Canst here remain

Canst here remain
Within my pain
For downward
Drains the life
From me

Once shed all sins
And sorrows known
Then come thee
Come home

For sorrows
Need not all
Thy days

There is
Still dawn
Delight
Of days

For fill thy eyes
With wondrous
Surprise

And draw thee in
Thy comfort
Again

So long all fear
Hath plagued
Thee here

And here
Abide
In love
Do hide

How warm thy touch
And full thy joy
For long our hearts
Have longed for thee

-Joshua Lee Foist

Oh joyous glance of once romance

Oh joyous glance of once romance
Thine eyes did dance awhile
Yet here beguile of once
No more

Now do abhor
That once had been
This jaded hope
Hath come and gone

As poison fills the veins
Thine eyes doth pierce
And boil the blood

Of once thought love
Where now art thou
Must scarce admire
For fear desire

Should draw us in
Yet ne'er again
Canst bear the shame
That without name

Doth blacken hearts
And chill the bone
Till once more are we
Alone

No more shall we
Drink deep of thee
Thy cup too full
Duplicity

So to the depths
Of darkness deep
Where to our souls
Do long to creep

When ere the sun
Hath set
Embrace the night
Its cool delight

-Joshua Lee Foist


 

The tree is cut

The tree is cut
Its roots remain
And deep the scars
They bare below

The past a haunt
Of rival affairs
When once were we
And ne'er to be

So flee desires
Of idle youth
Thy foolish ploys
Are all but proof

Yet if lessons learned
And wrongs be spurned
That souls may rise again

From deep the pit
To shed the doubt
And fears let fall

May ere the light return
To warm one's heart again
While isolation's poison
Lingers yet

May suck the wound
And revive the blood
Let beat the heart
The breath of life

Thy ways be full
And fill that which
Long so long
Twas dull

That joy may find
While still
The days
Are we

-Joshua Lee Foist

Onward and upward is the ever increasing climb

Onward and upward is the ever increasing climb
Oft though my heart fears it may ne'er rise again
Crawling and falling yet always ahead
For there lies the goal by which all hope is fed

Yet still the toil doth take its toll
And oft this soul doth long to lose control
To fly and fall into oblivion
To relinquish the ground that's gained

Still this deepest desire
Doth oft it require
To press on through
The muck and mire

Though the soul doth tire
Still a steady pace
Shall find us
Face to face

When strength shall cease
In thee release
Our burdens bear
Your strength
Our peace

Our breath restore
Once more
Ahead
And onward
Tread

For all our hopes
Are pressed in thee
Who gives us strength
Beyond

And faith
When all our sight
Is gone
Till dawn shall break
Our eyes awake

-Joshua Lee Foist

On days like these where doubts creep in

On days like these where doubts creep in
And all such dreams seem as ordinary things
To ponder in the silence and stillness
Where might it all go

This day this single stroke of time
Where seconds seem centuries
Surely someday shall cease
Yet still there is some release

Between the burden and the barrier
Lies a peaceful meadow
Where troubles are tossed
And the hours are lost

The dreams of once we knew
For a short while
Seem just in view

Yet there is a pain
That still doth remain
It wakes me from my
Slumber to the toilsome
Days without number

How long must it be
Shall we ere again
To the sea

Where might we be tossed
In the currents we be lost
And found upon the shore
Where our sorrows no more
Shall pass through
That open door

The desert drains
The little that remains
The sweat seems
Our only respite

But there is a hope in me
Beyond all certainty
For that which scarce
Can be seen

Where shadows had been
Now light shines in
Where darkness had drifted
Daylight hath dawned

Tis not always
Shall we season here
Yea in time

We shall drink thy joys divine
When at last these trials cease
And at journeys end find we
Our long lost peace

-Joshua Lee Foist

For all thy journeys yet departed

For all thy journeys yet departed
Of worlds and wonders yet uncharted
Through all the ages
Shall thee guide

When pathways grow narrow
And pathways grow wide
Doth bridge the great divide
And carry us

Thy way unknown
The pathway yet shown
Still faithful
Thy guide

When all such companions
May ere depart
Steadfast and near
Thy heart

When shadows surround
And darkness enshroud
Thy hand shall hold
Though night grow cold

So steady thy way
From night to day
What ere such trial
Shall carry awhile

Till at last
The fog tis past
And dawn
Doth yawn

Cross the meadowland
And drink its fill
With fire raging thrill

To rise and shine
Upon us still
Thy pathway
Doth light

Through all
Day and night
Shall remain

While still
There is hope
To carry on

Oh sweet companion
So faithful and true
My life this path
Owe I to you

-Joshua Lee Foist

Love of thee I cannot define

Love of thee I cannot define
For all that is thee
Tis not mine

Thy ways so far
From what should be
In me

For all the fathoms
Of follies
Faithful

Amidst the shattered
Pieces scattered about
Thy love doth

Surround and fill
The endless cracks
Of corruption

Nothing can
Overwhelm
Or diminish

Thy love
Conquers
All

When all others
Are quenched
Thy flame

Burns brighter
Through all
Ages

Oh might thy
Flame fill
My heart

May it burn
Deep
And cleanse

The blackness
That so oft
Remains

So depart
Oh shadows
And summon

The light
Which doth
Give life

Oh love
Fill and consume
Weave me

To thy will
That my heart
May ne'er

Depart
From thee
Oh love

Remain always
Within and
Without

That all the world
May see thy fullness
In me

-Joshua Lee Foist

Content my heart

Content my heart
May it ever be
Let not my
Stealing eyes
Wander to
Their own
Demise

