No More

By I.M. Ulysses
(originally written in 1996)

I awoke from a dream
That had left me shaken
The screams of the children
Whose lives had been taken

And my heart cried out, No More

I didn't know why
This had transpired
Why God would allow
These lives to expire

And my heart cried out, No More

I wept
Bitterly I cried
Not holding back
The tears in my eyes

And my heart cried out, No More

They were so young
These poor boys and girls
Living their lives
In this evil world

And my heart cried out, No More

In them was joy
And the hope of the living
The warm smiles they shared
Full of life, so giving

And my heart cried out, No More

But they're gone now
And their joy's heard no more
And on the fields where they played
The flowers adorn

And my heart cried out, No More

I shut close my eyes
And asked God in Heaven
What did they do
Why did it happen

And my heart cried out, No More

In silence I waited
And prayed for an answer
For the riddle of death
That brought such disaster

And my heart cried out, No More

But none was forthcoming
Though I prayed many hours
So I railed at the devil
And his demented power

And my heart cried out, No More

It was he who had caused this
Of that I was certain
So I hoped for the day
When he'd face the last curtain

And my heart cried out, No More

At last I retired
My spirit too drained
I had no tears left
To dampen the pain

And my heart cried out, No More

I drifted off
Into a deep sleep
And dreamed of the children
In the Lord's hands for keeps

And my heart cried out, No More

It was then that I heard Him
His voice falling like water
From the River of Life
That comes from the Father

He struck down the serpent
The monster from hell
Whose name is Destruction
The angel that fell

Then I gasped
For I could not believe
As one by one, the children
From death's hands were freed

They sprang from their graves
To their parent's delight
Their sweet little faces
Bathed in sunlight

All around me
The world seemed to glow
Because joy had returned
To the Earth here below

My heart now beat faster
Then it ever did before
As I praised the Lord Jesus
Who has brought them back home

It was then that I realized
Just what had happened
How the tears of their parents
Had turned into gladness

Our Father's not blind
He'd watched evil's head soar
And when He'd seen enough
He cried out....No More... No More...No More

Dedicated to the memory of the children murdered
in Dunblane, Scotland on March 13, 1996.
Alive in our hearts, now and forever.

Promised Land

By I.M. Ulysses

Across the great plains
Through years of despair
We gather our treasures
For the journey to bare

For nine years and twenty
We've been now forlorn
As we looked to the east
Where lies our old home

A cost was required
A price to be paid
Before it arrived
The day God has made

Call forth the Levites
Let the trumpets sound
The Day of our Exdous
Is near to be found

Awaken the dawn
Unlock all the gates
The prison's been breached
By the angels this day

A light in the distance
Our lives to make right
For this day I waited
Throughout my long night

Father, we're coming
Our hearts beating strong
Hoping You'll right
All of those wrongs

This remnant of life
Has been to me charged
And though I am ready
It will still be hard

Please guard my beloved, Lord
When the waters I pass
Baptized by the sorrows
That lie in the past

The old life is ending
A new one awaits
Born by the torments
Which time can't erase

Let freedom's bell ring
Those songs which were sung
By the ancient Israelis
When their voyage begun

A pillar of light
To guide the way through
Speeding our journey
By night and day too

You brought me this far, Lord
Now see the task done
As we raise up your banner
And give praise to the Son

Out of Egypt and Africa
A people you called
And so with us now
When came the last fall

We're homeward bound
To a place left behind
And a life that's worth living
With God's hand in mine

The Exile is over
By the Father's command
And so we are heading
To our Promised Land

My Woman's Heart

By I.M. Ulysses

Wrapped in a riddle
Deep and profound
The heart of a woman
Is a mystery unbound

How can it be
That in all God's creation
He would dare make
This revelation

Strong and yet weak
It beats the day through
Giving her life
And great power too

Few men can know it
This treasure I sought
Nor of the griefs
That without her I fought

A whisper of life
A kiss from despair
She's shown me a world
With a love that is rare

A sight to behold
A world to make mine
Our spirits entwined
For now and all time

This precious woman
Who found me that day
Wrapped in the sunlight
In mystery arrayed

I've known many ladies
Through my many years
But none that would ever
Dry all of my tears

How can I explain
The joy which she brings
When she unlocked chains
That let my heart sing

I love her, I need her
With her I'm complete
And when that day dawns
Our two lives will meet

Of such a woman
Songs may be shared
But few that could ever
To her may compare

Just like a riddle
She's been set apart
And I stand amazed
By my woman's heart.