The Great War

The German Caesar ravages the West,
The swastika obscures the Crucifix,
Until the hope of Freedom, last and best,
Removes the tyrant’s yoke, the fascist beast!
The Caesar of Japan destroys the East
The rising sun, as Re, ignites the throne,
Until the Western Knowledge cows the beast,
And Liberty alights the morning’s home.
The Russian Caesar ousts the old regime,
The crimson menace hunts the Orthodox,
The sword of Liberty need only gleam,
For men to break the wall of fascist rocks.
Beware the man who swallows Church with State,
For Tyranny and Death shall be his fate.
-Tyler William O’Neil
Written at the World War II Memorial at 0:19 on Sunday, June 28, 2009

The Voice Upon the Breeze

Upon this night, the clearest ever seen,
Upon the mist, unknown by senses keen,
A floating wind now passeth through the soul,
A waking breeze ignites a deadened coal,
A blazing soul hears mysteries untold,
As spirit burns anew, no longer cold!
A myriad of voices indistinct,
Still travels through the air, but somehow linked
To nature's purpose, our unending quest
To ere decipher better from the best.
This wisdom deep within the soul now wakes,
As spirits speak the ground within me shakes,
Such beauty ne're confined to speech so plain,
To utter meanings vast t'would be in vain!
The starlit moonlight ever shows its rays,
The cry of deepest sorrow ne're decays,
Yet on the silent curtain of the breeze
Lies wisest knowledge in between the trees.
The voice of him who traveled here and there,
The voice of all mankind upon the air,
Speaks in a tongue not known to modest Earth,
And still its meaning holds the utmost worth.
What bitter longings of the ages past,
Have echoed in your mind unto the last,
The farthest knowledge you can know, surpassed!
There lies the glory of what now is past!
For here, among our family and friends,
A longing of the past begins and ends,
For as the poet Homer sang the song,
I, with my pen, for beauty toil long.
And as Prince Hector longed for glory's peace,
Each man alive, does strive for honor sweet.
This now does melancholy claim as hers,
This spirit of the past, benign and curse,
For with the wisdom of the ages past
Does come sweet sorrow to the very last.
Alas, to feel the grief of those long gone,
Or listen to the dead's immortal song,
Does rise a pity sorrowful and true,
To think, this even may be said of you.
For as I read the Elegy's true words,
I feel ideas of old take flight as birds.
I, like to Grey, have reverence for the past,
And we must ever hope that this will last.
For when our words are sung in time afar,
To them we are as distant as that star.
To think, how will the airy voices sound,
When my soul joins them, rising from the ground?
To hear the whispers faint that I will bring,
It will, perhaps, incite a man to sing
And speak again of voices in the breeze,
Of mankind's voice in air among the trees.
-Jerusalemrising
-April 10, 2006

154 The Bridge of Death

A restless soul cries ever for the light-
His constant goal is not to be appeased-
‘Tis those who do not see that will have sight-
But those who shall not be are now deceased!
As Socrates said well, before his death,
‘The life that has a knell, do not prolong,’
If not a bridge, death has no greater wealth-
If ‘tis a ridge to nothing, life’s foregone!
Do not accept the pessimistic view-
‘Tis not adept to changing circumstance!
Afore the reaper reaps, none ever knew-
So live when body sleeps- not die, but dance!
Live not for gleeful cheer that shall be gone-
But search beyond the sphere- what shall live on?
© Jerusalemrising (Tyler O’Neil)
Written March 17, 2007

143 The Golden Death

Men cannot see the worth of many things,
Through misery he learns his discipline,
Injustice brings his will to conquer kings,
The Golden Death does kill to make divine!
For ever-lasting life on Earth is dull,
The ever-present strife sets each apart,
For no two men do share a life in full,
The time you spend is your eternal art.
What death imparts is human social worth,
When each departs, a part of Man is lost,
Thus Man must spread himself upon the Earth,
To share his single wealth a’fore ‘tis lost.
The individual is only great,
If death is in its full his sure escape.
© Jerusalemrising (Tyler O’Neil)
Written February 12, 2007

