That Final Vision
Posted by: jas <jas@...>
http://www.cloudburstpoetry.com
randalmatheny.com/category/cloudburst/
Copyright (c) 2008, J. Randal Matheny
THAT FINAL VISION
by J. Randal Matheny
Here, my friends, we plant our feet
Against the warriors' rush, we meet
The venomous swell, the savage wave
Of hellish flesh -- a day to save,
The hour of bravery. Fight like men,
God gives each one the might of ten.
Though we may fall upon the field
Of battle, we will not yield.
If ramparts raised against us breach
Our walls, and in our ears the speech
Of faithful seers and stewards be drowned
By the roars of hate, we'll stand our ground.
Though valleys flood and mountains shake,
And all the fury of evil break
Upon us, still we'll carry the fight
To the foe, and in his midst ignite
The flames of justice. Let them consume
His shame and fling him down to the tomb.
We do not know the battle's end,
Nor can we see the river's bend,
But this long war and winter's cold
Will finally turn, as was foretold;
The shouts for blood and death will cease,
The humble King will establish peace.
In that far time, our whitened bones
Will rise at the Call and sit on thrones
Of martyrs, prophets, priests and kings;
In colored robes and golden rings,
We'll drink from jeweled goblets, eat
To fill and toast the foe's defeat.
That final vision steels our arm
For today's battle, tomorrow's harm,
Hordes upon hordes, a violent death;
Never to ask that our dying breath
Find us stretched on a silent bed,
But with the blood of the righteous dead.
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