by Edward Holmes
DEATH WILL NOT BE YOUR NAME
I did not ask to be pressed
down into corrupted ground. Found far from
groves sharing similitude
and interlocking roots;
familial trees
like quaking aspen armies.
And yet I live this life
alone
to grow, to live, to thrive,
to die
with ancient, crooked roots
deep and dirty digging down,
spread wide as my barren crown.
Generations of gnarled iniquity.
Knotted knuckles beneath me.
Their sins! Their secrets!
My roots! My heritage.
Anchoring me to desolation.
Mycelium-veined and hollowed,
perforated worm-fodder,
Home for the Sons of Consumption.
And out from my withering core
I cried out to the Sower.
Death encroaching within my vessel for
Him to save what I have left.
And the Sower heard my cries,
knelt down beside
me, holding on tight
He takes a knife
to three living branches;
the last of what I am now in his hands,
and with care he cuts, and carves
and quietly calls out
“Scion…
Death will not be your name.”
Grafting these three to the Olive Tree,
He turns to me to gently speak:
“I will make oil run down
from these shoots
to new roots.
Their young boughs, heavy and humble with
abundant life, no longer
disjointed,
now anointed. Appointed for greater
beyond corruptible seed
but bound to me.
Eternally.”
I languish,
yet live to hear the Sower speak for generations,
when the wind blows. Holy whispers of hope,
in the leaves of these bountiful branches.
Their Life! Their freedom!
My roots. My legacy,
now grafted to the Father
are my sons, my daughter.
Deeply rooted and hallowed.
EDWARD HOLMES
Edward Holmes is a writer on a mission to spread hope into hearts through the written (and often spoken) word. He has written children's books, devotionals, and poetry collections. He shares new poems weekly through his podcast Life Lines. His writing is hopeful, humorous, and honest—all fueled by black coffee and dark chocolate.
Edward has an affinity for practical theology and biblical apologetics, previously serving as an evangelist and youth minister for seven years in Missouri. He currently resides in Illinois with his wife and kids, living every day with four reasons to keep hope alive. Edward is also a contributor at TheWayBack2Ourselves.com and co-host and producer of The Way Back Podcast’s Poetry Corner and The Way Back Podcast.
If you find him online, say "Hi!" He'd love to strike up a conversation with you. You can find him on Substack at holmeswriter.substack.com.