thirty years

sift out the sins,

rivers of God.

all out, every thought,

till gold plumes the stone.

thirty years a prodigal,

seventy years a saint,

back lichened with faults,

righted by grace's paint,

the knife, the renewal.

plunge out the depths,

brooms of light.

all out, every vice,

till justice smites the site.

thirty years a wanderer,

seventy years a home,

head marked with mystery,

crowned with music's tone,

the life, the revenant.