This dead of midnight is the noon of thought,
And Wisdom mounts her zenith with the stars.
At this still hour the self-collected soul
Turns inward, and beholds a stranger there
Of high descent, and more than mortal rank;
An embryo God; a spark of fire divine.
Bio: Stephen Prothero is a professor in the Department of Religion at Boston University and the author of eight books on religion in America, including the New York Times bestseller "Religious Literacy."
