For those who have eyes but cannot see. Mark 8:18
Did you notice the moon last night?
The full moon rising above oak and hickory
above heated crowds and worried hospitals
above anger and destruction
above the unease of the city?
Did you notice the moon?
Did you sit on your stoop
in the stillness of the evening
and gaze upward? Feel the warmth
of a breeze that caresses only
in that liminal space
between seasons?
Did you allow the moon to bathe
your skin, your bare arms, your legs
and wonder at the amber light
washing across you like the blessing
of a mother?
Did you notice the moon? Or
were your eyes full of discord?
Your ears tuned to fear? Did you turn
from the heavens to fill a screen
with your screeching, to spit
out vitriol like snuff, to stroke your
hard heart and down the glass
in your hand in homage
to the serpent eating its own tail
while above you the sacred
held steady?
© Rosemary McMahan
This poem was originally posted on Reverend Rosemary McMahan’s personal Facebook page. She was invited to contribute to this blog by the NAP Peacemaking Task Force.