by on

All my sins rise up
before my eyes
And choke the light
with memories of black.
These acts of mine I
never can take back
The lusts, the hates,
the snobbery, the lies
And simply you reply
“Peace be with you.”

 I stand accused with
nothing but the truth.
Thus I thought,
desired, spoke and did.
These acts were mine
and more, I am sure, lie hid
Buried in the
subconscious of my youth.
But your only word to
me, “Peace be with you.”
Hidden sins I cannot
even bring
Before the accuser,
hungry for my faults.
Unknown and festering
in dark submental vaults
They lie in wait, and
to my soul they cling.
But your command to
me, “Peace be with you.”
New life, new love,
new hopes send down the blade
Through the water’s
shallow clarity
Below the shine of
surface charity
Plunging into the
murk I’ve left unsaid.
And sharply you
remind me, “Peace be with you.”
Who knows what lives
down there in all that silt?
The water’s peaceful
surface boils in fright,
I blame the dredge
for what it brings to light,
And still you plunge
the blade in to the hilt
And fiercely promise
me, “Peace be with you.”
For this you came, to
bring the sword of peace
With wounded healing
hands through silent war.
Prying, cutting,
searching the very core,
Taking away so that
you may increase
My hope. My only
hope. “Peace be with you.”