On Anxiety and Fear

To lead a fearless life would be
A myth, an untruth in the back
Of the subconscious mind, to which
No living soul can comprehend
Or rightly give acceptance to.

A mountain range that twists and turns,
Its peaks ascending higher still,
Like shadows dark that haunt the mind
And weigh it down, until such time
When light of day is gone from view.

O’erpowering, insurmountable,
Those mountains are, so it would seem.
Nothing can tear them from their stance
At the front of the anxious mind,
Immovable and permanent.

An aimless trail, meandering
Within a gorge of sad dark days
Footsteps that wearily trudge the path,
Not knowing where it leads or ends
Go on and on, they know not where.

Along this path, it seems sometimes
A light appears to bring relief
Or so it seems, for quickly now
The towering landscape soon dispels
All hope of seeing light from dark.

It is a mirage of the mind,
A means by which the mind is drawn
To false hope and deliverance,
A trick, in which the mind seems bound
And held in bleak captivity.

From where do these mirages come?
Are they a play upon the fears
In which the mind, engaged it seems
In mental conflict, tries to find
An answer to its parlous state?

Or are they actual shafts of light
Soon blotted out, as if they were
Mere minute chinks of forlorn hope
Trying to pierce an endless tide
Of towering peaks and mental troughs?

Confusion reigns, and yet somehow
The need to journey forward keeps
The mind from thinking darkest thoughts
Which overwhelm and speak dark lies
Of apprehension, fear and dread.

To journey on, continuing
To carry on gives inner strength,
For finite is this earthly trail
And numbered are those towering peaks
When journey’s end shall come at last.

A simple faith and trust in God
In time shall bring its true reward.
To catch a vision, clear and bright
Dispels anxiety and fear
To pave the way for truth and light.

One cannot look towards the skies
For help in time of dreadful need,
Creation by itself brings nought,
For it is but the handiwork
Of God, the all-omnipotent.

Take rest, frail mind, and look to Him
And with His help your strength renew,
One cannot know when journey’s end
Shall come, or what shape it shall take,
Keep clear the mind, make room for God.

For preconceptions and false hopes,
They too must be left far behind.
They are but shadows of the past,
Keep hold of that nail pierc-ed hand
And walk with faith and strength anew.