Poem/Prayer for Worship
by Thom Shuman

sitting duck

i would wear
steel-toed boots
to nudge my friends out of the way,
or high-heeled boots
so i am not dirtied
by the muck of the world,
  but you rub
  my Achilles' heel raw
  with the pebble of   servanthood;

i would take
self-defense courses
to protect myself
from all the blows
the world throws at me,
  but you pull off
  my gloves
  and show me   the wide open stance
  of grace;

i would build a fence
of  cynicism and doubt
around my soul
so no one can sneak past
with their pain and need,
  but you hold out
  your heart to me,
  naked and bleeding
  from its brokenness.

Jesus, Son of David,
have pity on me:
so when I want to be safe and secure,
i can become a sitting duck
for your vulnerability.  

(c) 2006  Thom M. Shuman 

(Comments to Thom at tmshuman@fuse.net.)

http://www.occasionalsightings.blogspot.com
Greenhills Community Presbyterian Church, Cincinnati, Ohio