Song: They Toil Not, Neither Do They Spin & Other Poetry (Reading)
By David B. Gosselin
Featured in New Lyre Summer 2023
Song: They Toil Not, Neither Do They Spin
They toil not, neither do they spin Mathew 6:28
They toil not, neither
Do they spin, these soulful sprites—
These sweet birds of song.
They toil not, neither
Do they spin, these brave songsters—
These faithful soldiers.
Like wraiths in the day,
Hiding among trembling leaves,
Whispering like wind.
They sing in shadows,
Beneath the delicate blue,
Then flutter away.
They toil not, neither
Do they spin—but freely sing
With cheer and delight.
Their hymns give us pause:
After toiling and spinning,
The silence sweeps in.
What lies in the heart
When the spinning and toiling
Suddenly ceases?
What lies in the heart
When the toiling and spinning
Arrives at its end?
When the silence comes
—the source of all song—what was
Once mute will be heard.
The fear and the joy,
The anger and the sorrow
Take flight like sweet songs.
They toil not, neither
Do they spin, these brave songsters—
These faithful soldiers.
They toil not, neither
Do they spin, these soulful sprites—
These sweet birds of song.
Continue reading “The Man Who Never Cries,” “Sonnet on a Shore,” “Fresh-Picked Roses” and other poetry below.
