DIVINE MERCY IN THE DARK NIGHT OF UNKNOWING

It’s early morning and

the crafty enemy

crouches and waits,

like a hungry lion ready

to devour my world,

with worthless worries;

in the neutral zone,

transitioning out of sleep,

I lie in bed with my eyes closed,

and my mind gradually

awakens into the

nebulous fog

of fear.

My day begins

in the dark night of unknowing.

The enemy tries to strangle me

with multitudinous doubts:

about time,

about interruptions,

about irate people,

about conflicts,

about coertion,

about expectations,

about performance,

about success,

about reputation,

about ability,

about sales,

about money,

about choices,

about decisions,

about relationships,

about rejection,

about knowledge,

about honesty,

about truth.

The fog of failure threatens

in the dark night of unknowing.

With my eyes still closed,

still in the neutral zone,

I am in the darkness;

but the Light is there,

though my mind’s eye

cannot yet see it,

so I reach out in faith and

place myself in the presence

of the good God,

then I invoke the Holy Spirit,

and in my mind

I sing a hymn of praise;

suddenly, through the cloudy mist

like a distant diamond

I see the sparkling of the

Morning Star.

The Light twinkles

in the dark night of unknowing.

Our Lady sweetly

and gently

draws near to me,

in a tunnel of dazzling

Son-shine;

she warmly smiles at me

with her angelic aquamarine eyes,

and her soft hair

and her majestic mantle

blow in the balmy breeze

of the Spirit;

and she lovingly clasps

her own warm hands

around mine,

and then tenderly

embraces me,

with the limitless love

of the Lord.

The Light shines

In the dark night of unknowing.

Next she places a radiant

little candle

in my right hand,

and points to her only Sun,

Christ the Courageous;

she sweetly whispers to me,

and then, together,

we humbly kneel down

and offer prayers

of complete surrender

to Our Lord and King --

the flame of my little candle

dances with delight.

The Light bursts forth with

merciful rays of red and white

in the dark night of unknowing.

Then the fog of fear evaporates

and my heart leaps

with confident joy.

The dark night of unknowing

has been triumphantly

transformed into

the bright light where

God’s love is flowing:

Jesus, I trust in You!

THE JEWELER'S SHOP

A tribute to St. John Paul II

The dark one whispers fear

Into my restless ear,

In his wicked black cauldron,

He tries to stir up trouble

To totally burst my bubble,

He seduces me with his 

Black lies and accusations,

Again and again and again;

If I choose to listen to him,

Then my heart is paralyzed

By a lightning bolt of terror,

And, like Adam, I begin to

Rashly point my finger,

Blaming, complaining,

Sucked into the tempest 

Of temptation and sin.

But if I follow the Divine Dove,

The Wind of the Spirit blows

Sweetly towards Our Lady of Love,

And there -- ah, yes! -- there,

I hand her my fears, unhesitatingly,

And she prayerfully brings them

To the Divine Jeweler who molds

Them in the Divine Furnace

Of the Most Holy Trinity,

and He transfigures them

Into breathtakingly beautiful

Sparkling diamonds,

Reflecting His magnificent light,

And thus, fear is annihilated,

As Light scatters the darkness,

As Perfect Love drives out fear:

Jesus, I trust in You!

LIGHT SHINES IN THE DARKNESS

The people are suddenly 

Caught in a stampede in

The Dark Night, frightened

And frozen by the invisible

Pack of phantoms who follow

Their wild-eyed leader,

Whose malicious black

Breath ravages the globe

With the stench of pestilence,

Whose powerful jaws 

Tear the sweet flesh of the

Innocents in the womb,

Whose bloody horns 

Twist and mangle the

True meaning of marriage;

But God hears the weeping

And wailing of His beloved 

Children, who cry out in pain

And suffering, imploring the

Father Forever to send His

Holy Spirit upon the world;

So the Dove of Divine Mercy

Descends upon our beloved 

Blue planet, circling it at the

Speed of Light, over and over,

And leaving in its wake a

Glorious halo of pure white

That burns through the grey 

Clouds of doom and despair;

The Beast sees the sign in the

Heavens and flees immediately,

Terrified, utterly terrified, at

The arrival of the Holy One.

