Sunday, January 3, 2010

Faith














A child of nine, he
stands atop the
ditch bank, looking
down at the other side,
a distance, perhaps, of ten
feet, ten feet of air and
space and fear.
The older had already jumped or
given up;
the younger behind, impatient or
secretly glad at his
indecision.

Some encourage, some
ridicule, none guess the
fear in his own heart, the
fear to overcome, the
fear of falling, of landing in
the ditch if the leap is insufficient.

The moment of absolute desire
confronts the moment of
absolute fear.
And in that moment of
absolutes, that clash and
union of eternity, he…

Photo by nAncy. Used with persmission.

3 comments:

S. Etole said...

The last verse leaves me ...

Maureen said...

Oh, my, Glynn, your last stanza sends a shudder down my spine.

Wonderful.

Anne Lang Bundy said...

absolute desire ... absolute fear
clash and union of eternity


You titled this "Faith," and appropriately so. I might have titled it "Defining Moment." Can life go on as it was after this moment?

Surely not.