Ashes and dust

After Nehemiah 9

Ashes and dust

on my forehead,

I stood, first listening

then confessing,

because now was

the time for confession,

for repentance, to ask

that the stain be removed,

that I be washed

and cleansed. I learned

that the stain has already

been removed; I had

already been cleansed.

Photograph by Daniel Smith via Public Domain Pictures. Used with permission.