DIVINE UNION WITH THE DIVINE MERCY

My soul surrenders to

The Spirit’s tender embrace,

And Love sweetly surges

Through my being with the

Warm wine of holiness;

With indescribable delight

My humbled heart

Bursts with heavenly joy,   

Burning with passion for

The Crucified Christ,

Yearning for union with

The Divine Mercy.

CONQUERED BY THE DIVINE MERCY

Dark tempests savagely surged

through the sullen black sky,

searching for saints to devour,

desperately trying to demolish

and destroy the City of Light;

but the valiant Church Militant

launched their weapons of war,

and their faithful, fervent prayers

speared through the startled sky,

piercing it like holy missiles; then,

The Divine Mercy shone through,

in all His dazzling brilliance,

with great power and glory,

and the stunned storm clouds

retreated into the Great Abyss.

O MOST PRECIOUS SACRED HEART

O most precious Sacred Heart, 

Pierced by Longinus’ Roman dart;

Your blood flows through all the land,

Quenching our thirst in the desert sand;

Your heart can help the blind to see,

Even a really stupid fool like me;

Divine Mercy’s sweet love conquers all,

No matter how many times we fall.

A CAMEO OF CHRIST THE COURAGEOUS

I turn around and before me you stand,

  one whose robe is dazzlingly white,

On your head is a glistening gold crown,

  set with gemstones radiant and bright;

With great love, you bestow your peace upon me,

  through your wonderfully warm brown eyes,

Your merciful smile cheers my heart,

  so that my soul can most sweetly arise;

In the joyful breeze of the Holy Spirit,

  your flowing hair so very gently swirls,

In my heart I totally surrender to you,

  and for you this is a treasure of pearls.

THE DOVE OF DIVINE MERCY

The Holy Spirit,

The Light of the Universe,

Travels at the speed of eternity,

And when He passes through

The Sacred Heart of Jesus,

The Dove of Divine Mercy is

Transfigured into dazzling rays

Of red and white that pierce

My soul and energize it with

The Holy Lightning of Love.

ASH WEDNESDAY

Misty grey flakes of melancholy ash

Fall in my dark, gloomy sky as I

Somberly reflect on the approach of

The dreaded and deadly pestilence;

As I examine my life, I realize that

Truly I’ve crucified the Lord of Glory

Through my solitary selfishness and

Through my treacherous tongue;

But after my discipline in the desert,

The Light of the Divine Mercy

Will shine in dazzling brilliance

And quickly warm my cold heart.

COLORS

My life was a grey overcast,

Punctuated by deadly

Black storms that brought

Me nothing but terror and doom:

Wicked white lightnings and

Fierce hellish hurricanes

Made me shudder with fear;

But now my life is a glassy blue

Marian sea whose waves

Caress me with great tenderness,

And the gentle Winds of the Spirit

Lead me to the Harbor of Heaven,

Where the royal red blood of

Divine Mercy redeems my soul.

DIVINE MERCY AT PEYTO LAKE

As I struggle up the steep path,

My legs now feel much heavier,

And I wonder if the view will really

Be worth the arduous journey;

I see a sage old man approach,

Bearded like one of the prophets,

When I ask if I should continue,

He winks at me and nods yes;

Finally, when I reach the summit,

I behold the Valley of Heaven -- 

I breathe the Holy Spirit into my

Soul, and then exhale a smile;

The snow-capped mountains

Glisten in the warm soothing Light,

As the lovely lake glimmers from 

The Divine Mercy rays of the Son.

