You have to pass through
the distressing
part of this mostly golden
town to get there. You
continue—pressing
past Jericho and on
through the desert
of crowded shops,
mean streets and gardens
filled with factory dirt
until the city stops
where, like a guardian
the gate to the meadow
stands. Beyond the gate
it is like Eden—
the river seems to flow
like life, and the late
slanting sun goldens
everything in sight—
the swans' wings flapping
with no resistance
in the air, and the white
horses galloping
in the distance.
Past the far meadow
where the herd gathers
and feeds, past the village
the road starts to narrow
and becomes smoother,
as if the next stage
should be easier;
yet this is the longest
part of the journey
and it is darker
too, than the rest,
or so it seems to me.
There is no release
of warmth at the end
of the tunnel-like
avenue of trees
which follow. Nothing sends
tremors of light to strike
the mind or heart.
There is only a small
church among ancient trees
and wild flowers,
and in a dis-used part
of the yard, there is
a legendary well
with healing powers.
From A Sudden Certainty
Fr. Dwight Longenecker is Senior Contributor at The Imaginative Conservative. A graduate of Oxford University, he is the Pastor of Our Lady of the Rosary Church, in Greenville, SC, and author of twenty books, including Immortal Combat, The Romance of Religion, The Quest for the Creed, and Mystery of the Magi: The Quest to Identify the Three Wise Men. He contributes to many magazines, papers, and journals, including National Catholic Register, Catholic Digest, and The Stream. His latest book, Beheading Hydra- A Radical Plan for Christians in an Atheistic Age, is published by Sophia Institute Press. Visit his blog, listen to his podcasts, join his online courses, browse his books, and be in touch at dwightlongenecker.com.