It is The Day of the Great King
A Poem for the Day of Trumpet Blasts [Yom T’ruah]
Copyright 2013, William G. Bullock, Sr., also known as ‘the Rabbi’s son’.
The sun is setting. The moon is rising.
The day of the Great King is upon us.
Thrones are set in place.
One stands out majestically, inspiring awe.
Throughout the earth thousands upon thousands
of crude trumpets made from ram’s horns
emit the four distinct notes of the King’s anthem
in choreographed sequence.
The Entourage of the King enters the palace.
Angels kneel. Elders bow.
The hearts of mighty men leap within their chests.
The lips of women of virtue quiver.
Children from all nations step forward as if on cue,
form circles, and begin to dance.
Princes and beggars, priests and prostitutes one by one
take off their outer robes and lay them lovingly
on the ground to prepare a straight way for Him.
Soon His Feet will tread this precious pathway.
Seals are broken. Fragrant oil pours forth.
Bowls of incense ignite.
And suddenly He is in our midst.
Lightning flashes. Thunder rolls.
The pillars shake.
The Voice of Many Waters cry out, as Deep calls unto Deep.
Waves and billows crash down on a sea as clear as glass.
Spontaneous songs of adoration begin to come forth
from every isle and continent of the earth.
At this the Light of the King’s Countenance
begins to shine like the sun.
His Glory begins to rise upon
and radiate from His People, wherever they are.
As the waters cover the sea, even so His glory
begins to cover the earth.
And then Heaven and earth fall silent.
The trumpet blasts cease. The songs of adoration die away.
A reverent hush falls over the world.
The appointed time has finally come for Man’s First Breath
to be remembered with gratitude,
commemorated with solemnity,
and returned as a thank offering through
the instrumentality of the ram’s horn
to the One Who gave it so long ago.
The fruit of the individual and collective breaths
the King’s chosen people have inhaled
and exhaled during the past year
is considered and honestly evaluated.
Commitments of t’shuvah burst forth
from the hearts and lips of the rich and the poor,
of the famous and the infamous,
and of the pious and the irreverent alike.
Tears flow.
Forgiveness is sought – and flows freely
to all who truly seek it –
for every kind of misuse
of the Precious Gift of the Breath of Life.
Reconciliations erupt.
Prodigals find their way home.
Laughter replaces tears.
The lives of millions of awestruck men,
women, and children are joyfully and passionately
surrendered afresh to the Service
of the Great Architect and Engineer of Life –
For He is altogether worthy and altogether good.
This is the Day of the Great King.
Eat the fat. Drink the sweet.
Give portions to the poor, the widow,
the fatherless and the foreigner.
This is the Day of His Coronation.
Let all the Earth rejoice!
Let every tongue confess!
Let His Will be done, and let His Kingdom come this Day –
on earth as it is in Heaven!