DIVINE MERCY AT MORAINE LAKE

It is a bright beautiful morning in the

  crisp clean air of the Canadian Rockies,

We ascend as I drive up a wonderfully

  windy road past babbling brooks,

The two of us are together, in the car that

we affectionately refer to as the “Tin Can”;

After reaching the sunny summit,

  we gently roll into the Valley of the Ten Peaks;

We finally arrive at the large lake and 

  look up at the regal ring of mountains,

Yet I feel slightly saddened because

  somehow it’s less than I expected;

A lodge that looks like a big log cabin

  stands silently like a sentinel near the water,

We decide to dine there and enjoy a 

  delightful bit of roast beef for lunch;

The savory flavor of my sandwich lingers

  in my mouth, as I think about my morning,

I try to cunningly convince myself that 

  I’m not disappointed, but I know that I am. 

Departing for our next destination,

  I wistfully walk towards our little car,

But as I look to the right, I see a

  tar-black hill with a winding trail upon it;

The people look like pilgrims as they

  make their way up the mysterious mound,

Curiosity gradually grows within me as I 

  ponder, puzzled, where the path leads;

So I investigate and struggle up the steep

  trail, tripping occasionally on rock and rubble,

But when I get to the top, I am frozen

  with fascination as I behold the view;

Above me is a diadem of snow-tipped peaks,

  gleaming with the glory of God,

Below me is the pristine lake, and it is

  shimmering and sparkling like a gemstone;

It appears as if millions of sapphires

  and emeralds have melted into liquid,

And the blue-green color of the 

  lovely lake is luminous in the sunshine.

My senses are suddenly soaked in Your

  Holy Spirit’s lasting love, and I feel Your beauty,

At this moment, nothing else matters,

  and I only long to be close to You;

At this moment, I am oblivious to my past,

  and I am oblivious to my future,

I am living in the eternal and

  mystical present of the great I AM;

You are Holy Humility, You are

  Magnificent Mercy, You are Limitless Love,

And with Your divine sense of humor,

  You really are the God of surprises.

A MISSION OF DIVINE MERCY

As I gradually look up,

  I see luminous rose petals

Fall gently and delicately

  From the sky like snow,

Eucharistic-white

  In the deep dark night.

My mission is prayer

  In the dark night of the unseen,

My mission is surrender

  In the dark night of unknowing,

My mission is love

  In the dark night of the cross.

The path before me is

  Strewn with radiant roses that

Glow like glorious lamps,

  So I faithfully travel it and find

The Eucharistic Light

  That transfigures the dark night.

THE OCEAN OF DIVINE MERCY

I hesitantly open the door

of the confessional and

to my utter surprise

I see a beach before me:

as I approach the waters

of gentle aquamarine,

my hot feet, crusty

and blackened with

guilt, are cleansed by

Jesus’ holy hands;

He leads me into the ocean,

whose welcoming waves

of delightful divine mercy

kiss and caress my soul,

cooling and refreshing me,

and peace and joy

rush through me, and

as love ripples and rhymes,

sweetening my soul,

I am born again.

THE CHAPEL OF DIVINE MERCY

My Via Dolorosa

has brought me here,

so I drag myself into

the dark chapel,

my body weakened

under the weight of

my crosses and woes,

and I am hopeless.

But here, kneeling,

my hands knotted together,

deep in prayer,

I surrender all to Him,

and, behold, a soft light

like that of a little candle

emanates from the

holy tabernacle.

Then as it gradually

intensifies and brightens,

the wick of my soul is lit,

and I relax in His presence,

my heart smiling as I am

completely enveloped in

the luminous Sonshine

of Divine Mercy.

divine mercy: ENLIGHTENED BY THE HOLY EUCHARIST

I stagger and stumble        

and struggle through life,    

my brain twisted into knots    

by perplexing problems,         

by a delirium of doubts,    

by a flurry of fickle fears;    

so Our Lady of Love            

takes me by the hand        

and gently leads me to        

The Divine Mercy,        

where He is enthroned in His        

regal monstrance of gold,    

and I pour out my heart    

before His Holy Majesty;    

from His Most Precious Body    

two beams of bright light,    

both red and white,        

burn through the darkness,    

illuminating my mind,        

and the Truth has set me free.

