I stood up in the city square
And said that God was mental air;
Then Derrick, stood he, too, and said,
“Your God is when your mind is dead.”
And everyone did gasp and stare
At we, who could not be right there.

But we were real, we rebels two,
Though to each other we were new.
Our eyes were locked across the crowd,
Which bowed in prayer as we stood proud.
Then off we walked while murmers grew,
And some were shouting, “Curse on you!”

When Derrick held me that first night
My bosom ached, he held so tight,
But pain so fully sharp and sweet,
As I was lifted off my feet,
Transporting me to such a height
I knew my kind of world was right.

And when my lips were on his face,
I as a cloud bestowing grace
Of kisses harder than hard rain,
I knew the glory of life’s gain,
The triumph of the appled race,
Brain’s lightning of Athena’s place!

Heroic Love, that holds so fierce,
That soul and body, mind, doth pierce,
That aches to ache, and feels to feel,
That spends in sense intense ideal,
How great thou art to numb my ears
And flood my ark with joyous tears!

Now Oh! I have him! Earth is mine!
And I his glass of priceless wine!
Uplifted high, he gulps me down;
Around my stem his arms so brown!
Drown deep, we two, in toast divine,
Self-saved within our holy shrine!

When Derrick told me we must run
To bitten lands of little sun
I hesitated not at all,
For priests had said our heads must fall.
They feared their rule would be undone
If we in joy were weld as one.

Oh, great the wail and loud the cry
Against Satanic he and I,
Who never harmed a single soul,
But left each man to self-control.
The morning light swept through the sky
As we strode up the mountains high.

Back down in that unthinking spot
Would righteous men in visions rot,
And some would order, some obey,
And some pretend their lives were gay
And, praying for a juicy pot,
Would thank their god for nothing got.

On through a world of snow and ice
We made our way, and fell but twice;
With scanty robes for covering
We pressed on through, found time to sing.
We crossed not breast with strange device,
And purely made no sacrifice.

Then lo! Down in a distance far,
We saw a spot of green—rare star!
Then to, well, “Hell,” we clambered swift;
Warm airs of fragrance sent fair gift,
And not one mad-man came to bar
Or tell us we were not, who are.

Now Derrick’s axe is ringing free
To build a home for him and me,
And we will raise our children here
And teach them to be brave, nor fear,
And far away from dread and dree
We’ll show them what they see they see.

Our hidden valley’s monument
Is our free life so gladly spent,
For all our work has but one goal—
To keep our spirits glad and whole.
We’ll face each day with minds unbent
And never even think “repent.”

When Derrick held me that first time
I knew my life would be sublime.
I knew that we would cast off fate
And leave behind a world of hate.
I knew we’d revel in our “crime”
And all the heights of being climb.

We’ve cut and cleared, we’ve dreamed and done;
We owe no help to anyone.
The earth is ours, its rocks, its air,
And if men die we do not care.
Our days are with our glory spun,
And we the heaven we have won!