p. 1 | MY PAST by William P. McKenzie

International Tract and Missionary Society · Oakland, California · Oct 28, 1889

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 15, No. 41.

MY PAST.

By William P. McKenzie

I stood before a portal vast, Wherein I knew there lay my past, And memory swung it wide aghast, When, as I bade her let me to my palace room, I thought of robes of honor fair, Garments of praise and jewels rare Worn by my good deeds living there; But lo! I shuddered, for I stood as in a tomb.

The robes, decayed with wet and mold, Like cerements did my deeds enfold, And tarnish lay upon the gold. Within the void I was the only living thing! With new-born shame my face was flushed, Forth to life's day again I rushed, My loud-voiced pride forever hushed; And from my boasted past, myself is all I bring. —William P. McKenzie.