Working in the Back

Working in the Back

(“We are ruled by Christ's love for us.” 2 Corinthians 5:14a)

Were you working in the back where no one could see you;
do you crouch behind the boxes to hide the words you fear to hear?
Didn’t you once run the place,
didn’t you greet every person as they came in the door?
You were no warrior, but you fought for those you loved;
You were no prophet, but you spoke love to the unloved.
Did it wear you out,
did it damage your innocent desires for something far better
than fences to keep everyone out? Did the wall
they
erected make your heart fail as you clawed at it with
your fingernails.
People used to come and go freely.
People used to come and go.
Wasn’t it about time for the wall to fall,
nearly time for the sun to call when it sets
for all the hiding and timid ones who once
frolicked through the day to come watch the
horizon light up like Picasso.
Our hands
are still calloused from bearing the burdens
that only love makes light enough to carry.
Our feet
still walk home to home hoping to find
artisans who model their days after lovers in the park.
But some days are too much,
much too much,
and we drink our coffee in the shadows,
sit behind boxes,
work in a corner of the backroom closet hoping
to wake to a different day. Hoping to find a way
to bring some love back to this place that has forgotten
its name.