Let me look at you, hold your face in my hands.
There you are — the light of God
is in your eyes, the beauty
of the Word Made Flesh
is in your flesh.
What a gift you are
and what a grace to let me
love you — just the brokenness of
my heart and of yours
risking
friendship
and hands held
through the hell that is
this life. You have been through hell:
the trauma of dehumanization, the
constant battering against
your spirit.
In the face of hell,
love feels inadequate
but we will persist
because daring to love
is at least something that proves
we are still alive, still fighting
that wellspring
of evil,
still doggedly
declaring God incarnate.
Beloved friend, I see you and God within you.
