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.
