1. THE NATURE OF FAITH

His fever set in swiftly
In the months when the winds grow cold
And the healers’ spells fell feeble
So briefly ensouled, then consigned to mold

I clutch the shell which once was our son
In hopes that our God may restore him to me
I bear the husk which once was our son
That one day this wrong may be reversed for thee

What sin hath we trespassed
That earned us this terrible blow
In the eyes of Heaven, some transgression
Avenged here below, our child for the crows

I clutch the shell which once was our son
In hopes that our God may restore him to me
I bear the husk which once was our son
That one day this wrong may be reversed for thee

Thus is the nature of faith
To suffer in silence ornate
While our prayers seek to audit fate
That breath may once more his breast consecrate
So long shall we wait

I saw the light drain from his eyes


2. WOMB OF SAND

How long have we wandered in this wasted land
How many generations quickened in this womb of sand

In gardens of stone we have made our home
It is all that we know, all we have known
Since time forgotten by mortal men

All our years, we have crouched in the dust
Whilst the wind thickens our skin
Spared the knowledge required to dream
Of a different land, verdant and green

How long have we wandered in this wasted land
How many generations quickened in this womb of sand

By sweat we are cleansed of our weakness
By patience we fulfill the ancient promise

From the pain of living we take clarity
From wail of the dunes we learn simplicity

God has shown us the truths that hide
Behind the glare of the blue marble sky

Pity us not
For we protest naught
Of the torments we endure
‘Tis divine to accept our lot

How long have we wandered in this wasted land
How many generations quickened in this womb of sand


3. THE SHADOW IN THE SEER

Out of mercy, they let me live
On the outskirts, and permit
The theft of their refuse and scraps
For it cleanses the soul to forgive

An object of pity
But still they heed me
For lodged in my hobbled mind
A fragment of shadowed divinity

And though they lie beyond my ken
My tongue traces those strange shapes, when
The hand from beyond the veil
Commands: “Speak, and let them in”

And so they fear me
For this, my duty
I live as a beast of the field
But my palsies sound the depths of infinity

The bodiless immanence
Its words burn in me
Its presence is agony
I am in agony


4. COWARD

The courage of the coward
Is greater than all others
A scaredy cat can scratch you
If you back him into a corner

But I am a coward

Courage born of despair and impotence
Submissive dogs can lash out
And be very dangerous

But I am a coward