THE CHALICE OF DIVINE MERCY

When I scourge you with my sins

But then ask you for forgiveness,

Your most treasured blood

Trickles like tears into my heart;

When my thorny sins crown you,

But then I tell you that I’m sorry,

Drops of your royal red blood

Sink soothingly into my spirit;

Then, when I sincerely surrender

My whole heart and soul to you,

My lance of love pierces you,

And your beautiful blood spills

In terrific torrents from your

Chalice of Divine Mercy,

And my thirsty soul drinks in the

Sweet new wine of the Spirit.

AN ACT OF THANKSGIVING: TO JESUS THROUGH MARY

To be prayed before sacred art depicting Our Lord’s Passion

All-powerful,

Most holy,

Most high,

And supreme God,

I am so sorry for hurting you:

I impudently spat upon your sorrowful face,

I violently scourged your most blessed body,

I scornfully crowned your holy head with thorns, 

I savagely kicked you when you fell with the cross,

I cruelly crucified your flesh with stinging nails;

In short, I have bitterly tortured you

With every single one of my sins against you.

I despise and abhor all my many sins,

Including any in the past

That I’ve withheld from you —

Mortal sins or venial sins —

Or never confessed honestly,

Or forgot about;

And I accuse myself of being guilty

Of high treason,

Against your Divine Majesty,

Deserving to be executed —

And exiled — 

Because my sins offend you,

Lord God,

Who are all good,

Supremely good,

Totally good,

Who alone are good.

You deserve only

My heartfelt love

And blind obedience

To your holy will.

Therefore, I hereby make

This declaration and resolution:

I am absolutely and utterly determined,

Through your sweet holy graces

And your unfathomable divine mercy,

To be your obedient slave,

Through Our Lady,

The Queen of All Hearts,

And to be your faithful servant,

Who with promptitude runs away

From the false enticements of all sin,

And the empty allure of all temptation.

Instead, I completely surrender myself

Into your warm embrace,

And with a humble heart,

Bountifully overflowing

With sincere thanksgiving

For your magnificent mercy,

I receive your loving 

Kiss of peace.

Amen.

CHRIST THE COURAGEOUS

Philovanitas didn’t want a spiritual life

  Where she had to follow lots of rules,

For her the Church was run by men

  Who were really a bunch of old fools;

A free life where she could decide

  Was her idea of sensible fun,

So she steered her ship into enticing seas

  While soaking up some sun;

But the evil one launched a surprise attack

  And thunder she started to hear,

A tempest rushed in with frantic fingers

  And tried to strangle her with fear;

Like demonic fireworks, lightning exploded

  Fanatically all across the sky,

And murderous rain came down like daggers,

  So it was impossible for her to stay dry.

Philovanitas was trapped like a captive

  At sea in a savage Storm of Deception,

She spun her ship around in the wild, wicked

  Wind and lost all sense of direction;

She was engulfed by the tangled, twisted

  Waves of venomous and violent temptation,

And so she paid the ultimate price

  For her silly pursuit of sensation;

She stood aghast in terror as the breakers

  Blasted against her vessel,

And her formidable foe was far too strong

  For her to ever even attempt to wrestle;

She said, “Oh, dear Lord Jesus, please please

  Rescue me from this frightfully horrid place,

I’m sincerely sorry for my sins and want

  Nothing more but to see your sweet face!”

She turned around and before her stood

  One whose robe was most dazzlingly white,

On His head was a glistening gold crown,

  Set with gemstones radiant and bright;

With love He compassionately caressed her

  With his wonderfully warm brown eyes,

And his mild, merciful smile rescued

  Her heart and made her spirits arise;

Then He looked up, thrust His arms into the air

  And commanded the storm to be still,

The tempest immediately retreated

  And was obedient to His holy will;

Back fled the thunderclouds, back fled

  The lightning bolts, to the dark abyss of hell,

The sun now shone cheerfully, the sea now

  Splashed gleefully, and all was well.

