Triumphs Here and After

To fools and cheats life's just a harmless game;
  No penalty for lies that lead astray.
But noble souls who follow Him lay claim
  To higher truth and Reason's light -- The Way.

The prize in love and battle is a fiction;
  Such lordship cannot quench desire and fear.
The Passions, joy and sorrow, are affliction,
  Endemic here on Time and Fortune's sphere.

Though Virtue will not stop betrayal's pain,
  The Reaper's blade, nor mark the old debt paid,
The blood and water are not sipped in vain.

A spark from St. John's Morning Star, our Lord,
  In light of Whom all other lights must fade,
Proclaims the coming judgment and reward.