I had the idea to start a blog to share my own poems, poems of others that resonate with me, and for others to post poems or quotes that inspire them, bring beauty, clarity, healing, a different perspective, or transformation regarding the difficult things we face in this human experience. I named this blog and the following poem Grace Intoxicated. This is inspired by an idea I gleaned from Bishop John Shelby Spong. He was the keynote speaker at a conference I attended and an audiance member asked him a question about prayer. I loved his answer, which revolved around the way in which prayer isn't something we do to manipulate God into doing what we want God to do for us but rather, it is a way of life. He stated, "be a God intoxicated human being, which means to live fully, love wastefully, and be all that we can be!" So, I stole the "intoxicated" concept from him regarding grace, which of course translates to God as well.....but I've been contemplating the way in which grace is always available to us, we just need to look at things through a new lens, to shift our perspective and understanding of our experiences, especially the difficult ones, and become intoxicated!!!!
Grace Intoxicated
It was in a prayer she asked
how do you mend a broken heart
with tears swelling
like a giant sun just slipping
away over the lip of the horizon
pulling all the color out of the sky
squeezing red, and blue, and orange
until only blackness remained
This isn’t much like a broken glass
where you kneel on the floor picking up
the bigger pieces, carefully placing them
in your palm and then sweeping the
tiny shards until there is no longer
any sign of your clumsiness, of your loss
No, a broken heart encompasses everything
like a wicked wind you can’t even see
but whips your hair, slams the door, blows
dirt into your eyes
and try as you might to avoid it
the memories howl and whistle against your windows,
blow tree branches to scratch at the side of the house
as you try to sleep, or fry an egg, or spread the
almond butter on the toast, or talk with a friend,
or burst with sudden laughter while eating chocolate cake
loss is ever-present
looming like your own shadow
follows you wherever you go
But there was an answer
to her prayer
you need this pain
it is fertile soil
so scatter seeds and allow
the water of this experience
to nourish all that sits and
awaits change
it is bread dough
moist and heavy in the oven
waiting for the right temperature
and time to raise into its fullness
there is nothing that needs to be
mended, just embraced
all that we face is holy
so drink this thick dark
loss and become grace
intoxicated
