The Ark
The Ark - we heard it was
in Ephratha; we found it
in the fields of Jearim
and we are overjoyed. We
toiled all that day
and the next
for days on end, lifting
stones and digging
ditches - the field was
rank with thistles and
hard weeds - we had to
buy the land to do it
and it cost us dear.
We hunted and hunted
until our hands were
bled and our hearts
weary of torn fingers and
no nails. All our
tools broke. But on a
dark morning, as the sun
climbed yonder hill and
chased the clouds away
and burned our heads
one of our spades
hit the wood, and -
Aie! Aie! Aie! - the man
began dancing, his dusty
skirts flapping at his
ankles. And there it
was the redwood and
gold casket, its wings
gleamed dully out of the
hole beneath our feet.
At last. Beyond all our
dreams we found it
in the fields of Jearim.
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