All the Dead Heard His Voice

By Bryant Burroughs

---

All the dead heard his voice,
those in graves or the sea
or the place of the dead.
They all heard what he said
when he called a four-day man, 
as his sisters named him,
their grief outweighing faith. 
They had sent a desperate note:
“The one you love is terribly sick and needs you.” 
But it was too late.
Death makes cruel things of love and hope,
for what good is hope if God
chooses to stand afar off?

He stood facing the black hole
and touched the cave’s cold cleft.
The dead don’t stay dead forever, he said.
          And they will come out,
          leaping for joy
          and laughing that all is well.
Death, I hear your laughter.
You laugh at these little ones wrecked by grief.
You laugh at their tears and their sorrow. 
I’m coming for you, Death.
You think you’re coming for me, but I’m coming for you.
I am your Destroyer! And you, Death, will be no more.
          None shall wander, all shall abide
          when Death’s grip is cast aside
          and the prison gates of Hades open wide.

I shout to you, friend Lazarus, come out here!
And the one called came out,
death forgotten as if waking from a dream. 

---

Bryant Burroughs is a poet and short story creator whose work has appeared in online literary sites such as Agape Review, Clayjar Review, Pure in Heart Stories and Faith and Hope & Fiction. His first collection of poetry is published as Where Do My Words Go? Bryant lives with his wife Ruth and three cats in Upstate South Carolina.

Bryant's other work on Foreshadow:
The Widow Whose Son Lived (Fiction, July 2022)
The Youngest Day (Poetry, November 2022)
The Widow's Psalm (Poetry, February 2023)
The Leper and the Healer (Fiction, May 2023)
Pearls of Ignatius (Poetry, August 2023)
Song of the Star (Poetry, December 2023)
A Long Walk Toward God (Poetry, January 2024)