I once did pack my bags and sally forth When I sought solitude and tranquility. I said, “I’ll sail up some inlet to the north.” I up-anchored and shouted excitedly, “The North! The North!”
Past many treacherous shoals, rocks and isles, I sailed in unquiet peace or fearful calm. Then up some wild, grand inlet for many miles, And I heard the forests sing their lilting psalm, “The Wild! The Wild!”
Through the virescent water I did glide Until faced with a wondrous waterfall That fell like diamonds into an emerald tide. Sharp, superior, commanding was its call, “Look up! Look up!”
And as my eyes climbed the towering rampart
Of snow-capped crags which stood proud as lofty kings,
I stood like mist in the wind, awe in my heart.
Moved are the eyes and the soul that softly sings,
“Praise God! Praise God!”
Originally appeared in Shadows by Moonlight: An Anthology of Verse from Young Canadians.
Barnabas Ney fell in love with poetry at the age of 11 through a school assignment. He had ten poems published in Canadian anthologies of verse and won several national prizes for his age category. Now, at twenty-three with an MA in Economic Policy from McMaster University, he desires to share his love for God though all things beautiful and especially through poetry.