Solomon
by Burl Horniachek
Solomon by Burl Horniachek The greatest of all sons arose, the longed for prince of peace, whose kingdom shall not come to close or ever know decrease. From all around the people come to hear this young man speak, whose wisdom strikes the learned dumb and satisfies the meek. Wise men and kings come from the East to hear this King of Jews speak proverbs laced with all the yeast a perfect wisdom brews. His knowledge saves the little child an evil one has claimed, for justice’ sword is not beguiled by malice unashamed. Upon a hill he sets a house to be the second Eden, where Yahweh deigns to bring his spouse when love is in its season. The cedars are the temple beams, the rafters made of fir, and from that mountain wisdom streams when love begins to stir. For wisdom dwells in heights above where ice and snow are swirled and must come melted down by love if it would flood the world. He is the vine whose grapes are bursting, the granary that’s full, the spring that quenches all the thirsting mouths of his people. He gathers many precious jewels from out the sea of nations, and makes great use of foreign tools to carve his habitations. The many peoples now do flow up to God’s holy hill, who love his house and seek to know the fullness of his will. God takes his countless, countless brides from out of all the nations, and glory for them all provides to shine like constellations. All there are welcome at that feast, from every tongue and nation; his light shall fill all West and East, each crack in all creation.
Burl Horniachek is a Canadian teacher, poet and translator, and the editor of To Heaven's Rim, a major anthology of world Christian poetry. He was born in Saskatoon and grew up south of Edmonton. He studied Ancient Near Eastern Studies (Hebrew/Ancient Israel) at the University of Toronto and creative writing at the University of Alberta with Nobel Prize winner Derek Walcott. He currently lives near Winnipeg, with his wife, a surgeon, and their two kids.
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