Neither Fall Nor Fade Away


You leapt.

A seraph's charge, vanquishing a sulphurous maelstrom
Heaven's vibrant, effulgent flame guttered

Time should have ended then

Instead, minutes stretched into an eternity to scrape for purpose in earth's middens

And then clawing back
Reward wrenched
Soul reunited with flesh
To ascend again from aleph: agitation, anger, apostasy…

Yet you never fell; you illuminated redemption's journey.

At first I burned: your hand's alchemy changed my base to noble
Death could be my gift

In limbo; then resurrection to a new cause
An old righteous fight rejoined
Not falling, never fading, but surging forward
Fists and fangs and soul.