Sacred Subversions

These people have been turning the whole world upside down! Acts 17:6

I heard every siren call -
the skinny ones with their promise of beauty.
The chubby ones and their assurance of success.
The ones in suits and the ones who wear silk.
I was tempted, sure - I was repulsed
each voice, each note
the truth and nothing like the truth.
I tied myself to the journey and sailed into the song-
a passage of good hope;
a pirate with all my teeth

My soul magnifies the Lord
but what of the rest of me?

i went in the closet and closed the door.
i begged to have eyes to see and ears to hear
thy kingdom come

yesterday I managed to oppress no one
the food I ate was grown by my own hands
i wove my clothes out of dog hair and
trash from a Mexican trash heap
i read by the light of the moon - went to
jail to stop a war - cried at the foot of the cross
built a widow a house
taught a child to read
painted a picture using mud, blood,
and guns I had coaxed
out of the hands of
15-year-olds and ground into
a paste.

yesterday i forgave my mother and raised chickens
and then I rode my bike to Palestine
where I listened to bombs drop
and cried while I held a child who asked my why
It was a light day

We are the body -
the hands that serve
the voice that soothes

in every breath
it is an impossible situation
press your finger anywhere on the globe
and it is an impossible situation
organize thousands of women
dressed in white to crush a dictator;
feed every one
inspire everyone
sow your clothes and your food
pick up arms or put them down
and still it is
an impossible situation

luckily we are foolish
enough to show up anyway
today I'll run away with the carnival
and learn to juggle the revolution and quiet adoration

today for the kingdom today for the kingdom
may those who labor give birth
may those who long for life, grow

o jesus
o holy jester
focus our vision

- from the inside cover of Conspire Magazine's Summer 2009 publication, vol. 1, number 3
www.conspiremagazine.com