A poem based on Ezekiel 47:1-12, the prophet’s vision of a river from the Temple that transforms the desert and brings the Dead Sea to life.
long stagnant
a desert of water
choked to death
by salted lies
sunken thoughts
and lower dreams
a colorless waste
a soundless groaning
since heaven closed
and darkness fell
aimless steps
age on
in a desiccated land
But then—
Something new under the sun:
A breaking
in the west.
A trickling
disrupts
the recycling of days.
Dead seeds burst green,
streaming across the valley
in a great rustling.
And the trickle
swells
to a crystal river
and overwhelms
the lips of
this thirsty pool.
And all
we thought long dead
springs to life
even as our own souls
awake
in song.