cobblestones and righteous fury

 

A priest mentioned forgiveness while tugging at his wispy beard,
but he didn't actually say anything specific.
The cobblestones of this old street have darkened somewhat with age
and feel hard against the feet.
And anyway, where is there to go?
The sins committed are clear.
some kind of atonement is owed,
and remorse is painted across the acrimonious omens in the sky.
The blue dove of the evening has long since flown away.
One step follows another and eventually the street becomes a dirt lane,
and then a field, and then goes up the side of the hill
that leads to the far side of the world.
What is there to do but keep faith and climb?

-

The strength of Sampson in his most righteous fury.

“Bring the curly ropes of your hair.”
-Rumi

Although it was well past time for me to be a man,
I wasn't much more than a boy when I spoke to her.

Bring your best holiday smile and walk with me, I said.
I’ll show the place where I hide away from everything.
There is a small cabin with a wood-burning stove,
a fresh stream, and the woods there are full of sound.
Bring your optimism and good cheer.
Bring your sunshine, bring your moonlight.

I said all of this with a hopeful look on my face,
like a puppy-dog hoping for a treat.

She asked me, "And what will you bring to this hidden cabin?"

The strength of Sampson in his most righteous fury.
(I actually said that. Can you imagine?)
The delight of children when they run,
the way that they shine.
And also this, the strength of heart
that the stars turn to warmth.

She hesitated, then smiled, patted my hand, and walked away.
Now, a lifetime later, I still remember that day.

-

james lee jobe

I came for the sake of love-devotion; seeing the world, I wept.

Mīrābāī

Forgetting oneself is opening oneself. 

Dōgen

Love makes your soul crawl out from its hiding place. 

Zora Neale Hurston 

You only lose what you cling to.

The Buddha

Joshua Redman, Jazz Crimes

LINK: black love, a poem by Evie Shockley

LINK: Harlem, a poem by Langston Hughes

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jlj