Views of Life

Here is part one of a three part poem by my great grandfather L.J. Schlattman, from his book of poetry "Gleanings from Life".


Views of Life

Scene I. -Without God

In my chamber, drab and dreary,
Silent hour of darkest night,
I am sitting sad and weary,
Ghostly visions haunt my sight;
In a panoramic picture,
Human life unfolds to me,
And the sham of all its glitter,
All its vanity I see.

Borrowed virtue falls to pieces,
Shows the hypocrite beneath;
Fellowship and friendship ceases,
Snarls and bites with selfish teeth;
Truth and justice are but covers
To deceive our fellow man;
Underneath them ever hovers
Greed, to "bilk then, if you can."

Shattered idols, broken pledges,
Blunt the edge of love and trust;
Deceit with its ragged edges,
Leaves faith grov'ling in the dust;
Unrequited love breeds hatred,
Betrayed trust stabs like a knife;
Mistrust, distrust, unabated,
Makes a hell of human life.

Crime and murder fill the pages
Of our records every day,
And the curse of sin's dread wages,
Haunts my vision all the way;
Urge of lust and rounds of pleasure,
Ergo: Grief, regret and pain;
Days of fun and sport and leisure,
Ergo: Poverty's hard chain.

Fear of death, of pain, disaster,
Haunts our vision every day;
Destiny, the cruel master,
Leads us shivering on the way;
Oh, the weight of life is galling,
Oh, for rest beneath the sod,
Ah, but death is so appalling,
Without hope and without God!

Woe is me, I view with horror,
Wage of sin's chastening rod,
Bringing death, distress and sorrow,
To a world without a God;
All a jumble, all so dreary,
Answer me, whoever can,
For my soul is sad and weary,
Where is God? What is His plan?


(stay tuned for Scene II)