Leave Your Troubles

Another sleepless night, I fear

Of restless, wistful yawns.

Sleep evades me once again,

And soon the new day dawns.

The day that was had lingered so

I could not leave behind.

The cares and burdens it had held

Still weighed upon my mind.

With the setting of the sun,

My soul cried out for rest!

And though my body didst agree,

My mind would get the best

Of me and keep me up this night

While others drift away

To be refreshed, recharged, renewed;

But me, I had to stay.

And so all night I wondered why

I could not join that band,

That blessed troop that occupied

Sweet never-never land.

My eyes would burn but never shut,

So full of sand and fire.

Try as I might to slow it down,

My mind just wouldn't tire!

Whizzing, whirring, overloaded

From a day of care-

The topsy-turvy pace it kept

Belied my frozen stare.

Behind dull eyes, my brain's aglow

With worry, woe, and thought.

And deeper into night I drift,

While not a "ZZZZZ" I've caught.

But then I realized the thing

That I should have before-

The reason that I cannot rest

And slumber, sleep and snore-

I've carried burdens all day long,

Borne sorrows, pain, attacks.

The worries of the world had weighed

And bent and bowed my back.

I hurried through and did not take

The time to shed my load.

I should have left that heavy weight

Along life's busy road.

That road we all must travel as

We make our way through life.

The road that takes its twists and turns

Through sorrow, pain, and strife.

The road that brings us down dark trails

Of danger and despair,

O'er faulty footholds, unsure paths

That seem to go nowhere.

Beside this road each day we stop

To rest and catch our breath-

Not hurrying to reach its end,

For we know that it holds death.

But on our way we sometimes find

Redemption, mirth, and grace.

And with these helps we soldier on

To find a better place.

Then as each day draws to a close,

Night signals to us, "Sleep.

Lay down your burdens and your cares,

These through the night can't keep."

We must let go and on the morrow

Wake to find again.

But oft they seem to disappear

As though they hadn't been.

Sometimes we find them on our way,

And with them we contend.

Another day we carry on

New daylight hours to spend.

Toiling under strain and stress-

Something we all must do-

Working in the noon-time sun

Until the day is through.

Leave the troubles of the old day

In the setting sun.

Maybe in the morn discover

All of them are gone!

Maybe some are waiting right beside

Your chosen way.

Not to worry though, dear friend,

You only carry them one day!