At this the evil one foamed at the mouth

  Like the monstrous madman Othello,

He wanted revenge and he wanted it now

  So he vehemently started to bellow;

In a gruesomely gravelly voice he raged,

  “All hands on deck! Attack! Attack!”

And as the pirate demons sped by,

  He gave each one a menacing whack;

The pirate demons loaded up their weapons,

  For the spiritual blitzkrieg was on,

Time was of the essence, otherwise

  Their opportunity might be all gone;

They boarded their ghastly ghost ships

  Like a swarming plague of flies,

They fanatically followed their emperor,

  And he be the Father of Lies.

Soon the ghost galleons’ powerful armada

  Half-surrounded Philovanitas’ ship,

The evil one stood up like a hunchback

  And was ready to crackle his whip;

Impatiently pacing, back and forth,

  He was like a lion that was ready to devour,

But when he saw the handsome Holy One,

  His attitude really turned sour;

With a slobbering spit of hot yellow sulphur,

  The evil one gave his sign,

And the pirate demons loaded their weapons

  While drinking some stale wart-hog wine;

The great Battle for Philovanitas’ Soul

  Was almost ready to commence,

And for the angelic crowd in the clouds,

  There was certainly growing suspense.

The Father most kind and gentle humbly

  Sent down the sweet Spirit of love,

Carrying a sword from the celestial heights,

  The Spirit was shaped like a dove;

He shot down from Heaven like a sunbeam

  Through a sky that was stunningly blue,

And He delivered the sword to Jesus,

  The Lord who makes all things new;

With a hilt of gold and a blade of steel

  The sword was razor-sharp,

And when Christ the Courageous swung it round,

  It sounded like a melodious harp;

Swinging the Sword of the Spirit was

  Something for which Jesus had a knack,

So He turned around, got in the ready position,

  And waited for the enemy to attack.

With that the devil’s hateful, hellish heart

  Burned like Halley’s Comet,

So he gave the signal to attack

  And sulphurous lava he began to vomit;

The demon archers with cryptic crossbows

  Shot electric arrows into the air,

The arrows buzzed like a swarm of sparkling

  Bees as they targeted Philovanitas’ hair;

But Jesus exhibited tremendous athleticism

  And certainly He frustrated His foe,

With His sword He deflected the electroarrows

  And they fizzed into the sea below;

The devil saw that the arrows were useless

  And it was time to turn to flaming missiles,

These are the kind that blaze through the air

  With terrifying and eerie whistles.

Jesus then changed His grip on the holy sword

  As if He would stab Death in the heart,

Then He flung the sword like a spiraling spear

  And it gave the devil a start;

When the sword struck the sea, there was a

  Blinding flash and a deafening sonic boom,

For the evil one and his pirate demons

  This could certainly only spell doom;

A supersonic shock wave swiftly fanned out

  Like Saturn’s colorful rings,

It explosively ripped through the devil’s galleons

  By the power of the King of kings;

The devil and his pirate demons were blown right back

  Into their dark, infernal pit,

And because of where they were painfully injured,

  They found it very hard to sit.

Jesus saw that the splintered wood from the

  Galleons was strewn all over the sea,

Troublesome temptation had been driven out

  And Philovanitas was finally free;

Jesus turned around and saw her trembling

  Because she had such a terrible fright,

So He took His bride into His arms

  And then embraced her very, very tight;

Jesus said, “Henceforth you shall be ‘Philothea’

  For now you love God above all,

I shall always love you as a treasure

  And be with you whenever you call”;

Then He tenderly kissed her cheek

  And she felt the softness of His bearded curls,

Never had Philothea felt so special,

  Even more precious than the rarest of pearls.

