Draw near and listen closely
For this is a matter of life and death
A month ago, I sat on a bench at liberty park
A cold wind sent shivers up my spine
Yet I would not leave for I was expectant.
For what, I knew not. 

Suddenly, a man occupied the other end of my bench 
He looked strangely ageless, and eternally wise.
Upon my lap sat the book “The immortals”.
“Ah! Immortality!” He said.
“The desire of kings and paupers alike.
Everyone wants to go to heaven, but no one wants to die”

A strangled laugh caught in my throat 
For it was as if he read my thoughts
He was neither black nor white
Middle-eastern perhaps 

Into the silence, I felt compelled to speak
“I would die right here, right now” I said. 
“If I was certain heaven would accept me
For the devil and his traps ensnare me more regularly than I cared to count.”

“Interesting that you should mention the devil” he said. 
For I too wander too and fro
But a distinction I must make
I have no interest in the souls of men
But I take pleasure in the flesh of bulls and rams

So let us consider immortality:
From the beginning of time, men have sought it.
Kings from the west, and emperors from the east.
Ordinary men and women from all walks of life. 
Yet none have found it. 
No, not one. 
None remain, they are all dust. 
All. Is. Dust.

But if you would receive it, Lazarus still roams the earth.
Even from the days of Elijah till this very day, there are three others:
    1. The widow’s son at Zarephath;
    2. he that received life from the bones of Elisha;
    3. the widow’s son of Nain;
For it is appointed unto man to die once, and once only.

I see your interest. Would you be immortal too? 
If so, three things you must do:
    1. You must look into the face of God.
    2. You must swim the endless sea.
    3. You must eat the fruit of heaven.
But three questions you must answer:
    1. Can you look into the face of God and yet live?
    2. Do you know where the endless sea flows?
    3. What is this “fruit of heaven”?

For the life of me, I believed him. 
And as he stood up and took his leave,
I asked the only thing that came to mind
“Who are you?”

“You know who I am.” He said.
“But if you must, then I will.
Abraham paid me tithe.
I was the king of Salem.
I have no beginning of days, and no end of life. 
I was here when the world was dark and without form.
I will be here when the world passes away”

And then, he was gone. 

02/13/2023 11:12PM