Four Horses; Four Faces

An experimental poem on seasons ending, with inspiration and encouragement.

White horse–conquest,
the Spring seeds blossom,
the Lion wears his crown.

Red horse–war,
the Summer heat blisters,
the Ox drags his weight.

Black horse–famine,
the Fall fruit’s barren,
the Man bears his guilt.

Pale horse–death,
the Winter frost blankets,
the Eagle drops his prey.

Reading the Poem

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Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, by Victor Vasnetsov, 1887. Cropped.

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Inspiration

The inspiration for this poem comes from the idea of juxtaposing the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse with what theologians refer to as the Four Faces of God (a man, lion, ox, and eagle). It’s experimental for me in both style and content.

It is not meant to be a theological work of art, but of human experience.

(It is also not meant to be literal. It is poetry, after all.)

The poem begins with hope, goes through seasons of judgment, and ends with a “letting go” of sorts.

It could be a dream dying, or letting go of a hope deferred.

Encouragement

Proverbs 12:13 (NIV) says,

Hope deferred makes the heart sick,
but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.

This verse speaks to where all of us either have been, are, or will be.

Holding on to something—choosing to defer it, to put if off—makes the heart sick. This could be the weight of your conscience and the conviction of the Holy Spirit, for not taking action on what you need to do.

But a longing fulfilled? It’s the best thing ever.

Sometimes we get there by adjusting expectations. Many times we get there by putting in the work. Most times it’s all of the above.

Just keep the context of what matters: hope, heart, longing, life.

Be strong and take heart,
all you who hope in the Lord.

Psalms 31:24 NIV

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