Poem for Forseti
“The dark times are past,” He says,
His expression serious, His words sure.
Cold wind hits my brow and salt stings my eyes.
The ship spins beneath us, shaking with the ocean’s strikes.
Fear devours my blood.
I can see only the blackness -
I, who prided myself on knowing the law.
We can see only each wave pushing us further from our hopes -
We, who should have known the law.
Another memory dies in the waters.
My own thoughts are drowning me -
Each one is more vicious than the ocean’s ancient hunger.
The storm is upon us. We know we are lost.
We, who chose the slow death over the swift one,
The wild seas over slavery.
And where have all our decisions led us?
The firm earth and the green grass are but shadowed fragments,
The cruel taunts of spent dreams.
We’re adrift in a sinking world,
Caught in a merciless, pounding tide that lusts to
Tear our last breath from our crushed chests.
The slow death over the swift one;
This bitter freedom over thralldom.
Hope gone, I can only bow my head.
I can see no reasonable answer – I, who once spoke the law.
I can see no way forward – I, who once knew the law.
What words are there now?
What rule will save me?
In the still despair, I listen.
I hear His words,
The words of a God, sworn in the dark
Over the wind and roar of the sea,
Silencing the leering shrieks of the gulls.
I cannot see the land.
All my sight is lost.
I cannot hope for home,
Except that He alone speaks the hope.
He stands with us,
Shares the storm with us.
Our guide, our light,
North Star and compass.
Though the gales still beat me,
Though I am tired, and sore,
Pulled too far off course, undone -
My voice swallowed by the world,
Somehow, He hears me.
More…
Somehow, I hear Him.
I’ll know that I’ll see the shore.
We will stand again.
Our steps will be strong
And our words will be true.
Home is out there, somewhere past those waves.
But these thoughts – mirrors of the flickering future – slide away
And are lost to the rolling sea.
My mind is still,
My soul is calm.
I know my own peace at last, trembling in the cold
And sightless in the dark,
With all my laws flung from me.
Here, in His presence,
Already home.
Wise one,
Presiding one,
Always fair -
Steersman, guide, and compass.
Hail, Forseti,
Steady, shining star.
Artwork by OrderInTheQuartz.