The Letter Sealed in Crimson

The Letter Sealed in Crimson

Before the scarlet rose unclosed its bloom,
Before the vine first learned its reaching art,
Before the hidden earth released its scent
Warm to the hush of any lover’s breath—
My heart was set on thee.

“I have loved thee with an everlasting love;
Therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.”
So was it spoken ere thy pulse began,
And thou wast known before thou knew’st My Name.

Thou dwelt as wintered orchard, branch unbloomed,
A bud drawn tight against imagined frost.
Thou saw’st the velvet rose in offered palm,
The sugared sweetness melting slow and dark,
The folded note bound fast with crimson thread,
The candle trembling in consenting dusk—
Yet still thy spirit lingered, half-afraid.

For thou didst fear the breaking of the seal.
What if the letter summoned all thy heart?
What if the sweetness vanished into ache?
What if the bloom once opened bruised by wind?

Beloved, I knew.

I waited, patient as unopened wine
Deep in the cask of centuries concealed;
As dark and rich as chocolate unbroke,
Holding within its velvet weight a flame—
Not fleeting sugar of a passing feast,
But bread and wine that quicken unto life.

For God so loved the world, that He gave
His only begotten Son,
That whosoever believeth in Him
Should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Love did not linger distant from thy need—
It gave; it came; it bore; it overcame.

First came Storge, soft as woven wool,
The hearth-light haloing thy cautious frame.
“My child,” it whispered through thy midnight doubt;
And sap long silent stirred beneath the bark.

Then Phileo, clear as morning air:
“I call thee friend,” it sounded in thy bones;
And laughter, long entombed, began to rise.

Then covenant flame, disciplined and deep:
“Set Me as seal upon thine heart;
For love is strong as death.”
Its warmth was holy—neither rash nor wild—
A crimson ribbon binding vow to vow.

Yet over all, and through all, Agape moved—
The ocean under every lesser tide.
While thou wert yet uncertain, I was sure.
While thou wert yet concealed, I saw thee whole.

“Greater love hath no man than this,
That a man lay down his life for his friends.”

So was My heart poured forth like richest wine;
The crimson fell more deep than any rose.
Upon the tree My love stood written plain;
The thorn and nail became love’s lexicon.
“It is finished,” breathed My wounded side.

The stone was moved; the morning split the dark;
“He is not here; for He is risen.”
The garden breathed with resurrection warmth;
The air itself grew golden with new life.

And I called thee.

As bridegroom calling through the orchard rows,
As shepherd calling through the lifting mist,
As lover whispering thy hidden name
Where pulse and promise meet.

O thou who feared the breaking of the seal,
Behold the letter written in My blood.
O thou who trembled at the melting sweet,
Taste and see that I am good.

Then came the yielding.

From bud to bloom;
From bloom to fragrance loosed upon the wind;
From guarded sweetness unto shared delight;
From solitary hush to answered vow.

“Perfect love casteth out fear.”

Beloved, thou art Mine.

Not as a token fading with the feast,
Nor as a rose pressed pale in passing years—
But as the vine abides within its root,
As wine abides within the living grape,
As pulse abides within the breathing breast.

Holy, holy, holy, Love most high,
Whose banner over me is love;
Holy, holy, holy, risen King,
Whose heart was pierced that mine might beat.

For before the rose, I loved thee.
Before the wine, I chose thee.
Before the dawn, I knew thee.

Rest now within the wound that made thee whole.

Written by Marguerite Grace
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https://suno.com/song/70733916-61a5-487e-b392-af50a098eec3