The Only Failures
The only failures move like ghosts,
wraiths of endless hell,
all regret and no remorse,
relenting without success,
unrepentant recollections.
They are clouds devoid of water,
unable to take glory,
unable to catch sunlight,
silent, sullen larvae
refusing to take wing.
Nature Is Ungodded
Nature is ungodded,
no idols stand.
They are smashed upon the wayside
of a dead and dusty land.
Their ruin ends the ages;
shattered is the pagan dream.
On its face like a mask forgotten
timeless moonlight gleams.
Heathen nightmares, sharded,
crumble in the rain,
the mud covering them over
with a semblance of disdain.
No longer the scourge of rulers,
nor the fear of the humble poor,
they go down into darkness forever
and are no more.
Every Good Thing Passes
Every good thing passes;
darkness always wins;
birth ends in a sepulcher;
Adam always sins.
Every good thing passes;
every glory fades.
To grow is but to pass away;
night always ends the day.
Every good thing passes;
nothing stays and bides.
If God is born in Bethlehem,
God is crucified.
Dark is this evangel:
loosed is the silver cord,
shattered is the golden bowl,
till the severing of the sword.
