collage: daniel abdal-hayy moore
ALL THE
DEAD CHILDREN
by Daniel Abdal-Hayy Moore
Angels
are learning new tricks to entertain all the
dead
children
just
bringing them to a quiet place used to be enough
blue
panels sonorous as cool winds rising to
infinite
heights and
luminous
rivers tasting of fresh milk and
passionflower
honey
But
now they are more restless and want something
lively
such as fabulous displays and real
stellar
extravaganzas to shut out the memories
All
the wingéd horses have been brought in
and
every banner from every battle ever waged
transformed
into aurora borealis brightness is
planted
on either side of the great arena which is
actually
nowhere you can put your finger on and may be as
big
as a sparkle or light years across
The
angels begin conventionally enough and since they’re
anti-gravitational
they are capable of some
pretty
amazing feats their specialty being a
spinning
array of a few billion shimmering their wings and
turning
slowly at first in a
cone
that goes up through so many dimensions the
children
have to stop counting with
each
dimension demarcated by another
color
no one on earth’s spectrum has
ever
seen before
Then
the cone begins
turning
faster and faster and shoots higher and higher
finally
sweeping their astonished souls wide-eyed into a
vortex
so swift they barely notice that they’re
arcing
across fields of unearthly green and seas of
unoceanic
turquoise
Each
shroud has been made into a tent filled with
fabulous
fruits and unidentifiable edibles of
uttermost
succulence
Each
soul has been given the Ultimate Glimpse
and
the Accurate Portrayal
the
Perfect Sustenance and the Infinite Intensity
Each
time they clap their hands a new
universe
appears
more
fabulous than the last
And
when they tire of such delights
William
Blake reads to them from his new work
and
Mozart comes in and plays them a tune
on
a million pianos
~
Previously published in Psalms for the
Brokenhearted
(Ecstatic
Exchange)
photo: charlotte ferrell
LORD PLEASE HUG THE CHILDREN
by Charlotte Sista C Ferrell
Lord please hug the children tonight
Lead them from their
struggle and strife
Lord please hug the children tonight
Guide them through any
neglect or blight
Lord, help us hug our children tonight
Reflect on their
struggle in a new light
Teach them to love instead of fight
Show us ways to lead
the children away
From the horrors of
the day
Block them from stray
bullets and prevent
Fresh, innocent lives from being spent
Strengthen all those
who work with youth
Gird us with YOUR love and truth
To lead away from ac’qui’escence
That short- circuits adolescence
Lord lay hands on the City of Angels today
In fact, please lay
hands on the world today
There's hardly any place to play!
Give us back a reverent nature
Help us to stop
saying, " I hate ya.”
Let us catch the
vision of a new reality
Where childhood is
enjoyed in its totality
Energize us to use our
voices
So youth everywhere
have more choices
Bolden us to take a
stand for justice and truth
That makes life a joy
for children and youth
~ previously published
in From Pillows to Pillars
(AuthorHouse)
