They told me that I would stay safe
From Hell’s blazing fires
If I walked straight on the path
And recited my prayers.
But huge distractions came my way
As sights and sounds and smells
And my thoughts no longer dwelt
On the burning fires of Hell.
I found friends who had been told
Of other Gods and skies
But they too chose to run away
From the sacred and the wise.
We drew close and held hands
To form a sheltered loop
And we moved to a secret tune
Like dancers in a troupe.
We felt our hearts with sunbeams fill
And heard music from a flute
We knew the tingle and the thrill
Of a prayer so strong , yet mute.
I no longer fear the fires of Hell
But this I do believe
Heaven is in the here and now
It’s there in the way we live.