Wednesday, June 24th, 2009...12:34 am
Pilgrim Longing
(For the apophasis writing prompt)
Again, it is time. It begins
not as pain but as tension, tightening, preparation.
I know not to fight
this ache intensifying. I understand it
is not an enemy. The pain is
not my enemy, for its purposes are
not for my harm.
The pilgrim-longing for Home—it aches, hurts,
brings a tightness to my throat, but I
do not resist, for the longing will accomplish something
in me, for me, through me. It is
not an emptiness but a filling that will
never fill as long as I still
walk the earth. I do
not fight my pilgrim-longing
but rest in it, relax in it, cooperate with it
as I cooperated with the tension, tightening, preparation
of muscles contracting, pulling, preparing for childbirth.
I long for Home, but it is
not a pain that harms.
I wonder when my Homegoing Day will be,
the fulfillment-day of my longings,
but I only know it was
not yesterday.
...to Know-Love-Obey God
4 Comments
June 24th, 2009 at 9:01 am
I like the first two lines:
“Again, it is time. It begins
not as pain but as tension”
I also like this idea:
“I do
not fight my pilgrim-longing
but rest in it”
I can’t even rest in my contentment, much less in my longing! That is a challenging idea.
June 24th, 2009 at 2:02 pm
“The pain is
not my enemy, for its purposes are
not for my harm.”
So true. I enjoy your writing.
June 26th, 2009 at 11:03 am
“will never fill”.. as I know the spilling over and leaky bits are gifts to your loved ones I’m sure.
June 26th, 2009 at 2:18 pm
Wow. You grace-fully put to words what so many feel, yet don’t properly diagnose.
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