A Lonely Road (Considering Ecclesiastes)

July 8, 2025 Ben Plunkett

However many years a man may live, let him enjoy them all. But let him remember the days of darkness, for they will be many. Everything to come is meaningless.

Ecclesiastes 11:8

A Lonely Road

I awoke and, laughing, beheld that thing which 
pretended to be dangerous wasn’t so very so. 
I became familiar with the radiance of righteous  
tongue and fingers; I assumed their difficult ways.   		

Dawn was no more, the cold continually seeped 
into my old shoes. Mists froze the forests 
of life’s nights; fog accompanied mankind always. I  
shivered, ultimately offering an untimely good-bye token;  

in the waning beams of the stars I  
recall it very well: We crunched the gravel. 
Behind mother so noble, my brother of Earth
pulled his splotchy suede jacket ever about himself;  

he kept his head bent to his hurried
steps. Their breaths spiral upward and sing silent 
choruses to the dimming sky, ascending like smoke. 
Father also walked; he strode in his overcoat, 

in his long strides displaying his perseverance and 
boldness. He knows that things aren’t always as 
they should be, but still he makes sure 
steps toward home. And sometimes we walk alone.

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Ben Plunkett

Greetings from the booming metropolis that is Pleasant View, Tennessee. I am a man of constant spiritual highs and spiritual lows. I pray that I serve God at my highest even when I am lowest.

Ben was a founding member of Rambling Ever On and a regular contributor and editor until his untimely death in April 2020.

We wrote a tribute to him, but the best tribute you can give him would be to read all the wonderful poems, short stories, book reviews, theological essays, and ridiculous satire pieces he wrote for us. Pass them on to others and maybe allow Ben to inspire you to write something yourself.