He pierced her soul with truest love,

  And her heart brimmed with Heavenly light,

Thanks to Christ the Courageous,

  Philothea’s spiritual eyes regained their sight;

With a peaceful smile on His face,

  The Lord wiped away her happy tears,

Her heart was so full of contentment

  And banished were all her fears;

She learned that freedom’s not freedom

  Without love and responsibility,

And avoiding the near occasion of sin

  Involves a lot of spiritual agility;

In the brisk balmy breeze, Jesus’

  Flowing hair so very gently swirled,

He said, “Behold I am with you always,

  Even unto the end of the world.”

THE MAGIC RIVER

A Prequel to “The Lady of Stellamare”

Act I

When Thaliela was six years old

And her sister Rosinella was five,

Petrio, the sage old prophet,

Paid an unexpected visit

To their happy family;

As they were all sitting

Around a fire on the hearth,

He told the young girls

What would happen when

They came of age.

If they chose well,

He said they were both

Destined to marry well,

To fine handsome young men,

And he explained the

Beautiful life that awaited them

When they finally came of age

At the ripe age of sixteen.

Rosinella clung tightly to

Every single word

That Petrio uttered,

While Thaliela was lost

In daydreaming and

Didn’t pay much attention.

When Petrio was almost finished,

He firmly cautioned each of them

Not to get distracted because

The river can be very deceptive;

He advised them to keep

Their attention and remain

Completely focused on

Safely reaching the promised one

That awaited each of them,

Always steering upstream

And not downstream,

But the impatient Thaliela

Didn’t hear a word he said.

Act II

There, in the distance,

Atop that mystical mountain,

Is a grandiose garden

That is ringed by a crown of

The most radiant roses;

From it gushes forth

A crystalline river

That sparkles in the sun

Like dazzling diamonds.

One day a dark-haired

Beauty who had

Glistening green eyes

Had come of age,

So she entered a little

Black boat and

Began to row.

It was Thaliela

And she looked forward

To finally meeting

Her future beloved

At the garden’s

Golden gate;

Indeed, far far above her,

Far beyond her view,

A fair-haired youth was standing

Amidst the glorious roses.

Thaliela started rowing

Uphill towards the garden —

That was the one thing

She did remember from Petrio —

But the water was so smooth

And so wonderfully silky

That she closed her eyes

And gradually fell asleep;

When she awakened,

Her boat had drifted

Far far downstream

From where she had started.

She noticed that the water

Had changed color and

Was now a pretty pink,

And she saw that

In the distance it

Was the fantastical and

Imaginative color of fuchsia.

Thaliela was captivated

By its vibrant color --

then fragrant fruit trees

Caught her attention,

And for quite some time

She became mesmerized by

The lush forest of fine fruit trees

That came right to the banks

Of the magical river;

The trees were loaded with fresh,

Sweet-scented tropical flowers

That bloomed forth like a

Veritable rainbow of color;

She closed her green eyes,

Smiled, and soaked in

These romantic delights with

A heart filled with wonder.

Act III

But she didn’t notice that

The river became steeper,

And the water was now

Traveling at a greater velocity;

Suddenly, Thaliela’s boat was jerked by

A powerful current that quickly

Snapped her out of her reverie;

Thaliela now found herself

Tumbling through blood-red rapids

That were alarmingly getting

Warmer and warmer;

A few minutes later,

The water was starting to boil,

And as she looked for an escape

To the shore, she saw to her dismay

That everything had

Dramatically changed;

Tall twisted trees,

Blackened and charred

By the intensifying heat,

Hung their weakened

Arms over the fiery-red

River, as if imploring Thaliela

To paddle back upstream;

But it was too late,

Soon her little boat became

Frightfully disfigured,

Melting like molten wax

In the lava-like flood;

The wicked waters raged into

The rapidly-darkening gloom,

While storm clouds savagely

Circled the mountain

And lightning,

Falling like jagged spears,

Lit up the malevolent sky.

