It's not a wall

After Nehemiah 10-12

It’s not a wall,

it’s a body,

the community that

comes together

to raise voice

to lift hearts

an act of worship

an act of praise

an act of gratitude

an act of acknowledgement

of the source, the fount

an act of adhering

as one, only one

Photograph by George Hodan via Public Domain Pictures. Used with permission.

Jerusalem's joy

After Nehemiah 10-12

Celebrating a wall

was not about brick

and stone and mortar

and barriers; it was

about return, coming

together, identity, safety

in the hands protecting us.

The noise went up, rising

in a cacophony of sound,

a union of music and voice

soaring upward toward

the hands wrapped

around the city, hands

wrapped around

the hearts.

As I listened

After Nehemiah 8:1-18

As I listened to the words

read by the priest

I could see the wall

rebuilt around us

the wall we had

rebuilt around us

The priest read the words

to rebuild our hearts

rebuild my heart

like the wall around us

We are together again

our hearts are together again

we rebuild

we restore

we are restored.

Photograph by Rajesh Misra via Public Domain Pictures. Used with permission.