Tempest
by Willie Frank Trent

I stood alone and watched the storm
That swept across the sky,
I felt the power of the wind,
As it went surging by.
I saw the lightning's vivid flash
And heard the thunder roll;
And 'cross the turbid waters came
The light bell's warning toll.

Then I thought, How like to Nature,
When unleashed and out of bounds,
Are our own rebellious spirits
When disaster on us frowns;
How the tempest of emotion
Writhes within us, as we feel
The unjustice fate has dealt us
In her cold unfriendly deal.

How like sailors warned of danger
Struggling back to calmer seas,
We must look to our own safety
In such troubled times as these;
Keep our courage, struggle bravely
Against worry and despair,
Think of others who have conquored
More than we have now to bear.

Though your body may be broken,
Or your fortune lost and gone,
Life still holds for you a mission
Planned for you and you alone.
Give the best you have within you,
Use what powers you command
Your influence may inspire
Greater deeds than you had planned.

To My Boys
by Willie Frank Trent

My own dear Boys, ---

I love you so
That were it possible, I'd go
With you through life
And take upon myself each care
And sorrow that were yours to bear

But well I know that each of you
Must go your way, and find and do
The task that's yours;
And that in doing it you'll find
Hardships with happiness combined.

So as your youthful days unfold,
I've tried my best to help you mold
A character,
So strong that should great trials fall
You'll have the strength to bear them all.

But if in coming years you feel
That you fall short of your ideal,
Be not dismayed;
A masterpiece of sculpture rare
Takes years of patient toil and care.

Remember, too, that you may call
The Greatest Sculptor of them all,
If you should fail.
He'd help you shape your life again
And make of you a perfect man.