Pain
Our communal experience,
Our common bond,
The echo that connects our souls,
Tearing, bruising, wrenching, searing, cutting,
Numbing, pressing, crippling, suffocating
Pain
Darkened by shadows within us:
Pride, bitterness, jealousy, self-pity, self-entitlement,
Fear, exhaustion, confusion, hopelessness.
Darkened by shadows cast upon us:
Lies, blame, betrayal, condemnation, contempt,
Abuse, abandonment, revenge, hatred, scorn.
But there is a gift bestowed (but seldom) from above.
(For those who seek it.)
Pain in purity. Pain filled with light.
It is kept in the Sanctuary.
Where shadows cannot dwell
In the presence of One so Bright.
There we encounter its naked beauty
Having shed all its shadows at the door.
It presents itself illumined in holiness
Unformed yet visible,
Intangible yet able to be tasted
With spiritual eyes and mouths.
Rays of light the lids must close upon and gaze instead
At red and yellow hues beneath closed and damp lashes.
Sweet-tart candy that presses tongue to the mouth's roof
At the pinnacle of sensation.
Pain then cloaks itself
With glistening color and sugar crystals.
Pure pain raises its chin
To our weakened condition,
(Almost shut down, barely breathing)
Begs to be leaned into,
Promises strength and change to those still kneeling.
We brace expecting the shock of its force,
But we find not the rush of a river off-course
Instead a gentle covering, an undergirding of sorts,
The indwelling of light turning tears into joy.
In that moment, in that melting, our pain,
Ushered into the presence of Redemption
Becomes holiness, becomes healing.
Our communal experience,
Our common bond,
The echo that connects our souls,
Tearing, bruising, wrenching, searing, cutting,
Numbing, pressing, crippling, suffocating
Pain
Darkened by shadows within us:
Pride, bitterness, jealousy, self-pity, self-entitlement,
Fear, exhaustion, confusion, hopelessness.
Darkened by shadows cast upon us:
Lies, blame, betrayal, condemnation, contempt,
Abuse, abandonment, revenge, hatred, scorn.
But there is a gift bestowed (but seldom) from above.
(For those who seek it.)
Pain in purity. Pain filled with light.
It is kept in the Sanctuary.
Where shadows cannot dwell
In the presence of One so Bright.
There we encounter its naked beauty
Having shed all its shadows at the door.
It presents itself illumined in holiness
Unformed yet visible,
Intangible yet able to be tasted
With spiritual eyes and mouths.
Rays of light the lids must close upon and gaze instead
At red and yellow hues beneath closed and damp lashes.
Sweet-tart candy that presses tongue to the mouth's roof
At the pinnacle of sensation.
Pain then cloaks itself
With glistening color and sugar crystals.
Pure pain raises its chin
To our weakened condition,
(Almost shut down, barely breathing)
Begs to be leaned into,
Promises strength and change to those still kneeling.
We brace expecting the shock of its force,
But we find not the rush of a river off-course
Instead a gentle covering, an undergirding of sorts,
The indwelling of light turning tears into joy.
In that moment, in that melting, our pain,
Ushered into the presence of Redemption
Becomes holiness, becomes healing.
Photos by Bgrace in order:
Beauty in Rain
Overshadowed
Light Blossoms
Writing: Not really prose or poem, but mine.
Writing: Not really prose or poem, but mine.
2 comments:
Author's Note:
Artists of every kind understand that you can't write (or express in any form)about something you don't know...not very well at least. That what touches others at their core often does so because it comes from the core of the one who wrote it.
So you may be wondering where this piece came from. Matt and I went to see Grand Torino last night. It was excellent,(warning: lot of obscenity) but there was a very disturbing scene in it. I felt a lot of the pain in me rising to the surface in connection with it. And through the night I experienced much of what I wrote regarding pain. It is not the first time for me, but it is the first time I have found words for it. And I have written about what I have learned over time in dealing with pain. And in connection with the movie, my thought is this. There are some pains you might never believe you can leave behind you. Apart from God, I believe that is true. But in HIM, there is redemption, we don't so much leave it behind us, but we bring it with us as a gift instead of the curse it once was.
May we all find this.
B
Heart-felt words and true understanding of pain - that which is experienced from the depth of the soul.
Your writing and photography is a gift to those who are not able to put into words their feelings and deep thoughts.
Thank you for your transparency of heart and soul.
Blessings and love,
jean
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