Jacob’s Ladder

Written by Jack Pontes
Brother Jacob tell me your dreams
The one where you saw; he who redeems
Us from this dust; we call the earth
That same soil where your kindred give birth
To many more dreamers like me and my pen
Who point to the stone where he lay and just then
Proclaim that we’re hopeless to reach this very place
Less we have been blessed as with Jacob’s race
In visions of stairways that also transport
Angels the servants of light back and forth
From the Lord of our hope and desire while here
Spread out to the north and south and near
That cold rock that gave you such rest and repose
From all of your troubles, fiends, and foes
Who make the slab cold and shaped it into
A tool to crush dreams and visions of you
Ascending the ladder all golden and bright
A beacon of light dividing the night
And parting all evil; right from the left
To stand trial for their lies and unthinkable theft
Of souls who sin, but still dream
A life that is lighter than clouds and jet streams
Rising to heaven escaping the dirt
Never to weep or get angry and hurt
Never to stumble, or slip and fall
Down stairways and ladders or anything tall
Enough to see saints and in every part
Holy creation, science, and art
Fused to design just such a means
To escape all our troublesome, tiresome scenes
Devised by us in our sinful desire
To be like gods in houses of fire
With spiral staircases and iron gates
To shun the world and all that he hates
And keep the land which belongs to Him
Who gave it to Jacob and all of his kin
Descendants and I who beg to know
Where is this place that I should go?
To rest my very weary soul
And my head from out its hole

Jack, a Fine Arts teacher for over 15 years, has written 4 musical theatre plays including, ‘Noah and the Ark’ staged in 2007. He has also written many social justice songs such as, ‘Hush Little Baby’, dedicated to the Peshawar Refugee Camp in Pakistan. Jack has also written children’s stories such as, ‘The Dragon Hunter’ which received a stellar review from Canadian novelist Makeda Silvera. Jack has also written many poems and lyric poems including, ‘The Bull Fight’, which was featured on Yahoo Glue and Humboldt, which was published in Raconteur Magazine.

Written by Jack Pontes
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