O Radiant Soul
1/2/08
O radiant soul, angelic among the flowers
Whose silent heart was like a flaming rose,
O beauty breaking though the form-bound shell,
O light that burned so brilliantly within -
Motionless like a deer in blinding light
I stand transfixed by sorrow, unable to move
Beyond my grief, your spent body's flight
To the sanctuary of eternal love.
Your spirit's triumph is our earthly loss
Though Heaven adds a richness to its own.
A joy that drew our kindred spirits close
In the loveliness of moments without speech -
These endless recollections of the heart
Like scattered seeds or particles of dust
Blow across the vistas of my soul.
You spoke but little in those failing days
But when you spoke your eyes grew bright with love.
It seemed to me within your shattered frame
You built a place where She alone could dwell
And carry on the great mysterious task
Continuing in a new reality.
Now all the roses from our fragrant years
Return again to blossom in my heart.