{"id":23,"date":"2020-06-07T19:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-06-07T23:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lydiaink.com\/?p=23"},"modified":"2026-10-15T20:43:37","modified_gmt":"2026-10-16T00:43:37","slug":"these-servant-of-god-days-poetry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lydiaink.com\/index.php\/2020\/06\/07\/these-servant-of-god-days-poetry\/","title":{"rendered":"My Job Days"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span class=\"\" data-report=\"passive\" data-suggestions=\"\" data-index=\"1\" data-category=\"hiddenverb\" data-sub-category=\"The servant of\" data-urls=\"\" data-help=\"\" data-original-text=\"The servant of\" data-tag-id=\"77501e72-e0a4-4391-9480-f527c7a7da65\" data-x-title=\"Possible hidden verb: Try exposing the verb by using serve, act, work\"><span class=\"pwa pwa2\" data-report=\"passive\" data-suggestions=\"\" data-index=\"3\" data-category=\"repeatedstart\" data-sub-category=\"The\" data-urls=\"\" data-help=\"\" data-original-text=\"The\" data-tag-id=\"0be06a94-2dc6-4198-91ff-bd54b8e20f45\" data-x-title=\"You have started 3 sentences in a row with the same word. This can lead to boring writing. We suggest that you restructure your sentences to make them more engaging.\">Servant <\/span><\/span><span class=\"\" data-report=\"passive\" data-suggestions=\"\" data-index=\"1\" data-category=\"hiddenverb\" data-sub-category=\"The servant of\" data-urls=\"\" data-help=\"\" data-original-text=\"The servant of\" data-tag-id=\"77501e72-e0a4-4391-9480-f527c7a7da65\" data-x-title=\"Possible hidden verb: Try exposing the verb by using serve, act, work\">of<\/span> God \u2013 Job.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span class=\"pwa pwa2\" data-report=\"passive\" data-suggestions=\"\" data-index=\"4\" data-category=\"repeatedstart\" data-sub-category=\"The\" data-urls=\"\" data-help=\"\" data-original-text=\"The\" data-tag-id=\"5e6b50c7-25f7-4862-ac60-7a1f72cf3e2d\" data-x-title=\"You have started 3 sentences in a row with the same word. This can lead to boring writing. We suggest that you restructure your sentences to make them more engaging.\">The<\/span> life of the servant restored \u2013<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">His curse lifted,<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Life after his trials, blessed.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But did he never have a dark moment after?<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Did he wake in the middle of the night,<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Remembering the silence of his friends<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And then their accusations?<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Did he feel the heat and ease of his wife\u2019s body<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Next to him and then remember her words<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cTurn and Die\u201d?<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">These are my Job days.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Twenty-first century Job days.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The intolerant man at the library.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">My frightened son.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A new passion encumbered by suspicion<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Neither one of us deserves.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Is the outstretched hand just another prison?<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">These are my Job days,<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">My memory lesson days.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">God has arrived and the whirlwind has subsided.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The graves have sunk to level ground<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The children play not far afield.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I smile, I laugh, I learn and teach,<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But wonder did Job ever stop to pause, as I do,<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Over bright meadows, golden harvests, and<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Soft cold winter nights, colder now somehow.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Did Job long for the soft touch of rest and repose and<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Stare into darkness instead?<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Did he scrape the scars of the sores God allowed?<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span class=\"pwa pwa1\" data-report=\"passive\" data-suggestions=\"\" data-index=\"2\" data-category=\"hiddenverb\" data-sub-category=\"Does the servant\" data-urls=\"\" data-help=\"\" data-original-text=\"Does the servant\" data-tag-id=\"85b67312-7b82-499f-ae34-8fe63456c9d6\" data-x-title=\"Possible hidden verb: Try exposing the verb by using serve, act, work\">Does the servant<\/span> never cower now?<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">These are my Job days.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Old enough to let go, endure the ache of regret<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But not old enough to forget.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">God\u2019s quiet voice echoes in my head.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He always answers with a question.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">His favorite, \u201cWere you there?\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For my life?\u00a0 Yes, I was there.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And like Job, no human touch,<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">No smile, no kind expression means sincere connection.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Every man for himself, every fresh looking whore too,<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Every child, every demanding parent, every well meaning<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Friend sinks to memory, a crashing memory of sickness, disease,<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Catastrophe, the blank stare of despondency<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">During these Job days.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As pencil scrapes paper and cadence settles in<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I\u2019m hiding in my car, cold feet, aching hands.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">No leaves on the trees a beautiful blue sky<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">People go by. Did Job have these days?<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Did Job remember his own cry for justice?<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Did the memory of his own staunch defense<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And belief in his innocence weary and slacken his mind?<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What does restored mean?<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That we\u2019ve learned well to handle the emotions and<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Trials of catastrophe, disease, death \u2013<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Yet a slighted touch, a cross word, a moment\u2019s silence<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Too long between lovers,<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Crashes the sky and breaks the heart.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">These are the scars that remain<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And the servant\u2019s heart has yet to forget.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">These are my Job days.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-wordpress wp-block-embed is-type-wp-embed is-provider-factory-theatre\"><\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Did he scrape the scrape of the sores God allowed?<br \/>\nDoes the servant never cower now?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[11,22,34],"class_list":["post-23","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-poetry","tag-amwriting","tag-poetry","tag-sundayread"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"amp_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lydiaink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lydiaink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lydiaink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lydiaink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lydiaink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/lydiaink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2229,"href":"https:\/\/lydiaink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23\/revisions\/2229"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lydiaink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lydiaink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lydiaink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}