To Abraham’s mountain
I am beckoned, commanded
to bring what is dearest and best.
And I, though practiced in deceit,
submit, at last, and vow
to protect no longer,
even that which has given
ultimate purpose, meaning,
and joy.
Scaling the heights,
body and soul battered
by grief, I discover paths
where no paths have been
and traverse terrains
never before trod.
Alone at the summit now,
parched yet compliant,
I drop to my knees and wait.
Finally, and without fanfare,
it is accomplished–
and I am branded and released
into the silence and void.
© 2004 Dennis Ference
Merging Traffic 