Across the Raging Light

Star Mother’s Child

She Told Me: Across the Raging Light

31 July 2006

jp melville

on seeing the photo of young girls signing bombs…

I fell away once upon a long long time ago

Believing then that toppling was the nature of all things,

Dust to dust,

Ashes to ashes,

Resignation held high to the hands of One.

I am just resurfacing from the depths and rejoining the fray.
From light into darkness, I doubted.
Or from darkness into light, courage said.

Either way,
music on the radio,
rain falling from a midnight sky,
laundry to fold,

i remember the picture of young girls signing bombs
and a star mother's child just taking hold
in infinity...
telling me...
blessed be the one who reaches across the raging light

for faith and hope will burn your hands,

through love
you will leave the bombs behind.

My God,

today I saw a mother smile,

teaching her daughters to sign the bombs,

and in the background,

the soldiers waiting to load

and fire

killing children beyond the raging light.

And I saw then here,

on the floor of my laundry room

in a crayoned drawing of my daughter's

the story of a star mother

and all she did

was to reach her child beyond the raging light

to have him take root

in the loving arms

of infinity.

Yes,

I fell away once upon a long long time ago,

Then I rose,

From darkness into light

And with courage from light into darkness,

For now I know,

That I

Because my daughter

Am

Because someone chose to reach across the raging light

And leave the bombs behind.