Like The Dust
Blessing of Mud
Lest we think
the blessing
is not
in the dirt.
Lest we think
the blessing
is not
in the earth
beneath our feet.
Lest we think
the blessing
is not
in the dust
like the dust
that God scooped up
at the beginning
and formed
with God’s
two hands
and breathed into
with God’s own
breath.
Lest we think
the blessing
is not
in the spit.
Lest we think
the blessing
is not
in the mud.
Lest we think
the blessing
is not
in the mire,
the grime,
the muck.
Lest we think
that God
cannot reach
deep into the things
of earth,
cannot bring forth
the blessing
that shimmers
within the sludge,
cannot anoint us
with a tender
and grimy grace.
Lest we think
that God
will not use the ground
to create us
once again,
to cleanse us
of our unseeing,
to open our eyes upon
this ordinary
and stunning world.
Seen above and on front-page mastheads: Vase of Sunflowers by Henri Matisse
Words above by Jan Richardson at The Painted Prayerbook
