LIke a Trial Balloon

 

Like a Trial Balloon

(“Rejoice greatly, people of Jerusalem! Shout for joy, people of Jerusalem! Your king is coming to you. He does what is right, and he saves. He is gentle and riding on a donkey, on the colt of a donkey.” Zechariah 9:9)

I wanted today to be soft like a trial balloon,
but it was crunchy like leftover bits of tortilla chips.
And still it had the trademark of the divine all over it.

I wanted today to be glistening like a birthday cake,
but it was scratchy like acne or poison ivy.
Yet still it had the maker’s mark identifying it.

I wanted today to be back slaps and victory songs,
bass lines and jazz vibes,
but it was castoffs and headline pain,
backward lyrics and notes between the lines.

The author, the known and unknowable,
wrote the copyright
in script that spoke
so little
I knew it was meant for me.