Before & After: A Christian Poetry Collection by Larissa Hinton

Before & After: A Christian Poetry Collection

by Larissa Hinton 

Before

I was in the darkness. I made it my home. Voices would criticize me and I will swallow those bitter pills daily. I thought I was worthless and I never knew my purpose. I picked up my pen to etch my sorrows and to share my pain. I thought once I shared it, it would help me to heal. And, in a way, it did. It led to more pain. The struggle to be seen. To be heard. Until I was.

After

Jesus extended His hand to mine. He led me out of the darkness. His cross, His sacrifice burned heavily into mine. He understood my pain, my struggle. I no longer was alone. We inked words together. I haven’t been the same. There is a direct contrast in my life. Before I knew Christ and After he led me out. This collection shows the difference for God’s glory.

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An excerpt from Before & After: A Christian Poetry Collection

Hidden

Buried beneath

The darkness of sin

Pervasive

Ever clinging

Grabbing on

When there’s nothing to grab onto

Still I struggle

Stuck in a cycle

Of lying, cheating, appealing to other people

Wishing

Hoping

Praying

That one day they will approve

They will know of my worth

They will know that I am different than the rest

A diamond hidden amongst a blanket of stars

But

No, so I toil

I struggle

My body groans in the effort

To carry this burden all by myself

Yes, I hide it

No one needs to see the pain

Behind my smile

To quote the wise

My life ain’t been no crystal stair

There’s pain hidden beyond my shame

My guilt

My pain is for no one else

I can do it

I can pull myself up

Then I fall

Once again

Trembling underneath the weight

The burden of my goals

They are beyond me

Yet still I get up

Fighting what the world says that I am and will always be

Struggling to be seen for my true worth

The onyx

Hidden in the rough and tumble

Of the every day

I refuse to be where I always land

I have to push harder

But now there’s nothing left

Energy shot

Body shaking

There are others who have done it

But I am not one of them

I will remain hidden

Until I am found.

© Larissa Hinton 

About the Author

The young adult fantasy and paranormal romance author, Larissa Hinton, grew up in Virginia Beach, Virginia and Chesapeake, Virginia. She now lives in northern Virginia, but she always looks forward to going back to the sweet smell of the salty ocean.

Larissa Hinton is currently the author of Everblossom: A Short Story and poetry Anthology and Everblossom 2: A Second Anthology of Short Stories and Poems!