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“
I Went Down into the Desert
Vachel Lindsay 1879 (Springfield) – 1931 (Springfield)
I went down into the desert
To meet Elijah—
Arisen from the dead.
I thought to. find him in an echoing cave;
For so my dream had said.
I went down into the desert
To meet John the Baptist.
I walked with feet that bled,
Seeking that prophet lean and brown and bold.
I spied foul fiends instead.
I went down into the desert
To meet my God.
By him be comforted.
I went down into the desert
To meet my God.
And I met the devil in red.
I went down into the desert
To meet my God.
O, Lord my God, awaken from the dead!
I see you there, your thorn-crown on the ground,
I see you there, half-buried in the sand.
I see you there, your white bones glistening, bare,
The carrion-birds a-wheeling round your head.
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Citation
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"I Went Down into the Desert" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2021. Web. 6 Mar. 2021. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/37298/i-went-down-into-the-desert>.