Walk through the gate. Follow the light.
I will be yours forever.
For you, my men will erect a castle
using crystal, marble and steel.
For you, the women shall sew garments
of silk decorated with golden threads,
glistening diamonds.
Come.
Walk through the gate.
Be mine.
“Tonya!” The young woman jolts awake. “Bring me them nails!”
She stands.The flour sack dress she’s been hand-stitching for a week falls to the dirt.
Squinting into the sun, she sees her man hammering together boards, building a one-room shack in a field of weeds.
She rubs her pregnant belly.
Smiles.
Life couldn’t be better.
Up From the Ashes 