I love reading. It's my favorite thing to do. In fact, I used to not be able to answer the question "What's your favorite book?" because I loved every single one so much. Over the past few years, however, I have discovered that I can pick favorites. Till We Have Faces by C.S. Lewis is one of them.

Till We Have Faces is a mind blowing and beautiful retelling of the myth Cupid and Psyche. It is the kind of story that leaves you winded after you finish it, the kind of book that you cannot stop thinking about. I loved it as soon as I read it, and I loved it even more after I listened to this amazing lecture on it by Peter Kreeft, a professor of philosophy at Boston College and author of 75 books. The lecture may be a little long, but it is well worth your time.

After spending so much time thinking about this story, I wrote this poem. It is not my favorite poem and I hope one day to make it better, but until I have the chance to do so I will put out this version, in the hopes that perhaps it will inspire someone else to pick up Till We Have Faces and breathe in all of its wonderful words.

The Triumph Of Grace

the day i was born

i had no face.

and ever since that day i have been running,

that i might never see my face,

i run from myself. i serve only

myself.

for, truly, if i see my face,

only that which is evil will show,

only that which is sin.

and though i fight,

valiantly and relentlessly against God and man

for my own salvation,

deep down, behind the curtains covering my eyes,

i know i can never save myself.

and when hope, light, love,

when these things are offered here,

i cannot trust

for fear of meeting myself, truly,

in redemption's light.

and yet here is the triumph of grace,

that glorious light.

i know that when i come face to face

with myself, when i gain my face,

i will die.

God's mighty justice shall crash over me.

unless i gain my face in

redemption's light -

where grace triumphs over justice

and i am covered by that which is holy -

i will be reborn,

my face eclipsed by his love,

and i will run, continuously,

to him.