April 6, 2003
Awakened Woman's Circle is working for peace
Justice Poem
Deda Divine
I want to write a poem to feed the world.
A steamy, soft-centered poem
With a crust the color of the skin
Of children in Guatamala
A fresh-from-the-oven poem
Big enough for each person to
Break off a chunk
More than they can chew
Slather it in the creamy goodness Of
fine fat
words And dip it into the golden sticky
sweetness Of our collective honey-hearts.
Then I will pass this poem around
This big wide world
Like those loaves that went with the fishes
And Jesus
Those beautiful self-renewing loaves
Those loaves like human hearts
That kept making themselves be enough
No matter how many times
They were broken apart.
I want to write a poem to shelter the world.
A sturdy, spacious poem
With room enough for all of us
With walls made of wonder
That no bullet or bomb can penetrate
A poem to withstand the
Unpredictable weather
Of fickle politicians
Who would now make a foe of
One who was a friend
A poem to protect us from
The bitter cold of oppression
A poem to shelter us from
The torrents of lies that
Bombard us daily
Lies of racism
Lies of not enough
Lies of them
And us.
And I will fling open wide
This portal poem
And not ask you to wipe your
Muddy feet
Nor remove your simple cap
I will instead grab you each up
With all of my strength
Like your most favorite grandma
And say Come in! Come in!
I'm so glad you're here!
I want to write a poem to clothe the world.
No more sack cloth and ash
For those of us who belong to Beauty
No more shame and sorrow
Thrown across our weary shoulders
This poem will drape itself elegantly
Around our soft flesh
And stately bones
Falling in endless folds
Of mercy and forgiveness
From crown to feet
This poem woven of the grit and glory
Of our untold stories
And lavishly embroidered
With the whispered hopes
That only our hearts dare
And then, clad in the majesty
Of our rightful adornment
We will stand again
In the Great Circle
With our feet firmly planted
Holding hands in peace
With our eyes wide open.