For Fall

Like crystaline barriers the thin walls of glass hold the world back. Oh we love th ebeauty of the earth but only from far away. The forces of nature have proved too irresistible for us and so we lock it away. Inside our walls of perfect control, we love and hate the wilderness beyond them. It just seems the farther we get the more we miss out on some universal truth held in the purity of the unconrolled.

Michael pondered all of this in that mortal haze of approaching sleep. His hands, worn deeply with wrinkles, began to release tension. What does a dying man dwell upon with is last contemplative minute? For his life was honorable;filled with his convictions and dreams and this goodness had spread from his heart to those in his family. In fact, if time and unforseen occurence had not come for his life in such an early hour, far too many tears would have sent him to sleep kindly but it was not quite morning. At 5:49 time demanded his soul.The autumnal dawn alone bore witness to his death with loving eyes bathed in young light. And sitting in his favorite chair, luck had sweetly place in front of a window, Michael felt the warmth of a brand new day.It was lucky indeed, for his body was no longer able to make demands on the unmovable objects around him. So, fortunes smile was sweet in placing him there; in front of God's beautiful canvas.

"Humans aren't the same as they once were. No longer do we come from this earth. Now we come from each other, like children estranged and betrayed. We have come to hate the ground holding us up. Blinded by our ignorance, we pillage and rape, steal and destroy, the beauties around us."

And Michael. He was just a son of men grown numb and weak by his fight. Now perched between life and death, peace was his only desire. To be at peace with his mother earth and provider. No tears or violent attempts to whisper words to the dawn could make ammends. Love knew better. So, only one tear could or would fall.

That morning the brisk fall air tased of birdsong and fresh rolling dew. And then, it was there. As his debt was paid in life force, Michael's eyes saw what he could not see before. As his consciousness fell away, peace returned like the prodigal son. The world transformed before him as the shadows thickened. Paradise was there all along. A dream upon a dream of love set in motion; beyon man's grasp, beyond their control. It was there. And as Michael released his hold on life, sin released it hold on him.
1993-2067