Thursday, April 16, 2015

Mirror

Today I look in the mirror.
“Idiot,” I whisper,
chagrined that I reacted
so quickly in anger and
let everything unravel.

I hear in an interview
that a poet I most admire
is a chain smoker.
She speaks about a place
of forgiveness as impossible
for the father of her childhood.

My daily meditation tells
of St. Paul on the way
to Damascus, hating and
plotting, his murderous
threats creating fear,
causing chaos.

Broken people.
Broken promises.
Broken bread.
Broken childhood.
Broken words.
Broken body.

Paul, broken, hears the voice
of god on that trail to Damascus.
Weakness revealed as strength.
Chosen he changes.
Broken he finds love.

She, with her foibles,
breaks open the most perfect of words,
an analogy, a nuance, a twist of phrase,
a space where perfection
breathes in the imperfection
and lives.

In the rawness of reaction,
I wonder, “Would I ever speak
to someone I hate with such venom?”
If not them—why me?
The mirror broken
reflects perfection .

Love is found.


4 comments:

  1. Wow, Deborah. You are such a powerful writer. The images of brokenness, weakness, and imperfections juxtaposed with love, forgiveness, and restoration are filled with hope in the One who can put us all back together. Thank you for your poem today.

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  2. Deborah, I am so glad that you linked up with the Spiritual Journey Thursday community. Your poem speaks powerfully of the word broken and how in our imperfect nature and being we can find love, the greatest of all gifts.

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  3. Deborah, I really enjoyed this poem about Paul and then linking it to loving ourselves as Christ love us. Thanks so much for sharing. :)

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  4. This is a powerful poem about redemption. The ultimate gift of Christ's love. "Broken people. Broken promises. Broken bread." This brings us back to the community of faith with our hands held out. We are broken and we are perfect. Thanks for sharing.

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