Our Garden of Eden
is real
and waits for us
within a circle
of burning fields.

Reaching Paradise
demands sacrifice–
a long walk through searing heat,
watching our skin char and peel,
smelling our blackening flesh,
knowing the burn of loss.

And then…
the cool shade of ancient elms,
the sloshing of water in granite basins,
the rosemary oil poured on our heads,
sleek and easy with sweet healing.

Text and image © 2011 by Dirk deVries. All rights reserved.