Under the Sun

Under the Sun

Jonathon Crump

I have seen despair in a crib
and hope in a casket.

I have seen kings clothed in fortunes,
peasants clad in rags,
and I have seen both return to dust.

I have seen even gold rust.

Bewildered and bemused
I have seen exceptions to every rule

I have seen suffering so senseless
I still can’t sleep.

I have cackled; I have cried; I have grown preeminently wise
I have lost my godforsaken mind.

So come to me and I will show you mausoleums and mysteries,
I will teach you all folly and philosophy,
I will disprove your proverbs,
and show you a universe more unwieldy than you can imagine.

I will show you the most ridiculous irony— the most excruciating exception

I will show you the righteous man who died a wretched death,

the king of kings who stayed in a stable,

the beloved and only begotten son forsaken by his father,

the crucified carpenter,

I will show you the preacher who died only to rise a messiah.

And only after you have lost your logic to find this gospel
will you be ready to learn.

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Jonathon Crump
Student & Editor

Jonathon Crump managed the literary journal, The Legacy, at his undergraduate college. He works in the Writing Center at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, where he also studies Christian Ministry. Jonathon is passionate about leading writing groups and crafting liturgy for Sojourn Midtown in Louisville, KY.

Photography by Alessia Cocconi