Locked away

After Acts 5:17-21

Dragged from the streets,

they are locked away,

prison cell doors locked

to prevent infection

and stop the contagion,

this pandemic of piety,

from spreading. Locked

away, they feel the fear

and uncertainty yet know

the security of what 

they have locked away 

in their hearts. They know

the powers will stop at nothing

to preserve and protect

themselves, yet they know

the power of the way

they follow. 

In deepest night, a light

appears, an angel; the doors

open. The prisoners are

freed from their prison,

their bodies, souls, and voices

liberated, and told to go

and speak and preach and teach.

They obey; they leave the cells

just as the prison doors

lock back into place.

Photograph by Damir Spanic via Unsplash. Used with permission.