19. The Sentence
- The Poet returned to the village with those who had come to hear him, and the leaders were waiting to decide his fate.
- The Poet spoke unto the leaders, saying, “I am not afraid of what ye have decided, for the people of this village have heard my words, and they now walk on the path of Alignment, even as I do. Now ye will lead them astray no more, and thus my calling has been fulfilled—even that calling given to me by THE ONE.”
- “Deceitful Poet, we leaders have found thee guilty of a great crime—even the crime of corrupting the minds of our people. And though thy father was beloved by all, thou hath brought shame unto His great legacy, for thou hath sought to corrupt the minds of the people of this village.
- And they have believed in the falsehoods which thou hath spoken, which are exceedingly blasphemous. And the lies which thou speaketh are as snakes which do slither and bite, but we are thy rulers, and we will cut the heads of those snakes which do slither through our village. And thou wilt now be burned in the centre of the village, and this will be the true test of thy allegiance to that wretched Sage whom thou doth proclaim to be thy guide.”
- The Poet knew that this fate was destined to befall him, and he felt no fear, for he walked on the path of Alignment, and he was at home within THE ONE. And He spake unto the leaders, saying, “I fear not the path you set, for ye have not set it. And just as the caretaker of a garden doth discard of a rotting branch, so too shall ye be cut from the Tree, for you are rotted, and your lives only serve to corrupt the Tree. But as I have thus spoken unto you, many in this village have been saved, and to them belongs the Kingdom, for they are the seeds of virtue which will spread truth and light to all who will hear, and to all who will see, and to all who would feel, even that they may know.”
- The leaders were confused, for the Poet was without fear, and they questioned him, asking, “Doth thou not fear for thy life? Thou art to be cut from this village, and from this world! And doth thou not fear what is in store for thee when thou passeth through the veil?”
- The Poet had seen beyond the veil, and he knew his lot, and he spoke these words to the leaders and to the people of the village:
What do ye know of life?
What do ye know of death?
Have ye seen behind the veil, even as I have?
Tie me to this post.
Beat this dying flesh to a pulp.
I’ll still be freer than you, for I am not of the flesh, but of THE ONE, who giveth eternal life to they who seek.
I take not orders from man, but from the Holy Sage—even the Logos, and even THE ONE.
Light a fire beneath me.
Burn this rotting flesh.
The fire that ye would light will be as a candle compared to the fire which doth blaze in my soul, for my fire is that of the Logos, and even of the Holy Sage who has led me on this path—even the path of Alignment, and even the path of THE ONE.
The light of truth shines brighter than any fire lit by the hands of men, and they who reflect this light shall inherit the Kingdom.
If this is to be my path, then let me walk it now, for such is the path upon which I have ever been led.