Thursday, December 30, 2004

Morning Prayer -- A New Covenant


God, you said you would make a new covenant.
My heart lies waiting.
Waiting.
And time passes.
Where is this new covenant?
You pulled us out of oppression,
But why? Nothing changed except
We have become the oppressors.

You said that you had taken my Father and Mother by the hand
And led them out of their bondage –
But God, they were in bondage again before they left the room.

You said you would be our lover, our husband, our closest kinsman –
Where are you?
Your mountain is lost to me --
What obscures my vision?
I cannot remember your face.
It is lost in the mist.

My eyes cannot remember your face,
My flesh cannot remember the last time I felt your embrace.
My spirit cannot remember the caress of your love,
My ears cannot remember the sound of your voice.

You said that you would incise your law on my heart with a diamond stylus.
My heart lies waiting.
Waiting.
And time passes.
I would welcome the pain of your brand on my flesh, if I then would know that
You are there.

You said you would forgive my iniquity and remember my sin no more.
Have you forgotten me as well?
Valleys of dead bodies await your command or condemnation.
We lay here and rot.
How long do we have to wait, longing for something to live for?
When will you gather the dry bones together and breath life into the gaping skulls?
When will you take my bruised heart and write upon it your love?
My heart lies waiting.
Waiting.
And time passes.
--Theresa Coleman

3 comments:

friend said...

Lament Lady,
singing your song,
bang loudly on the door,
for I am hearing your cries,
and I am doing just what I said I would do,
and this peace on earth,
and good will to men,
is not affected by storms,
and the dying flesh
of an easy life-
Just as the Davidic covenant
came and Saul threw spears at him,
and the end seemed miles away-
you too may sing the song
of the abandoned,
and I will be faithful too.
For I see you,
and love the becoming
more then the pain involved-
just look at my son.
Would I hand him a serpant
and a stone instead of bread?
What is observed,
is not what is being given.

friend said...

Ps - servant is Praying Mantis.

Theresa Coleman said...

Thank you for this --
you brought tears to my eyes.
Blessings go with you always.