Rondel for Ash Wednesday

Hold fast, all friends of Christ, hold fast.
Be not afraid; keep faith, keep Lent.
All grunged-up souls, all people pent
In pleasure’s prison, bravely cast
Your senseless sin aside at last:
Believe the Gospel and repent.
Hold fast, all friends of Christ, hold fast;
Be not afraid: keep faith, keep Lent:
The thirst and hunger will not last,
For by God’s Son, who underwent
The Cross, we know that we are meant
For endless life when pain is past —
Hold fast, all friends of Christ, hold fast.

(D. Newman, Shrove Tuesday, 13 February 2018; altered February 2020).