By the Fingernails, falling into peril.
Doug Blair 1951 (London)
At nightfall the man stumbles off the cliff side and manages to grab some tree roots on the way down.
Holding on for dear life. Sound of booming surf behind and below. Looks like a helpless situation and a fatal fall.
Suddenly he hears a voice say, "Let go of the roots and I will save you." He dismisses the message as a delusion and struggles to hold .
But his hands and shoulders are hurting like hell. He finds himself speaking to the voice, "Prove that you are real and I will let go." The answer, "Nope that's not my way...first you must let go."
Similar exchange goes on for some time and finally the exhausted man releases his grip and falls back and down into the darkness.
Five and a half feet onto a sandy beach! No stones. Moistened.
The Voice from elsewhere just chuckles. Like a loving Dad, watching Junior’s antics.
Obedience to Heaven’s tough calls brings Wisdom. If heard in all earnestness. (Proverbs 8).
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Written on January 27, 2023
Submitted by dougb.21370 on January 27, 2023
Modified by dougb.21370 on January 27, 2023
- 54 sec read
- 4 Views
Quick analysis:
Scheme | X X X X X X X X |
---|---|
Characters | 937 |
Words | 184 |
Stanzas | 8 |
Stanza Lengths | 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1 |
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"By the Fingernails, falling into peril." Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 10 Jun 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/149390/by-the-fingernails,-falling-into-peril.>.
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