We were born a light within pain
Reckoned in spasms of a tender night
A knowledge Child from infinite origin
Born bearing what came before Us –
So birth found Us quiet, like peace;
And twenty alive, like blood.

To the bright sun I leapt a friend
To grow in spurts from grass to tree
Till water wet my skin to flesh
For I burst to know We were my-Self;
No stranger breed outside Your school,
We swirl with embracing vibrance.

The streets We knew, hand and foot,
And running the hours to feel their touch
Our travel of land and sea and air
Grew till each thought proved
The grain with drop with draft became
A One-God world, a Rule.

Your caring freedom reined Our growth
Where frequent jumps sought clear joys …
The moment waited year to year
Till a vision swiftly caught my eye:
Quiet and in music conceived,
We bundled into Love’s womb.

Within We grew to wider spheres,
You poured Us out meshing
Into one beaker becoming Oneself
Knit and sentient, earth-like Human –
We toiled till I knew Our pregnant Mind
Open and secure, bud-hard and naked.

A Law against Our good bud stood,
A Church Air ruled Our heart “too pure”,
I forged and found Our Mindhood good
But lipped, as to a cup, on tragic life
Where necessity lives non-born
And Christ, her full ship, was seen.

Estranged light filled this strange Man,
When from my eye His Life-light broke
Into my grasp and All Three We roamed
Till an old Church Step too bright
Tripped into drumming chaos
Miles done wild in honest passion.

10,000 run miles end slow
In quickened quips and signs
Where rules are matters of the mind
Life is spread out fine, full depth –
A fault becomes a happy fault –
Twining We enter a deeper dream.

Our final touch of trees and rocks,
I reached – You pushed –
Far into this life, I and You, eternal,
Know love present and nothing foreign:
You taught me Our Mind –
Come, Spirit, let Us love Together…

The Imaginative Conservative applies the principle of appreciation to the discussion of culture and politics—we approach dialogue with magnanimity rather than with mere civility. Will you help us remain a refreshing oasis in the increasingly contentious arena of modern discourse? Please consider donating now

We hope you will join us in The Imaginative Conservative community. The Imaginative Conservative is an online journal for those who seek the True, the Good and the Beautiful. We address culture, liberal learning, politics, political economy, literature, the arts, and the American Republic in the tradition of Russell Kirk, T.S. Eliot, Edmund Burke, Irving Babbitt, Wilhelm Roepke, Robert Nisbet, Richard Weaver, M.E. Bradford, Eric Voegelin, Christopher Dawson, Paul Elmer More, and other leaders of Imaginative Conservatism. Some conservatives may look at the state of Western culture and the American Republic and see a huge dark cloud which seems ready to unleash a storm that may well wash away what we most treasure of our inherited ways. Others focus on the silver lining which may be found in the next generation of traditional conservatives who have been inspired by Dr. Kirk and his like. We hope that The Imaginative Conservative answers T.S. Eliot’s call to “redeem the time, redeem the dream.” The Imaginative Conservative offers to our families, our communities, and the Republic, a conservatism of hope, grace, charity, gratitude, and prayer.

All comments are moderated and must be civil, concise, and constructive to the conversation. Comments that are critical of an essay may be approved, but comments containing ad hominem criticism of the author will not be published. Also, comments containing web links or block quotations are unlikely to be approved. Keep in mind that essays represent the opinions of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Imaginative Conservative or its editor or publisher.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email