I Have Seen Poem by Daniel Bellerose

I have stared into the face of darkness and seen myself.
I have stared into myself and seen nothing.
I have stared at the sun so long that the earth became light.
I have stared at the earth so long that the light became dark again.
I watched as deep within myself, out of the nothing, grew a single blade
And I watched as it was devoured by the weeds within me.
I have stood at the edge of eternity and screamed obscenities into the wind
I have watched my words fall to nothingness and be shattered on rocky shorelines of my own insecurities.
I have watched as the sea swallowed everything that I love
And I have watched as everything I love came up behind me and threw me into the sea
A dark sea, full of tumultuous thoughts, and dark secrets
Which pull me down, and drag me to the bottom
Desiring my soul.
But I cannot drown!
I have seen the brightest mornings and the reddest sunsets
I have watched as life sprung from the darkest bosoms
And I have watched as men found salvation in a sea of heroine.
But my sea is not of narcotics
It is of myself - the most dangerous substance
I struggle to pull myself up
Struggle to find the surface
But it is useless, my grip on myself is too strong, hope is lost
But a hand, pure, marble white, breaks through the stained glass surface of my watery prison
I grasp it, reaching for one last breath of salvation before I sink to the bottom of myself
Water rushes past me as I am dragged out of my dark abyss
Light shines through the most piercing darkness, and hits my eye, like a drop of rain on a still lake
Pure beauty surges through my veins, and my soul yearns for me to open my eyes, to catch just one glimpse
Through the immense brightness I see just for a moment, the face of my porcelain savior
Beautiful, shining, bright, perfect
I have seen the darkest places within my soul, yes.
I have seen the earth crumble before me, yes.
But through the light and the beauty, I can honestly say
I have seen the face of God.