Gaze into the eternal
Haze of glory, but a glimpse
Across the universe, an unfathomable
Force that stirs the heights of
Imagination, the dreams of all
Creation coalescing into songs of
Praise, awestruck at amazing
Grace that illuminates, an unending
Blaze
We met in a parallel world
Where stars shone neither of us knew
A love shared through the fabric of space
An unstoppable force drawing us near
Yet, when we wake
Just a whisper remains
A quiet memory, fading dreams
The shadow of what could be
If only our worlds collided
A potion for the weary
Travelers cold and dreary
Stumbling through the doors
A mysterious effect
Though the barman smiles
His gaze is full of guile
As he offers them a room
For their tired souls
At midnight there appearing
An apparition that is nearing
A soul’s decomposition
A harbinger of hell
Their faces froze in terror
To the room belong forever
At Death’s dingy tavern
Upon the gloomy hill
A warning to the traveler:
Heed the stormy thunder
Turn back at the crossroads
From Agony’s Estate
A thousand days we journeyed
A thousand we were lost
Still, we traveled onward
Oceans did we cross
We climbed the highest mountains
Seeking knowledge from the sage
Treasuring pearls of prudence
Searching for the mage
In the storm we found her
She told of love and grace
Her steely gaze assuring
Of wisdom’s kind embrace
A pause, closed eyes
He breathes deep
A full inhale
He cocks his head
The birds sing
—they always sang
But now different,
A song more beautiful, more free
A smile spreads ‘cross wrinkled cheeks
Time worn, battered by the shadows
But now in light
Released from his prison
Hand in hand, we climb
Hearts racing with each step
Eyes gazing to peaks above
To valleys beneath
A moment of frozen time
We hold our breath
Dreaming of days ahead
Reminiscing memories
A stillness sublime
The climax of life
A balance of hearts
Give and take, the dance
Lives intertwining
Losing selves in dreams’ expanse
Hopes, fears, whispered thoughts
Laughing, crying, meld to one
Hand in hand, the world spins
Until the self becomes undone
A new life birthed; two become one
The dark behind, the light ahead
We wander through the in-between
Listening for whispers in the wind
Of “Alive and risen”
The dark behind, the light ahead
We migrate toward the Land of Dawn
With a growing chorus of cheers
Shouting “Alive and risen!”
A succulent bite
As juice dances across my tongue
From the bright red flesh
Of the garden’s first fruit
With the scent of fresh earth
Churned through my fingers
That root up the weeds
As I tend Spring’s offering
A desert of discord
A haunt of demons
A wasteland of war
Bitterness floods
Hate burns red
Tears soak the earth
We wait, we wait
In longing
In desperation
In hope that we’ve lost
Until we see the sun
Until the dawn breaks
Until the darkness flees
From the Sacrifice
Michael (Mike) Bergman 