That Quick

A lover looks at creekwater

and wants to be that quick to fall,

to kneel all the way down in full prostration.

A lover wants to die of his love

like a man with dropsy who knows

that water will kill him, but he cannot deny

his thirst. A lover loves death,

which is God's way of helping us evolve

from mineral to vegetable to animal,

each onward form incorporating the others.

The animal becomes Adam,

and the next stage will take us beyond

what we can imagine into the mystery

of We are all returning.

Do not fear death. Spill your jug into the river.

Your attributes will disappear,

but the essence moves on.

Your shame and fear are like felt layers

covering coldness. Throw them off

and rush naked into the joy of death.