Friday, June 15, 2007

Psalm 25: a lamentation (with a wink @ Yoder)

seeing always as
one
the cross & empty tomb

remember in college
a dorm-room door
w/a picture:
"SELF" on a grave stone.

what regression,
what rewind
walking backward & shining
into grave
dirt sucked into backhoe
and out into a pile
lifted out still, quiet
with make-up and a suit
and "waking" as the
angry boy i was

where to, the path
i thought i found,
the way i was learning
to learn,
waiting all day

but mercy still:
my childhood recedes
and most i've done
wrong
but what God forgets
i seem to keep
and all the
correction fluid
in all the world
simply will not do
(humiliation seems
not enough
to foster humility)

loving & faithful
trickling understanding
if i submit my
jealous rage

God be God
please
and forgive
(my sin is great
and great fun)
address the room
a question
who here is devout
and tell the
ayes
they have it

will souls find peace
(or even just
actually exist)
and will Your
children's children
inherit their parents' land
-is this truly the point
(please no)-

God whispers to
the devout;
sotto voce
reprove and reward,
quiet glimpses of
a promise
saying
heads up
I'll free you
from your traps

endless mercy
You say
and it will be needed
as my sickness
moves
as also despair
and problems enlarge
and pain
and look at all
my enemies
i don't remember
what i did
but look how much they
hate me

but keep me from my shame
and resurrect me
as Your own
(a smiling golem)
replace my past with
a future of integrity
and put wood in my spine
to be who You want.

redeem in me
a new jerusalem

9/15/06

brain cells
brain sells

2 Comments:

At June 15, 2007 at 10:22 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

It's even more beautiful the third and fourth and whatever time. But I think I like hearing it more than reading it.
thank you!

 
At June 17, 2007 at 4:52 AM, Blogger Trav said...

The more I read it, the more sad it seems to feel. Which fits my mood today, and lately. Well done.

 

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