The radiance of autumn leaves
In all their warm grandeur
Strikes at the core of me.
What a burst of brilliance
Comes rushing to the scene
As the air grows cold.
Reds and oranges and yellows
Demanding to be admired;
We are drawn to their glory.
Burst of brilliance
You come
As death proceeds.
Oh, little leaf of green,
Your color changes
And gushes forth as gold,
Only as you die.
Colors hidden formerly
Erupt boldly on the scene
As the leaves prepare to drop.
Burst of brilliance at death;
As it is with leaves,
So it is with me.
Burst of brilliance comes
When I recede,
And Jesus advances.
Burst of brilliance comes
When I die to self,
And Jesus lives in me.
And for all the burst of brilliance known on earth,
None will e’re compare
To the radiance we’ll see
When death takes us finally.
Color there – indescribable.
Creation there – perfected.
People there – as they ought to be.
God, remind me that both now and then –
the burst of brilliance comes
at the death of me.