In Paradise

By Elton Wildermuth, 2000

A woman comes from east of Eden riding on a sigh;
her eyes are black and empty, but she smiles as she goes by.
She beckons to the silent statues gazing at the sky,
and calls to those who cannot hear her cry:

In Paradise there is no sun nor rain;
in Paradise is neither loss nor gain.
No victory, no fall from grace,
no venture will disturb this place:
in Paradise is neither hope nor pain.

The news from Alexandria: the world will end in fire;
the star called Wormwood falls to earth, consuming us entire,
destroying heathen history and all profane desire
and calling us to live as faith requires.

There can be no alternative, no turning from the Way;
the Will that cannot be denied has called us to obey.
The long, dark night is ended: we embrace the risen day
and bless the fire that purifies the clay.