Lent, 2004

I

This Lenten season befalls me,
As an unwelcome and lingering winter.

War is waged against my will, and
Laws are imposed against my will.

I protest, but my voice is weak, and, worse,
My own career is tainted with

War and protest against just and
Agitation for unjust causes.

Of what use is my protest,
Against the real and cynical world

In this tangled skein of historical liberty
Which cousins vice and virtue,

Marries peace and war, and
Quilts an amalgam of violence

Into one red riot.

II
 

But here lies Hope--
Bright and cheering promise, which
Rising above the mire of everyday time
Aligning us with the God transcendent--
The God of sparrow, light-year, molecule, and geological time--
Trumps time and space and mere being.

That is our Hope.

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©2004 James Bolner, Sr.
February 26, 2004