Poem – On the Death of a Child

A voice is heard
Rachel weeping for her children
and refusing comfort

And let it not be said that all is well
Let no confident voice deny
Let no silken words suggest
That we aren’t all under the old curse
That we don’t stand, Undone
Knowledge-fruit-juice red upon our lips
And eyes opened upon the yawning terror.

No.

But do let us also stand at Calvary
Let the desolate cry resound
and crush our ears
My God.  My God!  Why?

And let us linger on Saturday, as we know we must
Dismayed
Dispelled
Dissipated
There is no time
There is no space
No love
No life
No tears
In the void, itself devoid of voidness
But somehow time passes, as we know it must.

And let us come at length
In the dawn
In the time between times
As light lies pent up
And darkness gathers hastily for flight
And bursting forth with sudden rush
The Sun of Righteousness is born upon the world

And the age turns.

But let us always also stand
In the room
Where hands are proffered
And eternal scars laid bare
And a voice says
“This is how much it hurts to love”

Copyright 2011 Tom Brazier

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