Joseph Smith – Joseph Corey Poetry

A Brief History of a Zion People

During institute last night, our teacher asked us to take two minutes to write a brief summary of the beliefs and history of the Church (we were talking about the Wentworth Letter). In my summary I focused more on the history, and later I rewrote it into verse to publish here.

God
commanded a boy—
Joseph Smith—
to restore His truth to the earth.

Persecution raged,
mobs combined,
enemies fought bitterly
against this prophet
and those who stood with Him.

Those who gave up
homes,
families,
everything that was theirs,
sometimes even their lives
to follow truth,
because God had spoken that truth
through a prophet, in our day.

Those who gave their all for God
are my ancestors,
and my heroes.

Originally published 05-18-19

We talked about faith in my institute class last week, and it inspired this poem. It is written as a song.

Choose Every Day to Believe

Two hundred years ago, a grove of trees
Blazed brightly, and a young boy’s prayer was heard.
He left the grove, and taught the world the truth,
I was not there, though, when that all occurred.

CHORUS: I never saw the boy in Palmyra,
And I never met the man in Nauvoo.
I get to see the labor, though, that he worked to achieve,
And I get to choose every day to believe.

Two thousand years ago, Jerusalem
Cheered as on a donkey rode their King.
He walked the garden of my olive press,
But I was not there to shout and praise and sing.

CHORUS: I never saw the boy, the Nazarean,
And I never met the man of Galilee.
I get to see the labor, though, that He worked to achieve,
And I get to choose every day to believe.

In the struggles of the day to day,
I’ll choose faith and go and light the world
I don’t know all things, and I have doubts,
But I am here to wave a flag unfurled.

CHORUS: I never saw the prophet, Joseph.
I never met my Savior, Jesus Christ
But I get to labor with them in this work that we’ll achieve
I get to choose every day to believe.

I—I choose every day to believe.