*Left Out in the Cold

While reading Jimmy L.Lyson’s poem "Left Out in the Cold," I was deeply moved by his palpable anxiety and felt compelled to sympathize with his sense of mental incarceration—which I did. His portrayal of being unable to act or speak freely, despite his technical "freedom," evokes a universal empathy. He admits to wanting to "remove the sting," which I interpreted as a stain from the past, yet finds himself perpetually "left out in the cold"—a fate that feels tragically plausible.

But as I immersed myself in his thoughts, the line "wanting to claim some of God’s power and glory" struck me abruptly. My sympathy curdled into anger; the words seemed delusional. If he truly believed in God’s power and glory, why couldn’t he be "brave and bold" enough to "sing" as he claimed he desired? Mystified, I reread the poem, probing beneath its surface. Only then did I grasp Jimmy’s deeper intent: his repeated lament—"he has been left out in the cold"—isn’t just about isolation, but a profound craving for human reassurance.

Yet a paradox remains: If he knows he could "sing and tell stories of God’s power and glory" (a soul-deep yearning), what cages him in this fantasy of coldness? Why fear mortal judgment more than the Omnipotent? The poem forces us to ask: Could the "heat" he craves—the empty applause and worldly validation—truly warm him or crown him "successful"? This echo Job 9:4: "He is wise in heart and mighty in strength—who has hardened himself against Him and succeeded?"

Perhaps Jimmy’s prison mirrors our own: We retreat into stalls of fear, shivering in imagined cold, forgetting that true warmth lies not in human approval, but in stepping boldly into God’s strength. The cold is fleeting; His glory is not
I'm shedding tears of pain,
and I'm afraid I'm going to go insane.
I'm feeling sick, tired and old,
like I've been left out in the cold.

I want to be able to sing,
and to completely remove the sting.
I need to be brought back into the fold;
I feel I've been left out in the cold.

I'm having trouble getting to sleep,
just lying here trying not to weep.
I want to be brave and bold,
but I've been left out in the cold.

I've been wanting to tell my story,
and to claim some of God's power and glory;
but it's impossible to grab it and hold,
because I've been left out in the cold.
Jimmy L. Lyons

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