and we lay down in the grass the long
 lush grass of europe

there was a cow mooing
 somewhere in the meadow somewhere
 there was a bee buzzing

and we moved our legs left
leg like this to the left right
leg like this to the right and
back again

swung our arms
from our sides like this
up over our heads and
back again

we lay down in the shapes of angels

and heaven passed over us

and the clouds the silver
spinning of the clouds
passed over us

and i searched the glittering sky
for a city of gold

and though i never did see
the city of the saints
rising from a cloud

mama always said the new
jerusalem was built up
there in the infinite above us

and i believed

i believed labourer angels
had opened the treasuries of paradise

had laid down a radiant street
without beginning a radiant street without end

had laid down bars of gold
end to end to make the street long
side by side to make the street wide

and then i died

i died hung
crucified among mama's hero saints
i died a martyr
in the mouths of catacomb cats

i died spectacular
and the legions of romans in the coliseum roared

i died every death
that brought tears to mama's eyes
as she read her history of the church books

and as the sun spun gold
off the gilded doorway where i stood
shaking the gold dust off my sandals

mama called my name

mama called me to life again

and we lay down in almost heaven

and heaven passed over us
'til the stars and the streetlamps
along the celestial avenues
came twinkling on

jake de peuter 2004