Glimpsed sight of her in a white ermine coat
Slashing through the forest, eyes glinting
Savagely at me, as if caught in something.
She shuddered and took flight, calling out
Wildly, ruthless, a primitive cry that echoed 
Among the silent pines. A chill like a blade
Went through me, to hear her: “Hear now,
Ye bondsmen: My time has come. Frozen
Shall be the waters, entombed in stone
Shall be all that was green and living. Mine
Shall be the red blood, slowed in slumber:
Death’s hour comes apace, let all stand-
Stand and await him, ensconced in crystal
Chandeliers of icy witness. Despair ye!”
Below her terrible orbit, alight with blue flame,
The plowman crumpled by his ruined turf,
The bard alone by the cold hearth, songless, 
The king bowed to the Northman’s terror,
The peasant’s cloak too short for his bed.
All life entombed in pure white silence.

Yet in the throes of all this ruin, one single
Spark of light, one heartbeat of hope, one
Stand against the onslaught of the grey sky:
“He is not here; He has risen.“

Alleluia! Amen.

Author: Jeremy Vogan

My name is Jeremy Vogan. I live in Staunton, VA with my wife and four kids. I love to write, and seek to honestly explore the intellectual and emotional implications of following Jesus as a deeply broken person in a twisted, cruel world that is full of veiled beauty and meaning. Writing is part of how I faithfully look for Jesus Christ to someday make all things new. I'd enjoy hearing your feedback! JV