After The First Death

After the first death
at the edge of the world
on an evening with no warning
I was able to recover
the soul I thought I’d lost forever.

Nothing personal
and speaking for myself,
life is over-rated.
The temptation of body and blood
always too rich for my appetite.

Sailing on this open sea of grace,
I’ve learned again
to trust no one
and remember I am
heaven’s only child
of original sin.

On this salty water,
in this warm womb,
I must drink only the clear rain
to satisfy my thirst at midnight
in my lonely bed of memory.

The economy of Eden requires this kind of sacrifice
for the soul to make her way free toward flight
away from the holding of flesh and heavy Earth.

But this death—
this departure from stone and fire
gives me hope that won’t ever be taken away
from my now knowing everything
about the blinking brilliance of light.