India to Cush… One hundred twenty-seven… Silk and stone… Wine like heaven… Curtains breathing violet, white Marble drinking in the light Golden cups and endless days Glory poured in lavish waves “Bring her beauty—let them see…” But she answers silently She won’t come—she won’t come And the silence fills the room Just one word can shake a kingdom Like a low and distant boom Feel it moving through the pillars Feel it underneath the throne— When a voice denies a king He is suddenly alone Letters scatter, far and wide Every tongue and every tribe “Let the man be lord at home”— Fear is written into stone At the gate one will not bow Mordecai stands even now Something quiet, something strong Says the order may be wrong Hidden name, a guarded flame Living underneath the crown… Will she rise—will she rise With a secret she must hide? With a history like fire Burning softly deep inside Every step into the palace Pulls her further from her past But the silence she is keeping Is a silence that won’t last Cast the lot—Pur, Pur— Day to day, make it sure Seal the letters, sign the ring— End them all, says the king Silver stacks and whispers grow Pick the day—no one will know Cloth is torn in ash and grief News arrives beyond belief “I can’t go—they’ll call for death…” “If you wait, there’s nothing left…” “I have not been called for days…” “Still you stand within this place…” “For such a time…” For such a time as this When the edge is drawing near When the fear becomes a calling Ringing loud and crystal clear If I fall—I fall into it If I stand—I break the chain I will walk into the fire I will speak the hidden name Three days empty, body still Only courage, only will Steps unsummoned through the door Where no one has walked before Golden scepter, lifted slow— Mercy in a fragile glow The scepter… The scepter… Wine is circling, time delays “Come tomorrow,” Esther says Truth is ripening out of sight Growing stronger in the night Haman counting all his praise Building gallows in a blaze Fifty cubits to the sky— Never dreaming he will die Dress him—lead him through the square— Honor falling unaware What you planned for someone else Waits for you in hidden shelves Night remembers what was missed— Names are read that still exist Name him—name him— Let the truth come into view All the sealed and silent letters Now are breaking through “It is Haman—” Feel the room begin to turn Feel the hidden start to burn Rage and pleading, breath undone Everything he built comes down Gallows waiting, standing near Now reflect a different fear Ring is taken, passed along Right begins to answer wrong What was written can’t be undone— So a greater word is sung Turn it—turn it— Let the sorrow turn to song Let the scattered stand together Let the broken become strong From decree to new decree From the dark into the dawn For such a time she was hidden— For such a time she was drawn Write it down… Every land… every tongue… Turned to joy… Turned to song… For such a time… For such a time…
