Finding Peace

I sought to flee my troubled mind
and bought a jug of vintage wine.
The taste to me was warm and sweet;
I felt a glow from head to feet.
But soon the flush had worn away;
again I faced a gloomy day.

When boredom seemed to settle in,
I went to town to shop again.
I bought a dress, two pairs of shoes,
and thought they would delete the blues.
But when I put them all away,
I faced once more a dreary day.

Down deep within I was so sad;
I felt no reason to be glad.
So I commenced to bake a treat,
all chocolaty and sugar sweet.
But after I consumed my fill,
my melancholy lingered still.

Then suddenly it dawned on me
how far from God I'd come to be.
Alone true peace I'd tried to find
but only found a troubled mind.
How empty was the life I'd led;
though eating much I was not fed.

So I knelt down mid pouring rain
and prayed that God would ease my pain.
I heard a whisper on the wind,
and looking up I found a Friend.
My inner peace now comes from God,
and He has smoothed the road I trod.

Copyright © 1998 Ruth Gillis

"Finding Peace" received a Second Place Award in the
February 1998 issue of The Inspirational Poet.