LIGHTNESS OF BEING

That white, bright square of light
beyond the doorway beckoning—
hang it first with grave clothes
curtains for modesty’s sake;
such exposure comes only by
digging through the earth to find
the valley of shadows through which
meanders the river of sticks,
flotsam and jetsam, debris of Babel
dammed against the felled trees of Eden.
It is only through the darkness
created and breathing through
the founding of humanity
that the Son of Man becomes the Light.

Rosalind C. Hughes

Rosalind C Hughes has lived on three continents and now makes her home near Cleveland, Ohio. She became a US citizen and an Episcopal priest on opposite shoulders of a very busy weekend in January 2012. She is active in gospel-grounded gun violence prevention conversations, as reflected in her latest book, Whom Shall I Fear? Urgent Questions for Christians in an Age of Violence.

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THE FAST THAT I CHOSE

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FROM THE SHIRE TO THE ALTAR