Aslan (The Brigands Go The Other Way) Poem by Mary Angela Douglas

to Christ, the Lion of Judah

the brigands go the other way
calumny stares, stone-statue dead
at the white-frost crossroads

in my head
suddenly everything
turned to song.

white flowers staunched
the senseless wounds
where late and long my soul had bled
and I cannot relate to you
how suddenly the winter fled.

everything suddenly turned to song
the hand upraised struck down
at last

and evil's anvil hatched and passed
flowed by You into
silver stars

I wept at Your bright armies;
and I could only bow my head
when
wolfish sorrows stalked away

and shadow-puppet Scorn
knew Dread

suddenly everything turned to song
like a forever Easter-tide
and we were finally by Your side

and couldn't be overthrown-

mary angela douglas 7 february 2010

*Aslan: the figure of Christ in C.S. Lewis' fantasy, Narnia