Too Weak for Heaven

author’s note:

“Language--the ultimate high.”
        -- from the TV series Lodge 49

No, not the ultimate.  But pretty darn good.


TOO WEAK FOR HEAVEN

Some say
in Heaven you can smoke
as many cigarettes as you wish
without any harmful side effects

but why would we crave tobacco

or any other pleasure?--
this ice cream, though velvety
could never match Heaven's relentless love.

No one would hanker for a drug
when filled with the ecstasy
of Heaven above.

But maybe in short time
such perfection overwhelms us--
the flood of light
becomes much too much

and so in desperation, we jump
back down to Earth.

And when we land
we block Heaven from memory
to escape the pain of the loss.

Nonetheless
we sense we’ve fallen off
and so, search for activities
that give us a little lift:

yes, we’ve created
a myriad of substitutes
and not just bad stuff--
much of what we’ve found
is actually quite good for us--
for instance
rising in harmony with an angelic choir
or
finding our way
through the labyrinth of a cave.

Or maybe we sit down
on a mountaintop
hoping to satisfy
that muffled but incessant desire
deep within

and maybe if I wait long enough
I find a light that feeds my hunger.

But soon, I must climb back down
to tend to the demands of this human life.

However...to be honest
sometimes I jump down
because I feel overwhelmed
by the small bit of heaven I’ve found--
even the light available on Earth
can seem too much to bear.

Will I ever be strong enough
to give myself up?
To surrender?

I doubt I will
but I’m still going to work
to find that courage--

as long as I know
I’m pursuing a higher goal
I can smile as I mop
this dingy kitchen floor.

mythsteps · Too Weak for Heaven

Listening to Silence: poetry ebook
dream steps blog
myth steps blog
you tube channel
© 2022, Michael R. Patton