The following poem is an excerpt from the last page of the book I just finished. The book is Thomas Merton's Seven Storey Mountain (I highly recommend it). The poem is written by him and is directed toward his brother who lost his life in WWII. The love conveyed in this poem is one that I have not found with either of my two brothers, but one that I would cherish. Especially in light of the fact that Merton helped lead his brother into the waters of baptism shortly before his departure to Europe, and ultimately his death.
"Sweet brother, if I do not sleep
My eyes are flowers for your tomb;
And if I cannot eat my bread,
My fasts shall live like willows where you died.
If in the heat I find no water for my thirst,
My thirst shall turn to springs for you, poor traveller
Where, in what desolate and smokey country,
Lies your poor body, lost and dead?
And in what landscape of disaster
Has your unhappy spirit lost its road?
Come, in my labor find a resting place
And in my sorrows lay your head,
Or rather take my life and blood
And buy yourself a better bed--
Or take my breath and take my death
And buy yourself a better rest.
When all the men of war are shot
And flags have fallen into dust,
Your cross and mine shall tell men still
Christ died on each, for both of us.
For in the wreckage of your April Christ lies slain,
And Christ weeps in the ruins of my spring:
The money of Whose tears shall fall
Into your weak and friendless hand,
And buy you back to your own land:
The silence of Whose tears shall fall
Like bells upon your alien tomb.
Hear them and come: they call you home."
Father, may you open the hearts of my brothers, and may they find our Christ and through Him grace and peace. And when this happens may you lend me grace to welcome them home.
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Have you seen American History X? There's a part in it where the protagonist tells his younger brother, "You're my best friend, and I love you." Gets me everytime and it's the reason I love the movie. I have three brothers and I'm not that close with any of them.
ReplyDeleteKyle-I am across this blog through your facebook! Wow!! You certainly have grown up from the boy that I once knew. It's amazing how much people can grow if they are willing to open their hearts to it. Your writing is beautiful and very unexpected. I just keep seeing this boy I knew from my memory and I really am left speechless by the man you are becoming. I see it in your writing or rather through your writing.
ReplyDeleteI wanted to comment on this particular blog because I too can relate to what you are missing with your brothers. It saddens me that I don't have that with mine either. I actually felt like Matt was the closest thing I had to a brother and that got lost along the way in life too. I know it's been many years since I last saw you but I felt compelled to reach out to you. Writing has always been an important part of my life for as long as I have memories and reading some of your words touched me.
I hope someday you are able to have what you are missing with your brothers, I think that their lives (and yours) would be richer because of it.
One of the best sayings about life I've heard is: Life is a journey, ever changing, a road of mountains and valleys. It feels the best and most exciting in the beginning but it is in the middle when you get the substance that enriches it.
Good luck to you and on your journey in life you seem to be off to a fantastic start!
Marti (Goodmon) Baumgartner