In the fullness of time,
a Flower blooms:
not minding the plans of war
or the harvest of grief,
not measuring
the seasons of power
or the generations of wealth’s sin,
but simply spreading its petals
because time is full
and fulfilled.
A Flower has bloomed —
not because the world is at peace,
not because we are ready,
but because it is time.
Praise and
thanksgiving on earth
as in heaven for the foolishness
and eternal faithfulness
of the Flower.
…was a sound,
a silence,
a consonant,
a vowel,
a mumble,
a sigh,
a shout.
In the beginning
was an idea,
a possibility,
an urge and
an urgency,
a compulsion,
a wonder,
a love.
In the beginning
was the Word,
the Creation,
the Articulation,
the Invitation,
the Choice,
the Name,
the Yes.
God of all language and nuance,
break open my heart to beginnings
and stay with me through the end.
in the pleasure of silence
i know your nearness.
you are the warm water
that submerges my ego,
the soft robe
that enfolds my heart,
the holy womb
that renews my life,
the sweet solitude
that enlivens my senses,
the warm blanket
that delights my skin.
in the pleasure of silence
i know your nearness.
If you are the Root, let me be one sprig
that dares to stretch
a green leaf toward the sun.
If you are the Tree, let me be one knot
that holds on tightly even
as it tests limits in new directions.
If you are the Sun, let me be one weedy dandelion
that stubbornly seeks your face
despite hardship or resistance or disparagement.
If you are the Wind, let me be one snowflake
that dances with delight through
the mystery of falling and the uncertainty of landing.
If you are the Ground, let me be one stone
that rests upon you and is
useful to you for the work of building.
I turn to You for a renewing word
but Your breath is hot and devastating.
I turn to You for a refreshing spring
but Your power floods me to drowning.
I turn to You for safe haven
but Your call steals my security like a thief.
I turn to You for a strong foundation
but Your mystery shifts & trembles & quakes.
I turn to You for clarity of direction
but Your wind whips & confuses from every direction.
on Isaiah 40:7