Poem
Edward E FryYou were born wise and found innocence
Without forgetting the Word
All the seeing and remembering
Death and sacrifice
The joyous hell of living
The blind singer's vision
Everything within nothing.
You found the world to lose yourself
Child become man
Slaying of the father
Forsaking your birthland
A journey from nature to
Intelligent dead cities
Culture a shroud of bright steel
Crushing the free sounds
From which is extracted
An essence of High Art
Homelessness within homelessness
The blind singer sees and
Falls silent.
Steel become glass can shatter
Kristallnacht redeemed
Mind out of body seeking
Deserts ringing with song
Song in the burning air
Bloodrocks spewing freedom
Sheep on eternal hillsides
Children caressed with starlight
Return is more song than law.
A child dying in sunlight
Saddest of deaths, sadder than
Cooling parental hands
Surrounded with flowers
Let darkness hide the sadness
Let song deflect the knife
Bring home the blind singer
The Word will cloak the darkness
Wisdom of suffering innocence
Forgiveness to false gods
Atonement lasts forever
O bearded shepherd singer
Lead us through the darkness
Under the cleft rock
Past the barren springs
Into the innocent land
Where all things are remembered
Age comforts childhood
Childhood begets wisdom
Death and atonement buried
Under the sweet vineyards
Within hearing of the Word
The Word enters the land
Blood trembles on the mountains
The song becomes light.