all expectations
Will surely be beyond
All wonder and imagination

At times the sheer thought of it:
Anything - anything at all
The future though yet uncertain
Has a certain thrill about it
For by this time next
When we are here
Who knows what shall await us
But perhaps the greatest desire of all
For all our longings, trials, and tears
To at last have found
That which all our lifelong hath sought

Indeed, so breathless, boundless, and free
Shall we at once be
To walk in that light
Through that narrow corridor
Where all dreams imagined
Shall be fulfilled

When wonder of wonders
Is here and now
Shall we bow
Before such magnificence
For here at last
Are we and home

-Joshua Lee Foist