Eleven Years After

We have thought on your steadfast love, O God,
in the midst of your temple.
As your name, O God,
so your praise reaches to the ends of the earth.
Your right hand is filled with righteousness.
Let Mount Zion be glad!
Let the daughters of Judah rejoice
because of your judgments!
Walk about Zion, go around her,
number her towers,
consider well her ramparts,
go through her citadels,
that you may tell the next generation
that this is God,
our God forever and ever.
He will guide us forever.
Psalm 48:9-14

Eleven Years After

So many gone, along with innocence
we rushed to demonize and judge
but first we ran to embrace the living.

We prayed that some survived
that we would survive such destruction
we leaned together in grief and loss.

God found us broken and undone
filled with anger and bile
aching for our children and our parents.

God found us and compassion
bigger than a celestial orb
surrounded us and we moved together.

We have moved apart and taken sides
but God is always on the side of the down trodden
the loss, the lonely, and the prisoners all.

God is moving again among us
ushering us to a new way of living
where we look upon the stranger as family.