my name is ishmael
i come from the desert
where i was abandoned with my mother
by a man whose face i no longer remember
although the defeat shouldered on his back
as he walked away will never leave my mind
my name is ishmael
i come from the desert
where i lay under a bush with no food or water
while the sun burnt through like fire and beneath
the concerned touch of my mother’s hand
i fell into a long dream
where i gazed at the stories that unfolded
about three strands that twisted into the same rope
so that only those of each thread
could ever tell any disparity between them
the blood of sacrifice broke the seal
when the knife was stayed for the sake of the child
at the time the lamb appeared to take his place
in a land where man had eaten from the tree of life
and no one was sure if the serpent
was banished for eternity or had become
the guardian of the gate
the mark of cain stained the land
as one man fell by the road blinded for the lack of faith
and a king was punished for lusting another’s wife
and a woman danced for a prophet’s head
and trumpets brought down the walls of a city
and words on clay tablets too wise for men were broken in despair
i walked the streets of the city of seven hills
as i watched the beast uncaged and the pale rider
thunder forth while the pharisees prayed
in the temple hopeful the audience
that viewed them would accept a destiny
where a brother could steal the birthright of another
then although the bush still burned the air grew cool
and before me i beheld an angel terrible radiant beautiful
who spoke softly that we were safe and i felt
the water of life touch my lips with the sweet taste of faith
the angel said “one day the loss shall be lifted
from the shoulders of your father
and together you will offer hope
to the generations like many rivers
diverging as one until they meet the sea”
he slowly faded from our sight as we arose
and journeyed on into the story of our lives
which is still being written at this moment
when i gaze upon a new sunrise and tell you
my name is ishmael
i come from the desert
Roger B. Humes
Copyright © 2003 |
