An Ode to Franklin
For me the best of cities,
A city set upon a hill shining brightly for all to see;
Of all cities in our land your foundations have been laid in righteousness
And the Godly works of man have built your walls.
“On earth as it is in heaven” is destiny’s invitation beckoning us forward.
And yet a city settled, too settled for me--
the magic and the mystery have faded.
All is understood, tomorrow will be as today
And goodness will prosper by rote and routine.
No mountains to climb, simply masses to manage;
No seas to cross, merely spiritual goods to distribute;
No vistas, only endless pews to arrange.
Acute attention to the vertical or visitation has produced transformation,
And transformation rightly demands attention to the horizontal.
In settling the land we have become settled
A city where the accommodations are comfortable,
the demons cultured,
possessions eclipse passion
and those who dwell therein are at ease.
And while life is lived above lukewarmness
not much is truly hot or cold.
I came to change you and you changed
But now twenty years later I am finding myself the one changed;
I came to “lose my Life” and yet I have gained it.
So my heart is restless,
pilgrimage is tugging at my soul
the highway of Zion summons me on.
My journey may be outward and take me afar
or it may leave me right here to scale new heights within,
either way for a season be it in body or merely in soul,
be it in location or in altitude alone
I now know afresh
I was made for the vista, to see beyond what man can build.
So I’m looking for another city,
one whose architect and builder is God;
And maybe as I am changed once again, I can return and begin anew
to Franklin not just a city set upon a hill
but to my city, my dearest friends and my family.
