They tell me there is no heaven
on earth.
But I have found pieces
that resemble it
and have put them together
with a bonding agent
made of hope and faith.
And love,
that when the sun strikes it
in a certain way,
the whole picture
comes alight,
as something
from another place.
They tell me there is a heaven
but its not here.
While I am certain that I have
cast out my line
and drawn an ocean like the tide,
or the sky’s blue expanse
around me like a wrap.
They tell me heaven
is far away.
But I think despite what we are warned,
that sometimes we need look into the sun,
rather than away.
Then we might find what we are seeking
holds us in its gaze.
And as the sea reflects the blue sky
so that on a perfect day
we can’t see a defined edge,
so heaven is imaged
in our humanness,
and our glory
mixed in
with the earth’s.
Ana Lisa de Jong
October 2017
Image: Tolagoa Bay, East Cape, NZ
Living Tree Poetry 