Salvation Poem by John Lars Zwerenz

Salvation

We take upon ourselves the sins of the world,
Yet the world cannot suffer us;
They cannot suffer us to be amongst them.
For we are the opprobrium of the world.
We are as lepers, and we are outcasts;
Our breath is offensive to their eyes.
Our steps, like cathedral bells,
Protrude as eternal rings
From the center of the sea,
And call unto their minds such mystery.
For the walking dead are we -
Proof of that happy Kingdom
Which to them means never - never land:
A condition impossible to attain,
From a cause they will never have to deal with,
In their profound denial of indifference.
For sayeth the fools: 'I do as I will,
For I shall never die,
And of God - there is nothing.'

John Lars Zwerenz