142 The Timely Death

Old Nietzche wrote upon the timely death,
His prophet spoke of those who die too young-
Yet some so very late, draw final breath,
Their souls too long did wait to sing the song!
The young do focus deep upon the Earth,
They haven’t time to weep their broken song-
Yet soon they know full well the depth of worth,
Yet never show, for they are “far too young.”
In hand and hand the virtue comes with vice-
True knowledge grand does walk with love of Earth,
For just as one may learn the best advice,
His soul begins to yearn to flee from worth.
The link with Earth grows hard and taut with age-
Comes fear with final card, not wisest sage.
© Jerusalemrising (Tyler O’Neil)
Written February 7, 2007

140 The Pain of Life

Old Nietzsche wrote of those who preach the death-
He ever spoke to show their foolishness,
Yet also did he speak of higher breath,
And greater life first seeks a death of less.
The preachers well convey the pain of life,
For each and ev’ry day the battles wage,
‘Tis in a man, or out that reigns the strife,
He cannot stand for loss or creeping age.
But Nietzsche spoke of newer men to come-
A life unbroke by strife and painful hue.
And yet we must transcend our present home
Our horrid lives must end, to live anew.
The soul can be reborn to newer life,
Yet first it must be torn to rip the strife.
© Jerusalemrising (Tyler O’Neil)
Written January 31, 2007

133 The Second Temporal Enigma

The flaws of man are numerous indeed,
Since time began, he does lament his wrong,
And yet he looses more in such a deed,
His short temporal store will soon be gone.
The self is not the same from time to time
Now lion strong, now lame, time takes its toll,
Each moment lost does hold a part of him,
'Tis living's cost, a limit on the soul.
Yet man's a fool, he cannot know the whole,
So time's a tool, to teach his empty mind,
The past illuminates his seeking soul,
As nearing death degrades his growing find.
Is time an evil curse, a theif of wealth,
Is ignorance not worse than death itself?
© Jerusalemrising (Tyler O’Neil)
Written on January 14, 2007

116 Eternal Life

The majesty mankind does ere possess
The victory we hold upon the earth,
Will fade as time declares our great distress,
And ever-present snares degrade its worth!
This loss is felt upon the heart of man,
In pain he knelt to question living’s worth,
To find a golden balm, the search began,
No answer came, no psalm to heal the Earth.
Above the trees is heard a silent call,
The great disease is broken in the mind,
For thoughts will never die, as bodies fall,
To others shall they fly, ‘tis you they find.
If one does seek in short to never die,
Then he must find his essence in the mind.
© Jerusalemrising (Tyler O’Neil)
-December 17, 2006

115 The Sweet Repose of Death

The vision of my corpse upon the sand,
The silent song of peace uplifted high,
The shout of captive freed beyond the land,
This shall be heard above the bluest sky!
It ever seems my destiny to flee,
To follow aft a passion false indeed,
Yet soon shall come a time of majesty,
When no temptation may remove the seed!
I flee and ere return to God the King,
A constant cycle shown in Judah’s past,
Yet soon the knell of wretched life will ring,
No need shall prompt return, at longest last!
Oh come, sweet death’s repose to free the soul!
I cannot wait ‘til spirit’s fin’ly whole!
© Jerusalemrising (Tyler O’Neil)
Written December 11, 2006

26 The Journey

All wish to travel far and wide,
Yet many close to home remain,
To venture out, some nere decide,
Yet from this journey, none refrain.
At birth, a subtle stillness dies,
A new companion takes his place,
To rise and rise he ever tries,
A zest for more lies in his face.
Until his body lies entombed,
He will seek ever for a peace-
This thing sublime, without a wound,
Will find him when his senses ease.
Beyond this point we cannot know,
A journey new must now be told.
© Jerusalemrising
Written March 24, 2006