In cryptic images from alchemy
Jung saw a bridge from then to now,
A rainbow span, not the epitome
Of crackpot science and arcane knowhow.

Jung saw a bridge from then to now
In damn near every rendering
Of crackpot science and arcane knowhow
From art and physics all the way to the I Ching.

In damn near every rendering
Jung saw alchemy’s power of transformation
From art and physics all the way to the I Ching;
And in the heat required for sublimation

Jung saw alchemy’s power of transformation
In the creative force of love;
And in the heat required for sublimation
Alchemy and art work hand in glove.

In the creative force of love
The every only god makes certain
That alchemy and art work hand in glove
To help reveal what lies beyond the curtain.

The every only god makes certain
Our crackpot fancies and arcane knowhow
Can help reveal what lies beyond the curtain
And trace the alchemy of love from then to now.

Arnold Johnston lives in Kalamazoo and South Haven, MI. His poetry, fiction, non-fiction, and translations have appeared in literary journals and anthologies. His books include two poetry chapbooks—Sonnets: Signs and Portents and What the Earth Taught Us—The Witching Voice: A Play about Robert Burns; Of Earth and Darkness: The Novels of William Golding; and The Witching Voice: A Novel from the Life of Robert Burns. His plays, many written with his wife, Deborah Ann Percy, have won awards, production, and publication across the country. His translations of Jacques Brel’s songs have appeared in numerous musical revues nationwide (including acclaimed Chicago productions Jacques Brel: Songs of Love and War and Jacques Brel’s Lonesome Losers of the Night), and are also featured on his CD, Jacques Brel: I’m Here!  He is a member of the Dramatists Guild, Poets & Writers, the Associated Writing Programs, and the American Literary Translators Association.