Poetic Last Days, March

It's that time again, when a little poetry comes to the aid of the heart that seeks to meditate and pray. May God bless your Lenten journey. 

The Chalice at His Side

Cracked and dry am I,

Shriveling in this air.

Empty inside for I

Did not want to share.

What irony I find,

That given this fine wine,

Harbored within myself,

A bitter and toxic mind.

Was I to pour it out,

To waste such potency?

Why give it away,

When it was given to me?

Something more to this wine,

Potent at a cost.

The fullness of its sweetness,

Was premised on the loss.

Freely given to be given away,

Pungent as it flows,

Richness seen as n'er before,

Delight only the Lover knows.

Remain with me, I cry,

Not wanting to lose this wine,

Sustain me, O, I pray,

To last yet one more day.

Yet shriveled and sick am I,

Barren inside and dry,

What remains is only the muck, 

Of one who would not love.

Deeper I must delve down,

Within the depths of me,

To seek and hunt for the source,

Of that sweet and holy Spring.

Dig and work and crawl,

Find the clay below,

Until my hands are wet again,

And the Wine once more will flow.

And now I understand,

What I could not see before,

Only in the pouring out,

Where the rich is made poor.

There in the giving of all I have,

There in the emptying out,

The wonder of the Life remains,

The Light does not go out.

O, Sweet Wine, had I but known,

Would that I have seen.

Only in giving what I have now,

Am I truly the one who receives.

Remain with me, I cry,

Sustain me, O, I pray,

Do not hold back all that you are,

I will give it all away.

Flow through me now, O Sweet Wine,

I will not hinder you.

This heart beats once again,

This soul is fresh and new.

The dryness has been swallowed up,

The emptiness is filled,

My cup overflows in generous Love,

My restless spirit stilled. 

What kind of Love is this, I ponder,

That only in giving is known?

What miracle is present here,

Grapes crushed as seeds are sown.

That Well within springs from your Side,

This Wine comes without cost,

Let me give it freely with all I am,

That true Life may not be lost.

"Go and learn the meaning of the words, 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.' I did not come to call the righteous but sinners...No one patches an old cloak with a piece of unshrunken cloth, for its fullness pulls away from the cloak and the tear gets worse. People do not put new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise the skins burst, the wine spills out, and the skins are ruined. Rather, they pour new wine into fresh wineskins, and both are preserved." (Matt. 9:13, 16-17)

"I will sprinkle clean water upon you to cleanse you from all your impurities, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. I will give you a new heart and place a new spirit within you, taking from your bodies your stony hearts and giving you natural hearts." (Ezekiel 36:25-26)