Resurrection Day Poem by Bryan Riley

Floating through the
universe on a whim
Vanquishing the pale,
quivering- the pre-dawn
shades
Follow the path of the
heron up through the
stars to the center
of the sky

The sun-dappled glades
where Eros dwells in
Sanctuary, or the
underwater groves where
the turtles play

Spark the ceremonial lamp-
by its light then
find the sanctity that
existed there all the while,
now merely revealed as it
stands, as it always stands

This is how I love it best-
the river which runs through
the center of my world;
calm, serene- its power
resting below the surface

Sudden burst of speed in
the homeward turning-
A dogless stick floats by as
the world, too, is untended

The sun makes dazzling
patterns on the lake
A pause; a deep breath as
the icy fingers of death are
loosed from the throat
and fall away, impotent

In this vanquishing of the
inner darkness, am released
and truly free- in the healing
light, understanding that in
this alone we shall live again