If you’ve been following my blog, you know I have been exploring forms of poetry. A lament is one of those, unique more for its content than style.
A lament is an honest reflection or cry of sadness, expressed in a poem or song, or words. Psalms like Psalm 13 and Psalm 22 are good examples of biblical expressions of lament. And the book of Lamentations is dedicated to this form of writing.
I heard an excellent talk by Dr. Gordon Smith recently who articulated that radical hope is born out of sadness and lament. I resonated with that thought.
Here is a lament I wrote… borne out of pain and sadness but fiercely holding on to hope. It is part of being human. The good thing often is that by expressing our sadness, we start to feel better. So here is my lament, a moment in time.
Lament
Depression wraps me
like a cloud
a shroud
I don’t wish to wear.
In the light of June
it is dark
stark
stripped of joy.
Grief writes its own song
It is not wrong
to feel the agony of loss.
I feel it, yet
don’t want to submit
or succumb
to the drudgery of sadness.
I wrap my broken heart
feeling every part
and lift it up
a fragile gift
my broken offering
to the One Who heals,
my hiding place.
June 1 2022
Grace Wulff

A Song of Lament