My plan was to describe in full
The things I've held most dear,
With hopes to show through poetry
What's most important here.

I wrote some lines about my faith,
My God, my living Hope,
His presence with me through the years,
And promises He spoke.

The next were penned of family,
The members I have treasured,
And how the love I've held for all
Is too great to be measured.

The friends I've had across the years,
My home and my possessions,
And memories of teaching years
Marched by me in succession.

The time came then for editing,
To see what matters most,
By leaving out words in each line
Of things that I might boast,

Then find out what's most dear to me,
And this I found was odd.
I had removed so many words,
All that was left was "God."