Vanquishing Shadows
By
Radiance Angelina Petro
The only vital fact
we need to know
is death.
No matter our searching
for a relative place
in the world, there will
always be a sudden
turn downward—
a retreating and diminishing–
despite our insistences otherwise.
Try to remember:
Master thinks in light.
He promises newborn
suns and galaxies.
The way will be made
plainly visible.
Fear is real.
Our living in the caskets
of our bodies
is real.
He does not fault our fear.
There are no boundary lines
to his tenderness.
The soft play of his voice
is enough to vanquish
the shadow which
marks the spot.
Bridges are raised
with his every move,
and with one step inward
he rescues us, walks
with us to the other shore,
where death lifts
its broad wings and flies away
forever.