The world sits
In pretty lies
Yet shallow
Is their
Silken
Disguise

So look up
And onward
To that which
Lies but just
Ahead

Lift thy gaze
To that which
Is worthy of
Thy praise

For glory awaits
Beyond passing shadows
And foggy eyes
Soon shall see
The light
Beyond
The Mystery

-Joshua Lee Foist

Of this sweet love I can ere attest

Of this sweet love I can ere attest
That my heart to thee shall ever be
Though the days grow dark
And light be hard to find

Thy sunshine shall guide me
Thy way shall warm me
In the wintered wind
Surround me

Thy soft thy sweet delight
Though the fight
Goes on and on
Steadfast my heart

May we as one
And one day be
Despite the storms
May come

Together in
The father's plan
Shall find
The joys of man
Divine

While still the days
Shall linger here
May we grow fond
Of that which lies beyond

Thy mirror reflection
Or thy softest words
Canst ere express

Yet still yet still
Perchance may be
If faithful we
May be

-Joshua Lee Foist

How the weather which rages

How the weather which rages
Within my heart and within my soul
Rages on and on without control

Tossed and lost in the turbulent winds
Whisked away by the strength of its force
Caught and tossed far off course 

Where might the winds take me
From where shall I see the solid ground
All around a rustling within me 

And there is but little calm
With which to wrap me in

The sun that shines
Shines harshly upon me
The dragon exposed 
In its ugly event

If only to calm
This beating heart
If only the soul
Might solace within

To wade in the cool
Clear waters
To roll in the green
Of the grass

Alas if it all
May come
May come
When all Of life
Tis done

-Joshua Lee Foist

Amidst the fog of April

Amidst the fog of April
And 'sending spring
Lies this canopy
Of mist

Mysterious wonder
To where canst
One guess

Beyond the scented dew
Drops the distant day
Lost in the ephemeral
Bliss of things unknown

Where dance we
In thy fleeting
Fragrance

Of dreams
And mystic maze
To settle
Where the winds
May graze

Wet our lips
With wonder
To drink
In thy gaze

And to joy
Thy hanging host
In passing
Makes

The early morn
Awake
Upon
Thy shadowy
Splendor

-Joshua Lee Foist

Steady on oh sweet dove

Steady on oh sweet dove
Steady on oh my love
For farther yet
Are the fragrances above

A wealth of wisdom
Lies open in waiting hours
While folly flourishes
Among eager desires

May thee joy in the rain
And the passing spring
What ere the days may bring

Whether fog
Or favor of
A friend

My love
Thy longing
Must always be
Above

No greater
No richer
Diviner
Than this

Tis rosier
And richer
Than the sweetest
Kiss

Yet seek
With all thy
Heart

And thee shall endure
And in time
May find
A love that's pure

-Joshua Lee Foist

While were we mucking about

While were we mucking about
In the schemes of our own
Found pleasure

Not far off were thee
Hanging upon
The tree

Thy price was payed
While we disdained
In our sins remained

And in the ground
While we lost
Were scattered round

And forth
The day
In victory

That some may come
And follow thee

For once were lost
And found
Are we

By grace
Here found
In Him

Who died
Our death
Deserved
In sin

And bridged
The chasm
Wrought
By men

And brought
Them home
To life
Again

-Joshua Lee Foist

Of foolish follies and mudpies

Of foolish follies and mudpies
Mixed with luscious liesIn petty disguise
On paths of perdition
And endless endeavors of Eager ambition 

When all the while
These halfhearted desires
Like flickering fires 
Must constantly consume
More kindling to endure

When all that's pure
And full of flame
Is cast away
Yet there lies
The source of life

The unquenched flame
That does not flicker 
Or seek some substance
Of which to grow

Tis self sustaining
And always remaining
Here lies the true desire
While men conspire
Its counterfeit 
To have all
And none of it

Still it remains
And in time some
Souls shall claim
Who follow its
Flame

For bright 
The light 
Which burns
Always

Hath borne the earth
And given it birth
And though consuming
Still pursuing

All who may
Come and be
Caught up
In its fury

May cast all worry
When life hath it filled 
Forevermore
Shall never cease
The soul which seeks
Shall find its peace

 -Joshua Lee Foist (Loosely inspired by C. S. Lewis' Weight of Glory)

For words my soul can scarce express

For words my soul can scarce express
Of this my heart must here confess
If none but this than this shall bless
For feeble hands shall fall
What formed tis meaningless

If all such trials
Shall once reveal
For all one's sorrow
At last may steal
When in humbled state
Shall fall to the ground 

To face thy greatest fear
Thy greatest longing
In this belonging
To that which
All of life hath yearned
And now at last
Have learned

-Joshua Lee Foist