Rupture

'Beyond the shadow of a doubt, May 21 will be the date of the Rapture...'
- Harold Camping
~~~

I do not live beyond doubt's shadow,
but I still believe.
So I bought a horsehair belt,
an outward sign of my inward hope
in the Rupture -
that day the sky will cease its falling
as bluebells thrust up to horses' bridles,
that day creeks born of April snowmelt
will swell and not grow weary,
that day heaven will come up
and poets will leave off rhyme
in favor of clover's perfume,
that day roses will no longer
need rain as the tears of men
will do just fine.

For the last good country to
shed the husk of fear
the Rupture must occur, that broken
and blessed day rising toward our soles.
So I gird myself with a horsehair belt
and fix my eyes on the ground,
for behold, no man knows and some don't doubt,
but this fool still believes.

(for Winn)

2 comments:

  1. John, thank you for sharing this. I love these lines:

    that day roses will no longer
    need rain as the tears of men
    will do just fine.

    So poignant and ripe with meaning. I also love that this was for Winn, it made me think of him as I read it.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks for stopping by, Austin...yes, Winn is a good man.

    ReplyDelete