Abraham

Could a person ever
Possess the towering presence
And gravitas to “negotiate” with
God, the Father Almighty, the Creator of
Heaven and earth and all things
Beyond and beyond…?
The answer would seem a
Resounding, “Absolutely not,”
Because humankind has
Neither the eyes nor the ears
Nor the mind to behold
The essence and likeness of the
Lord God. In the minds of
Believers, however, if a name
Were ever to be humbly
Proffered forward to
Negotiate with God, it
Probably would be that of
“Abraham” – – considered
By scholars to be a common
Patriarch of Judaism, Christianity,
And Islam. And, in fact, in
The Book of Genesis,
Abraham is actually
Portrayed as trying to
Convince God (Yahweh)
To spare the evil towns of
Sodom and Gomorrah.
In a surreal dialogue,
Abraham asks God if He
Would spare the sinful towns
If there were only 50 just
Men living within them…?
God consents, and
Says He would do so…
Then Abraham takes it a
Step further, asking
What about if there were
Only 45…,40…,30…,20…, and
Ten just men…? To each
Question, God relents and says
He would spare the wicked
Towns. And so when the final day
Did come, and Sodom and
Gomorrah were destroyed,
There was only ONE man who was
Saved, and his name was “Lot.”
God drew the line in the
Sand at ONE just man!
This is an important lesson.
God is infinitely more
Compassionate, forgiving,
And magnanimous
Than we are, and in the
Book of Genesis all it took
Was ONE just person
To soften the heart of God.
And thus, the Creator is endlessly
Searching for that simple
Mustard seed which exists in
Each of us, and which
Has sprouted and flowered
Into a tree magnificent.
Today, there are examples of
Corrupted corporations,
Governmental organizations,
Institutions of higher learning,
Religious denominations,
And on and on, all of
Which have egregiously failed
Those they were serving.
This is a sad fruit of the
“Human condition” under
Which yoke we heavily labor.
Things are imperfect, very imperfect!
We hope for the best but
Sometimes get the worst!
The temptation is to
Throw the baby out with
The bath water! But to that
Approach, God disagrees…
In all things there is
Something good, even just
ONE thing! The story of
Abraham teaches this truth.
We need to be open to
The existence of good and
Nurture it like a dying ember.
All good can be made to bloom
Into something bright, and
We can be the ones to the breath
And loam provide…

Whispers

Path’s End

Could I have finally
Found what so long for I
Have sought, my first glimpse of
Heaven’s gate where the
Water purrs like a mirror
‘Neath the care of a loving,
Soft cloth…? And radiant
To me, presented as
Peace almost blinding
Yet abiding, beaming through
Gilded clouds, as if God’s
Face was unfurled in a
Predestined bottle
Shining…

Awe

My footprints stop at
Water’s edge, having finally in awe
Come upon a view of
Waiting heav’n…and then,
Realizing the Beauty
Was far, far more than
Mortal verse could
Express…I became
Speechless, content to be
A witness to the Mysterious
And unexpected…

Whose

And whose other
Footprints are these, has
Someone else stood
This shore and
Heaven’s gate also seen, a
Portal open through
Which a pilgrim can walk,
And into the Kingdom
Of Light be welcomed as a son
Or daughter of God?

Plea

Cleanse me, O Lord, of
That which I should
Not imbibe, and leave within
Me only the salt from
This flat, calm sea,
A metaphor I believe
For when I first became
Alive…and realized in
Your presence that
Terror was defeated…

If Only

If only I could wash
My face clean…all that would be
Left would be the salt of
The Divine…and I could taste
It with my tongue and
Up’n my soul let it lie…

Before the Throne

Comes to me the
Chirp of some bird, the buzz of
Some simple bee, and
Then silence, extended
Silence, silence like it
Was before was heard the first
Sound, and then before
Me shrugged the
Essence of All Majesty
And spoke, “What is
Your doubt, why is lament
So often your song?”

Beloved

Jewel

…And to think I was
Shown all this – – a breathless
View of heaven, of a
Wondrous portal into peace’s bliss – –
And lying below a little
Cottage, snuggled close
To earth like a
Supplicant, and
Me metaphorically
Cloistered its walls inside, from
Where prayers could be
Whispered and
Straight to God’s ears
Uninhibited fly…

Cottage

What is it about this
Little place, something familiar and
Secure I think…? Is it perhaps
I’ve been here once before, and
Under the tutelage of the
Healing Light was bathed
And brought forth?
Yes, I feel like I do
Know this place, simple as
It is – – and pure – – a
Cottage I would like,
No pretense allowed,
Just a hermitage
To house the silent
Prayers of the lame,
Sick, and halt…and those
Lost but mercifully
Now found…

Cottage Re-Visited

Could it be this little
Cottage is a microcosm of me,
A hermitage huddled at shores edge,
Hesitant to lift e’en its eyes,
Lest they be seen,
Hunkered down its head,
Its rooftop fast and secured,
But bathed, nevertheless, bathed,
Because Creation welcomes
Each pilgrim at its door?

One

Found, at a
Ranch for animals lost,
A friend against
My knee to lean,
A creature accepting,
With me willing
To be seen…

Awakening

As if at long last
Revealing its inner self,
All caution set aside,
What had been enough
Finally deemed to be enough,
What had heretofore
Been cloaked, but
Caught now in photo
As it floated upon
A Rhode Island pond,
A lotus flower in the
Faintest pinks and
Whites and greens and
Yellows, all blending
In the hues of a
Proffered heart
Given freely, and its
Beat the divine
Rhythm of the
Blood of Beauty,
The pulse soft and
Subdued, the petals
A cushion for
God’s footstool,
Whereupon the
Haversacks could be
Placed of weary,
Arriving souls.

Leo Carroll
August 3, 2019
Westford, Massachusetts