I Shall Be [judd]
Empty me like the septic tank that I am.
You would have me be an organic garden with small but tasty and healthy produce.
Bigger is not better.
You would have me be a fresh mown field of hay drying in the late June, late afternoon heat.
So fragrant, so promising.
You would have me be a baby’s mind, a nearly empty vessel waiting to be filled.
You would have me be your pitcher, quenching thirst as you pour me into dry throats.
Clean me like the litter-strewn highway shoulder that I am.
You are not superhuman. You are not supernatural.
You are the essence of human. You are the essence of nature.
You are not vengeful. You are not malicious.
You are the essence of forgiveness. You are the essence of kindness.
You are not wealth-on-a-stick-for-all-believers. You are not free-from-suffering-if-you-are-saved.
You are the essence of sacrifice. You are the essence of strength.
Erase me like the obscene graffiti on a subway car that I am.
Cast me not aside. Throw me not away.
Keep me near. Ever nearer.
Draw me inward. Ever inward.
And, finally, I shall be.
I love the balance of humanity in this piece. The comparison and the contrast. The septic tank and the baby's mind.
ReplyDeleteI feel like it captures a deep truth in mankind's desperate need for redemption, but also honor in being originally created.
Reminds me not a little of Donne's 14th Sonnet: bend Your force, to break, blow, burn, and make me new."
ReplyDelete.fav.
ReplyDeleteYou would have me be a baby’s mind, a nearly empty vessel waiting to be filled.
This is lovely. Your similes pack a lot of meaning.
ReplyDeleteSometimes we all just make "faith" so difficult, eh? Thanks for humanizing it.
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