by Caroline Allen

Present
As decades stretch beyond these sunset shores,
The greatest mercy is in living bound
By present where all freedom’s force is found.
Cascading choices open secret doors.

Our fates are hidden in the here and now,
Obscured in smallness as sand is in grains.
This life on earth is but our growing pains.
We work and rest secure, held by God’s vow.

I cannot change except as I am changed
By One eternal Who sees from the end,
And calls this daily traitor His dear friend.
I live in faith that all will be arranged.

Future
The precipice, a leaf poised to descend
Is spurred on by the wind and dares to fall.
Is this the greatest mercy of them all?
Capacity to change? Starts formed from ends?

New jobs and homes, routines must be regrown
In altered states. Is this a long goodbye:
A two weeks’ notice that soon passes by?
The forked road ends the path I’ve now outgrown.

If shooting rootlets reach beyond their pots
And goldfish only grow when given space,
What differentiates the human race?
Just mankind has free will to shape their lots.

Past
I hesitate to look into the past,
A history so brief yet etched in scars,
Though scars are signs of healing what was marred,
And transformation happens that can last.

These retroactive instances of grace 
All celebrate the conquest of “too late”,
As Boundless Love unbinds us from our fate,
Transcribing scars of love for us to trace.

We learn to read the Book of Life through life
That’s grounded in the ground that holds the seed
Of Life Himself who teaches us His creed.
The greatest mercies often stem from strife.

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Caroline Allen is from Raleigh, NC. She is an avid reader and finds writing and collage creative outlets for expressing and experiencing faith. Her work is published in Ekstasis Magazine, Poetry for Mental Health, and Solid Food Press. Her day job is working in administration and conference management at the University of North Carolina.