Poem Study: Soul

In the deep depths of my soul 

Is a lump, bleak and black as coal

I know how it came to be there 

And it is not too much to bear. 

If it grows the lights inside die 

And the circuits in my soul fry

A wandering husk doomed to dwell

In a life in whose bell had long

Since ceased to call out its lively knell

But I do not panic for my song

It’s call echoes forth in a great shout

Life overflowing is my redoubt

Yet there is a voice in my ear

Voices dark and faint fast appear

Whispering of doubt and despair

There is no hope for your soul there

I have heard these voices before

And despite my efforts to ignore 

So I shove away those thoughts to places unknown

And forget those whispers were ever an undertone

It is still a worry for me though

Whether that lump will grow

And whether that lump of coal

Will grow to consume my soul