bearings
as soon as the fires went out we started
looking for hope among the ruins
sharing the same picture over and over
of the cross beaming in the rubble
I read that the towers were still standing
that the organ had not been destroyed
heard promise after promise of rebuilding
even as the smoke still whispered to the stones
to grasp the geography of being alive
we need some direction when our maps burn
and we are left with an on-the-fly cartography
from some that act as though explanations
will help us find our way somehow but
too many times those roads run to retaliation
against those whose hearts are broken too
though maybe for different reasons than ours
someone meant to burn the churches in St. Landry
suicide bombers want to damage all they can
some of them in lands more ancient than Paris
but what does it mean that a cathedral
could become charred ruins by accident
is there anywhere safe on our map
never mind I know the answer to the
last one even though we hardly say it
none of us has a map to safety
the best we can do is stick together
and I don’t mean just you and me
we need more than us to make our way
there is no map to safety I said that
already but it seems to bear repeating
Peace,
Milton
As a young woman directing a church choir we learned “for it is thou, Lord, thou, Lord, only, that makest me dwell in safety.” It often comes to mind these 50+ years later.
I am singing that in my mind, Leah. Thank you for the reminder