Between the Devil and a Million Swords
Twixt the devil and the silent void,
On tables of waiting want, vacuum deep-
Tis the maddening stronghold of faith's necessity,
Till promises come to morning dawn
Face to face with the armies of a million swords,
I'm back to back with a million walls, mountainsides, and hostile grounds,
The sting of loss is heavy in the air, threatening me to unholy despair-
I'm as a grain of corn in a valley of fiery teeth,
Judgement imminent, terrors looming like grey clouds,
Harbingers of violent tempests;
All I heard was, "let us go to the other side",
Now I wonder, how much farther could it go?
Or like a hand picked me and threw me into the belly of the deep
I'm drowning in an abyss of endless sighs
What's the colour of hope, of trust?
What's the sound of an answered prayer, of worries gone to sleep,
Of questions now at rest?
What's the peace of vengeful armies receding into distant memory?
In my pain I said, "I'll never be done",
To the roaring and grinding of my bones and my spirit,
For in my darkness I said, "I was supposed to see",
That the beginning should become now as the will foretold;
"On Earth as in heaven",
That once upon a time, I should have a taste of dawn,
And so, I turned
From the face of my gravel knees, I rose
With the rising tides of swelling grief,
Summoning my demons to stand before me,
I stared them hard with a question in the face,
Swearing them to the truth,
Who made me?
Who bore me?
Who sent me?
God!
I laughed.
On the strength of that fury I bellowed,
"Thus far and no further",
And, "you shall not pass",
Suddenly, one after one the armies disappeared,
Mountains becoming as little stones,
Fiery teeth becoming whispers of peace,
And there it was, the other side, as the end of my faith,
My salvation and victory,
For hard upon my heart was the terrible battle,
Now hard after my heels are the rolling seas of joy
So,
Twixt the devil and the silent void,
On tables of waiting want, vacuum deep-
Tis the maddening stronghold of faith's necessity,
Till promises come to morning dawn, and
Dews settle upon parched grounds,
And if in the dark, you stay with the promise long enough,
The morning will greet you with a million victories
