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Deliverance

People brought to Him… the demon-possessed…and he healed them.  ~ Matt 4:23-24


They call me lunatic.
It’s just that when my
head is splitting with the pain
and fear of—what?—of all
that could be wrong
in all the world—oh no!
Here it comes again—
that dread, that ragged
breath I wish would stop
and let me die in peace!

And now they say a healer
walks along the shore,
and we are going there—
for what? Another devastated
hope? No more!

I let them drag the cart
where I, lying limp,
drag my hand along the grit
and dust of this damned road.
For what? O God, it is too much!

Now he’s in sight
and for the first time
in how long? I do not know—
I rise on one elbow
and then the other
and I know a certain glimmer
—can it be?—of hope!

That man who’s dancing!
I’ve seen him beside the road,
a crumpled husk. Can this
be he, the very same?
But he is changed!

Can I? I shudder at
the thought that after
all this time—these years—
my fears, my pain, my shame
could vanish like the smoke.

I rise—a weakness and a strength
at odds within me as I go
one step, another and another,
so slowly, yet with rising hope.

And now he sees me coming!
He turns, and smiles, holds out
his hand. And oh! The burst
of energy and joy! The sun
streams out its blessing
and I run!




January 6, 2014
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