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We said people were cruel, even if they worshiped
weekly.
We said the commandment to love—whether enemy,
friend, neighbor
or self—was quite neglected. We asked how we could then speak to God
in each other.
The teacher sat in silence for a while, and then
instructed us to find partners “Look into your partner’s eyes and
let God
love through your attention. It isn’t
you who loves, it’s God.”
It didn’t take much time for glow to wrap
itself around most of
us in the room, to follow us out to our cars,
to turn the keys
and only then to separate in wonder that it
took so long—
decades of life—to channel love. My thoughts
turned to the task of peace
and the potential to spread that too by
letting God control
and not me.
My vision cleared. I could release the god of wrath
and trust the love of God like I trust trees and roads, pillows and fire,
the weight of books and the night sounds of
creatures sharing air with me.
Anything else is wasted time, time I want to use
better, to be
used better in.
How long I sat there I don’t know.
Till all returned
to normal, I guess, but now gears meshed,
cracks opened in discontent.
Opened again.
Remembering. When whole. And how
to move from here.
We inhale swords and eat fire
before remembering
to exhale love.
💞
For my prompt
Poets United Midweek Motif ~ Faith
My blog poems are rough drafts.
Please respect my copyright.
Please respect my copyright.
© 2017 Susan L. Chast
Like the idea that we can channel peace and spread the glow... how desperately the world needs it now.
ReplyDeleteIt's the remembering to exhale that's hard for me, but maybe it's that way for most people.
ReplyDelete"trust the love of God like I trust trees and roads, pillows and fire,"...I believe this...Trust, what a word! Not everyone has the capacity to get to its meaning.
ReplyDeleteMy goodness this is good!!❤️ I love the wisdom in "Look into your partner’s eyes and let God love through your attention. It isn’t you who loves, it’s God" and oh the absolute magic in "We inhale swords and eat fire before remembering to exhale love." Beautifully executed. Thank you for sharing this gem of a poem, Susan❤️
ReplyDeleteLots of love,
Sanaa
...and may the "glow wrap itself around" us all! Well said.
ReplyDeleteOh WOW!!!!!!!! How I love this poem, especially the closing stanza. And what a cool exercise, which we can use in many situations without others even knowing that we are channeling some love for them. This is my latest favourite of yours, kiddo. I wish I had written it.
ReplyDeleteThanks for a challenging prompt today Susan, sometimes we take for granted simple tenets in our everyday life, until we are given the task of word craft.
ReplyDelete"My vision cleared. I could release the god of wrath
and trust the love of God like I trust trees and roads, pillows and fire,"
Amazing; my favourite lines
much love...
I don't tire of looking for truth in love, for looking for love within me. I haven't thought about channeling love for some time now. So easy to forget the power we have. Lovely write Susan. It inspired me.
ReplyDeleteA beautiful write indeed!!! So much to inhale before we exhale love!
ReplyDeleteIt is so much easier to be kind and loving than to work up the taste for hate.
ReplyDeleteSadly it is much to do with competition and winning when it is necessary to hate to overcome. It is far easier to relax and admire beauty all around us in people and the world and hang on to those for dear life. I think you have the right idea Susan.
I wonder, do we hate, or are we used to hate? Your thoughts are very meaningful.
ReplyDeleteThere is a lot to love in this piece for me--especially in the surrender and connection. Beautifully said, especially the last stanza
ReplyDeleteReally like that last three lines at the end. But the rest of the poem makes them. Definitely agree that we need to remember love somehow.
ReplyDeleteloved this...especially the ending!
ReplyDeleteThanks Susan -- poems of faith are essentially humble gifts to the tribe -- priceless ones. "It isn't you who loves, it's God" -- that infinite astounding wilderness of waking water within. I can trust that, too.
ReplyDeleteThis is excellent, Susan. I never thought that the task of peace would seem further and further out of reach each day. I think I need some lessons in exhaling love though....
ReplyDelete"Exhaling of love" what a sweet phrase to ears! Beautiful poem. Pleased having read it.
ReplyDeleteI loved it.
ReplyDeleteIt didn’t take much time for glow to wrap
ReplyDeleteitself around most of us in the room
Come to think of it! There has to be a nudge even provocation to discover what has been there all along! Rightly so Susan!
Hank