When Heaven Opens

When Heaven Opens

By Kateb Shunnar

Just when the night feels far too long,

And silence swallows every song,

A trembling dawn begins to rise,

With painted gold across the skies.

The clouds that pressed upon your chest,

Now drift away toward the west,

And through the gap, God’s gentle light

Turns shadowed paths to fields of white.

We let our storms decide our way,

And let the lightning have its say,

Chasing roads our hearts declare as right,

Though some lead only into night.

For not all paths that shine with gold

Hold blessings in the hands they fold;

Some whisper sweet, yet hide the snare

A step ahead, and hope’s not there.

But Heaven sees the winding stream,

Beyond the banks of what we dream,

And where our sight would meet a wall,

God sees the turn that saves it all.

A river, blocked by fallen stone,

Still finds a course it calls its own,

For God will carve through hardest ground,

Until your soul’s new springs are found.

The doors you swore were locked in rust,

Break open with a single gust,

And there beyond the shattered frame,

A meadow blooms and calls your name.

The roses bend as if they know

The tears you’ve sown have helped them grow,

The wind now hums in sacred tones,

That lift the weight from weary bones.

So let the rain cleanse all you’ve kept,

The nights you feared, the times you wept,

For just beyond your valley deep,

The hills of joy are yours to keep.

And every petal, sky, and star,

Will tell you how loved you are

For Heaven opens when you stand,

And place your heart in God’s own hand.