City of Darkness — A Lament for Innocence

Introduction

At this point in our journey, our traveler has come to a city. This city was once bright and beautiful, but the traveler has discovered it is now full of darkness. Unlike the pervious parts of A Winding Road, the City of Darkness is free verse. This means there is no special attention to meter or rhyme. Instead, focus on imagery and emotion. There are many scriptural inspirations present, including Lamentations, Psalms 23, Matthew 6, Revelation 17, and more. I encourage you to spend time meditating on these scriptures along with this verse. See if you can discover more biblical references. Use this as a catalyst to read God’s word.

City of Darkness

Once a great city, a light on a hill,
but the light in my heart is darkness.
Oh, how great the darkness!
Now I have plunged into the valley of death.

Young children cry in the streets,
searching to satisfy the hunger of their hearts.
Oh, child, where is your mother?
Oh, child, where is your father?

A city once called wonderful and kind,
now ravaged by the prostitute
and the beast which perverts her.

But, in the midst of my despair,
I hear a still small voice cry out,
“great is thy faithfulness,
His mercies are new every morning.”

Lifting my gaze to heaven,
something like scales falls from my eyes.
As the darkness fades, I see the Light.

Standing next to me is the Shepherd,
always by my side through the darkest valleys,
even when I could not see.

With his rod He vanquishes the darkness,
and with his staff, he comforts me.
For though I may not see it,
I never walk alone.

Wrap-up

If you read the previous parts to A Winding Road, you may be thinking, “The traveler was so full of hope. How could they suddenly feel so much despair?”