They Trickle, Salty

1990-11-15

"And this is the account of Ammon and his brethren, their journeyings in the land of Nephi, their sufferings in the land, their sorrows, and their afflictions, and their incomprehensible joy..." — Alma 28:8

missionaries on bikes — Image credit: AI+

They trickle, salty— the beads of sweat through the parched testimony of many miles dust, etching the lines of concentration. He puffs them off his nose with each gasp, ...hope María's home each weary cycle ...hope they've prayed of legs and mind ...Please, Father. They trickle, salty through sunny children with nervous smiles; dark eyes that say: ...Otra vuelta. Wine and milk without price... ...No, gracias. Tears on darkened pillow record the worth of souls; stiff knees say Please, Father. They trickle, salty with white clothes, open smiles, the quiet majesty of peace-filled testimony. They say Gracias. The thirsty come, buy, and eat; they say Lo haremos. They trickle, sweetly, forever, tears of joy.

Comments

Gloria Pratt, 2013-02-17:

Such a touching poem. I love it! I noticed the photo credit is More Good Foundation. Are you affiliated with them? My son is the COO, and I do some volunteer editing for them. BTW we both felt that your talk today was excellent.
Daniel Hardman, 2013-02-17:

I don't have any direct connection to the More Good Foundation, although I "liked" them on Facebook and I think they're doing great stuff. I read your son's bio — impressive! Thanks for the feedback on the poem. There's really no good way to distill an experience as rich and varied as a mission down into a few words, so I decided to settle for one little glimpse. Happy memories. :-)