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To Burn and Be Baptized
by Jared OrlandoI came to the place
where the fire met
the mouth of the river
and hoped
in one fell swoop
to burn and be baptized.
A man in a hood
made my clothes disappear
and figures with dragging feet
and no faces
came out of the clouds
holding candles
(or were they floating?).
I became encircled
as I closed my eyes
out of fear and not comfort
while the fire got higher
and the water got rougher.
I felt my body collapse,
flames on my right,
waves on my left,
my eyes imploding,
my eyebrows singeing.
My skin began to recede -
all feeling in my body
gone.
My hands crumbling,
ready to soak into the ground.
When the wave crashed
it took my pile of ashes,
sent them over white caps.
Rushing down
I was turning into molecules.
I woke up after the waterfall.
My hair was longer
and my beard was gone.
Naked I walked
through the underbrush
while the sun began to rise. 04/15/2016 Posted on 04/15/2016
Copyright © 2024 Jared Orlando
| Member Comments on this Poem |
| Posted by Uriel Tovar on 04/16/16 at 12:38 AM woah. talk about intense |
| Posted by Chris Sorrenti on 04/20/16 at 05:52 PM Wow! Quite the write and read Jared. Kept me on the edge of my seat from start to finish. Kudos! |
| Posted by George Hoerner on 04/21/16 at 09:20 PM Now, is it true that one must "believe" before one can experience this or is it open to all of us? |
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