Part 20 (1/2)

Above the thunder of Thy Thunders, Lord, Lightening Thy Lightnings, Rings and roars The dark d.a.m.nation Of this h.e.l.l of war.

Red piles the pulp of hearts and heads And little children's hands.

Allah!

Elohim!

Very G.o.d of G.o.d!

Death is here!

Dead are the living; deep--dead the dead.

Dying are earth's unborn-- The babes' wide eyes of genius and of joy, Poems and prayers, sun-glows and earth-songs, Great-pictured dreams, Enmarbled phantasies, High hymning heavens--all In this dread night Writhe and shriek and choke and die This long ghost-night-- While Thou art dumb.

Have mercy!

Have mercy upon us, miserable sinners!

Stand forth, unveil Thy Face, Pour down the light That seethes above Thy Throne, And blaze this devil's dance to darkness!

Hear!

Speak!

In Christ's Great Name--

I hear!

Forgive me, G.o.d!

Above the thunder I hearkened; Beneath the silence, now,-- I hear!

(Wait, G.o.d, a little s.p.a.ce.

It is so strange to talk with Thee-- Alone!)

This gold?

I took it.

Is it Thine?

Forgive; I did not know.

Blood? Is it wet with blood?

'Tis from my brother's hands.

(I know; his hands are mine.) It flowed for Thee, O Lord.

War? Not so; not war-- Dominion, Lord, and over black, not white; Black, brown, and fawn, And not Thy Chosen Brood, O G.o.d, We murdered.

To build Thy Kingdom, To drape our wives and little ones, And set their souls a-glitter-- For this we killed these lesser breeds And civilized their dead, Raping red rubber, diamonds, cocoa, gold!

For this, too, once, and in Thy Name, I lynched a n.i.g.g.e.r--

(He raved and writhed, I heard him cry, I felt the life-light leap and lie, I saw him crackle there, on high, I watched him wither!)

_Thou?_ _Thee?_ _I lynched Thee?_

Awake me, G.o.d! I sleep!

What was that awful word Thou saidst?

That black and riven thing--was it Thee?