Surrounded

You wake in a courtyard,
unfamiliar, dark,
walls rising on each side,
doorless and mocking

your dreams suddenly surrounding you,
beautifully built
by your own hand.

You find yourself alone,
in a place where others may visit,
but no one stays,
vanishing in and out of your life

like ghosts,
insubstantial as wind,
and twice as punishing,

throwing your flaws back at you
like a thousand glittering knives,
razor sharp by decades of practice.
And you stand, stock still

suddenly aware the only escape,
the only light, lies upward,
and so you spread your wings

and like a prayer,
you fly.

About this poem

Today’s Lenten word was surround, and as I meditated on that word and my own faith, I thought about how often we build our own walls that keep us from God and keep us from the very things in life we want most.

When I have gone through my own darkest times, digging out those places has always begun with first admitting I was IN a dark place; secondly taking responsibility for my part in being there; and lastly, realizing that it was a spiritual problem, not a _________________ (fill in the blank with what kind of problem I THOUGHT it was.). When I refocused my life spiritually…. the rest fell into place.

And I could fly again.

Tom

PS – The picture was taken in Venice. There was a door out, thank goodness.

About these Lenten Poems

My friend Cathy Benson is on to something. Instead of doing without for Lent, she is doing MORE with a prayer project that is thoughtful and caring.

Giving up something for Lent is a church tradition, not a biblical command. It was designed to get our minds and hearts right as we approach the holy week and Easter. It’s a good spiritual discipline.

But I think a spiritual discipline of doing something more is also a powerful way to prepare our hearts for Easter. The Methodists, through their “Rethink Church” initiative have come up with a photographic way to do this (see below). I am going to add a poem with each image for the lent season to help prepare myself. Feel free to glom on to the idea, visit the blog and read, or share your thoughts and prayers.