Then Thaliela, with her bloodshot

Green eyes feeling like

They were going to explosively

Burst like globular bubbles,

Screamed in terror as she

Plunged over the edge of the

Cliff and tumbled into the

Open jaws of the abyss,

But her chilling shriek was

Silenced as she gradually disappeared

Into the fiery lake below.

Act IV

It was precisely one year

After the mysterious

Disappearance of Thaliela,

And so, now it was

Rosinella’s turn to enter

The river since she had

Come of age and was

Sixteen years old.

Although she had no

Idea of what had become

Of her sister Thaliela,

She remembered clearly

The words of Petrio;

So she entered a white boat

On the river with a degree of

Fear and trepidation,

Wondering what would

Happen to her next;

She immediately noticed

That she was beginning

To drift slowly downstream,

So she took up the paddle

And began to row,

Steering the little boat

In the opposite direction;

She did so patiently,

With her beautiful arms

Pulling long, slow, elegant

Strokes through the water;

And so Rosinella rowed

For hour after laborious hour,

And although she was tired,

For some inexplicable reason

She actually felt that

She was getting stronger;

Rosinella was so focused

On Petrio’s prophecy

That she didn’t notice

That the terrain had

Totally transformed;

The shining sun was soaked up

By the sugar-white beaches that

Now lined both sides of the river;

A balmy breeze caressed the

Surface of the water,

And even the water had changed

Into a cloudy pearl color,

Seeming to breathe in

The sunlight and absorb it;

Rosinella noticed none of

These things but continued

Pressing on towards her goal

Like a determined athlete.

When the sun set and night fell,

She finally paused to rest;

Reclining in the boat, she

Looked up into the starry sky;

Clusters of stars brightened and

Conquered the black of night,

Then, one by one,

Several moons of various

Colors and sizes rose

Above the horizon --

But the most beautiful

Of them was surrounded by

An exquisitely gold ring.

Rosinella allowed all of this

To soak deeply into

The depths of her soul,

And the next morning,

She awakened from

Her restful slumber

With renewed strength,

So she untethered the rope

That had prevented her from

Floating downstream,

And continued on her journey.

After a short while,

Her surroundings were

Transforming yet again --

She observed it all

With wonder and delight.

Act V

The sandy beach was

Gradually tapering off,

And it was replaced by

Rich, verdant lawns

Along the banks of the river;

Then she saw the summit

Of the mountain and

Noticed that it was crowned

By a resplendent garden.

This garden was ringed

By a crown of rose bushes,

And flowing from the center

Of the garden was a stunning

Waterfall that was translucent,

And its color was aquamarine pearl;

Behind the waterfall there was a

Wall of gold that was trimmed

With silver, and decorated with

Colorful gemstones of every hue,

sparkling brilliantly through

The crystalline waters of the

breathtaking waterfall.

So Rosinella paddled gently

Until she reached a small

Pier at the base, and there

She stepped out of her boat;

When she did so, she suddenly

Became aware that she now

Wore a gown that was

Dazzlingly white, and

It was embroidered with

The very same gems that

She saw behind the waterfall.

Rosinella began to ascend a

Spiral staircase of gold that

Was trimmed with silver,

And the handrails were adorned

With fine little diamonds that

Sparkled happily in the sun;

She heard a soothing greeting

And eagerly looked up.

She saw a handsome,

Dark-haired young man

By the name of Paolesco,

Who was also dressed in white,

And she greeted him with

A sweet smile and twinkling eyes.

Rosinella slowly walked

Up the staircase to the

Glorious garden above,

And it all seemed like

A lovely dream to her;

When she stood before him

Face to face,

He knelt down and

Slipped the finest of rings

On her innocent finger;

Then it was her turn to

Kneel before him, and

He gently placed a stunning

Diadem upon her head;

With that, the wind danced

Between the two of them,

Rushing through the garden

With great jubilation.

It was worth the wait for Rosinella --

Her happiness knew no bounds

As she prepared to fulfill her

Destiny in a grand new life.