Chapter VI

THE WELL OF TEARS 

(Joseph in Egypt)

PROLOGUE 

The dreamer spoke, the brothers heard,

And envy stirred at every word;

The coat that shone with colors rare,

Would soon be torn in desert air.

⸻

Poem

Joseph, son of Jacob’s years,

A lad of grace, yet ripe for sneers;

Two dreams he told of sheaves and light,

Where brothers bowed in humbled sight.

But hearts grow dark when pride takes root,

And love turns cold as they plot his loot;

In Dothan’s field, while the sun stood high,

They bound the dreamer with a lying tie.

A pit lay deep, without bread or stream,

The well became a tomb for his dream;

He called from the darkness, but none would relent,

For silver was sweeter than brother’s lament.

A caravan came from Gilead’s road,

With balm and myrrh their camels strode;

For twenty coins they sold his breath,

And sent him walking to chains and death.

Yet death was not in the Master’s plan,

But the shaping of stone into a man;

In Potiphar’s house he rose to command,

Till falsehood struck with a harlot’s hand.

A prison’s night, with its stone-cold bars,

Became his roof beneath the stars;

Yet even there the dreams took wing,

As Pharaoh’s butler learned their sting.

Two years passed in the shadow’s keep,

Till Pharaoh woke from troubled sleep;

No sage nor priest could read the dread,

But Joseph spoke as the Spirit led.

Seven years of grain to store in peace,

Seven years of famine without release;

Pharaoh robed him in gold and name,

The slave now ruled in Egypt’s frame.

And when the famine brought his kin,

They bowed before the one they’d sinned;

Yet tears, not vengeance, filled his eyes,

For God had turned their hate to rise.

“What you meant for evil,” Joseph said,

“God meant for life, that many be fed”;

Thus in the well, the chain, the throne,

The Lord had wrought His work alone.

——-

(“The Sea of Blood and Brass”)

From Egypt’s court to Pharaoh’s fear,

A child shall rise when death draws near;

The river hides, the basket sails,

The staff will strike where empire pales. 

Image curtesy Pinterest

Disclaimer:

This poem is a creative and artistic interpretation inspired by biblical events and figures. It is not intended to be a literal or doctrinal retelling of religious scripture. Readers are encouraged to approach it as a work of poetic imagination that seeks to capture the emotional and spiritual essence of the story. This work is not intended as theological doctrine, historical fact, or definitive biography. Readers seeking accurate religious or historical details should refer to sacred scriptures or scholarly sources. The poem reflects personal reflection on themes of faith, leadership, sacrifice, and legacy—not authoritative religious teaching.  Readers from all backgrounds are encouraged to interpret the poem in the spirit of inspiration, not prescription.