Would You Show Up?

 

Would You Show Up?

(“The Lord would speak to Moses face to face like one would speak to a friend.” Exodus 33:11a)

Would you show up when we least expect,
knock on the door from inside a dream?
Would you correct the recipes we have misunderstood,
direct us to banquets where we feast as friends?

My attention has been torn asunder (there,
I admit it). I’ve been pushed to the edge by
playground carousels,
buried beneath the bedrock by relentless
gravity. It is time I came up for air.

Would you dig deep enough to find us,
wait until our breath returned?
Would you suspect us of heresy, try us for treason,
or despite our errancy, meet us at our unevenness?

My pages are being rewritten (there,
I wrote it). The ink is drying faster than
my slow unfolding intended. But birds still fly,
preteen hawks perch on the fenceposts looking like doves
until a closer inspection.
It is time I read outside for a while.

Would you meet us before sunrise, though
our aches precede the day? Would you
send us your poetry, ask us to dance,
answer our questions with only your smile?

Would you befriend me, or have we been
from the foundation of the world?