Written in May 2010 / Revised April 2020
Trumpets blast and Heaven opens, light shoots through,
Gods of all the Kingdoms smile now anew,
Legions of celestial soldiers stand, salute,
Drumbeats sound between the flourishes of flute,
Cherubs and celestial maidens spread their flowers,
Time himself relaxes for these joyous hours,
Earth’s inhabitants are silenced in their minds,
Dazzled by what history’s next chapter finds.
Never did they dare imagine that the cosmos
Is alive itself, and has a meaning so close,
Pure and simple as the three words Zhen-Shan-Ren,
Precious springtime blossoms in the world of men.
Eyes then open after their first meditation;
Petals blowing homeward leave a sweet sensation.
Evan Mantyk is President of the Society and teaches English literature and history in the Hudson Valley region of New York. His most recent publication is a book of his poetry, Heroes of the East and West.