The Joshua Tree by Dean Cameron Reynolds
I take a breath, and close my eyes, Resignation. I know full well, The destination of these lies, As a sextant knows her bell. Whenever I am still inside, Whenever there is peace. A searing flash begins the ride, Toward the Joshua Tree. Each night the same story retold, Amid my feverish dreams. Each night my destination sold, Amid unconscious streams. Ten thousand miles go rushing by, Over the restless shattered sea, An awakened grumbling in the sky, Foretells my private prophecy. After countless leagues of tortured waves, My heart begins to race and ache. Hark! The wailing of the slaves! A thirst the living cannot slake. The Joshua Tree. Its shattered form, Holds up the sky, and down the earth. Its bone-white boughs beckons storms, As it calculates Death and Rebirth. Ten thousand angels sing Its praise, As the heralds tone thier bells, The Tree awaits our End of Days, Our private buckled Hells. All Life dances at Its feet, The tax-collectors throw thier gold, The gluttons throw thier meat. Our lives seem wasted, Young and Old, Beneath The Joshua Tree. Behold! The sky it rips and falls! As the Silent Stones begin to speak, The crowds they rush through scarlet halls, As the Fire consumes the meek. And on that Tree, and at that Time, The letter V appeared. As the Burning Angels worked the chime, On which the Dog was reared. And through the fire, the ash and smoke, The Tree It seemed to shine. The beacon of which the Blind Child spoke, As the Fat Men drank thier wine. The final moment the Tree did ROAR, A single sound that told the Tale, Of what life was really for, The Universes shuddering wail. But before the Final Secret's told, I'm ripped away from sight and sound, Torn awake! Gasping! Cold. Wretched, frightened on the ground. These dreams persist through every night, By day I'm free to walk the earth, Speechless. Broken by the fright, To calculate my own self worth. I feel the time is near at hand, When we will all be forced to see, In daylight hours, with naked eyes, The Towering Form of The Joshua Tree.