The Heavenly Gate
By John Herlihy

I must now step forward,
Then I will quietly wait.
I see there before me
The shining, pearly gate.
The sun has descended,
The moon has arisen.
The stars in the heavens
Look down in derision.

The angel of death
Will silently descend.
The trumpet will blow
As my heart is rend.
The heavens will open,
Celestial light will appear.
As God will now reveal
The mystery we held dear.

My destiny unfolds
As each day has begun.
I become the witness
To the things I have done.
I am the seer, the hearer.
The one who never foretold.
The song about to be sung,
The story about to unfold.

That once upon a time,
An innocent child was born.
Gained entrance to the world,
From his mother’s womb torn.
He had his one life to live
With everything to gain.
To make his personal offering,
Thru joy, suffering and pain.

Truth now made manifest,
I must suggest and accept.
When bud becomes bloom,
I do reflect and remember.
The Judge raises His hand
To firmly strike the gavel.
For one final moment,
I can watch my life unravel.

A voice across heaven boomed,
I bowed my head as if doomed.
A question: what have you done;
An answer: a web of intrigue spun.
“What did you achieve,” He asked?
I am now left with one final task.
“I lifted Your the veil,” I replied.
A Benevolent God simply sighed.

We will never know the full extent,
The ocean depths of God’s true intent.
Birth is but a human life newly born,
Resurrection is a life fully adorned.
The life beats to its heart’s content,
The soul’s life knows what it meant.
Time but waves on eternity’s shore,
The world defers to so much more.