I met a man

After Isaiah 65:17-25

I met a man from

a faraway place,

his eyes tired and

his shoulders dropped

with burdens cast upon him,

a young man who had seen

too much and not enough,

trapped between hope

and despair, I met a man

from a faraway place, eyes

filled with pain and hurt,

and I told him hope

exists, it’s coming as

in the promise, and the image

in the mirror cracked

and spoke back to me.

Photograph by Matthew Henry via Unsplash. Used with permission.

What we abandon

After Isaiah 65: 17-25

New creation, the second,

beckons, extending

the invitation to step

forward, leaving behind

premature death, futility

of work, rotting

vineyards and cursed

fields, turning our backs

on the houses stolen

from us, the futility

and vanity of toil.

Step forward and accept

the lion and the lamb

lying together in peace,

in the safety of

the holy mountain. It is

only a step forward,

a step through. It is

the first word and

the last word,

a single step.