On the day you were reborn
by the stream where we first kissed
Do you remember the daughters of the water
dancing in the mist?
On the day you were reborn
I lifted you out of the stream
and set you high in the tree of life
for the wind to breathe
On the day the horsemen passed by
heaven opened our eyes
and we danced the glory road rag through Elysium
On the day we were married
and drank from Abraham’s well
everyone in the valley brought food for the feast
to wish us well
On the day we were married
I heard Mahalia sing
“Come down Jesus, come down easy
with a brush of your mighty wing.”
On the day you walked out of the tide
heaven opened our eyes
and we danced the glory road rag through Elysium
In fires across the junkyard
the children swing and sway
to call Michael back across the tracks
he burned on judgement day
As sure as the winter night
gets down underneath your clothes
there will come a morning light,
an Easter lily and a summer rose
Let the river rise
Let the horsemen pass by
We’ll be dancing the glory road rag through Elysium
-Jake Berry is a poet, musician and visual artist. The author of Brambu Drezi, Species of Abandoned Light, Drafts of the Sorcery, Genesis Suicide and numerous other books. He has been an active member of the global arts and literary community for more than 30 years. His poems, fiction, essays, reviews and other writings have been published widely in both print and electronic mediums. He regularly records and performs his songs solo and with the groups Bare Knuckles, Rayner Maeve, The Ascension Brothers and The Strindbergs. Cypress, his 12th solo album, was released in 2018. He lives in Florence, AL with his wife and a wild assortment of cats.
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