The Death And Resurrection Of Princess Rachel Hope

[rach]

There was a mum and a dad and baby Rachel ("the princess")   A fortunate child!  And the world was full of dreams........

 

Between the idea
And the reality
...
Falls the Shadow

But then there was a gruesome occurrence, an accident of fate.  "Princess" survived, orphaned and scarred and no longer anybody's "princess"

 

For Thine is the Kingdom

 

Into a new world, a strange world, a fast & cruel world, into the white world, attending sunday school, meeting a god I never met before

 

For Thine is the Kingdom

 

Be careful to obey all these regulations I am giving you, so that it may always go well with you and your children after you, because you will be doing what is good and right in the eyes of the LORD your God.

 

Father forgive me, I know we should have followed your ways, or none of these things would have happened, but you are loving Lord, forgive me.  I will learn to walk in your ways so that I may be blessed like your other children.

 

Between the conception
And the creation
...
Falls the Shadow

 

A sinners prayer, a new Rachel is born, the old Rachel passes away

 

No more feathers, no more songs, no more books, no more silliness

Just stiff skirt and empty eyes and "Jesus loves me, Jesus loves me"

 

The eyes are not here
There are no eyes here
In this valley of dying stars
In this hollow valley
This broken jaw of our lost kingdoms

 

But the spirit of the old Rachel calls out from deep inside "remember yourself, remember yourself"

 

Sightless, unless
The eyes reappear
As the perpetual star
Multifoliate rose
Of death's twilight kingdom
The hope only
Of empty men

 

So the Bible is tucked away on the dresser, and as if by the power of nature, Rachel awakens to her new self, broken and strong, white and red, believer and nonbeliever, sun and moon, dreams and nightmares, chaos and calm, despair and hope, diamonds and eagle feathers

 

For hers is the life, for hers is the kingdom

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[stryper]

[RenaissanceWoman]

Wow. Just... WOW.

[MerryG]

Wow. Just... WOW.

 

My reaction, too. Beautiful. Erudite. Tragic. Hopeful. One of the most moving things I've read here. Thank you, rach, for writing that, posting that, and reminding me that old, dimly recalled poetry has meaning in real life.

[RipVanWinkle]

Beautiful.