ALPHABET OF LOVE

The Road to Jerusalem

54 The Alphabet of Love THE ROAD TO JERUSALEM Pale and silent she lay, Eyes straining to find The sacred spot on the wall Where God and man Converged to tell all, Etched in the promise Eternal life traced On the face of pain. How many hopeless years Had she stumbled blindly Across deserted plains— So vast and empty That only the morning hymn And the evening prayer Taught her to survive. The small wooden door To her cloistered room Crept open with each gasp She drew between her lips, Pressing them closer together, As if she were kissing This world goodbye. And then the vision came, Without chariot or thunder— Trumpet or drum— Among a grove of pines The benevolent son stood, Both arms outstretched, Offering the most magnificent hands She had ever seen. Bart Edelman 55 Above an unmarked plot, Where one good woman Found her long awaited rest In earth’s green shadow, Children dance and sing Heavenly songs to saints, Who walk beside Jesus On the road to Jerusalem. ...