Story of Isaac
The door it opened slowly,
My father he came in, I was nine years old.
And he stood so tall above me,
His blue eyes they were shining
And is voice was very cold.
He said, I've had a vision
And you know i'm strong and holy,
I must do what i've been told.
So he started up the mountain,
I was running, he was walking,
And his axe was made of gold.
Well, the trees they got much smaller,
The lake a lady's mirror,
We stopped to drink some wine.
Then he threw the bottle over,
Broke a minute later
And he put his hand on mine.
I thought I saw an eagle
but it might have been a vulture,
I never could decide.
Then my father built an alter,
He looked once behind his shoulder,
He knew I would not hide.
You who build these alters now
To sacrifice these children,
You must not do it anymore.
A scheme is not a vision
And you never have been tempted
By a demon or a god.
You who stand above them now,
Your hatchets blunt and bloody,
You were not there before,
When I lay upon the mountain
And my father's hand was trembling
With the beauty of the word.
And if you call m e brother now,
Forgive me if I inquire,
Just according to whose plan?
When it all comes down to dust
I will kill you if I must,
I will help you if I can.
When it all comes down to dust
I will help you if I must,
I will kill you if I can.
And mercy on our uniform,
Man of peace or man of war,
The peacock spreads his fan.
Leonard Cohen
Don't worry - my poetry week was self implemented. It was an excuse I created to share some of my favorites. I'm sure it will re-occur often. We can have poetry week whenever we so choose.
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