by Joy Lenten
Luke 1:1-4
The voice of Luke
I am no writer.
Words are not my medium,
But stories are.
I listen to my patients
Hear their pain and fear,
Do my best to diagnose,
And, if I can,
Alleviate their suffering.
This story
I have to share.
My own Physician
Has made his analysis
Of all that ails me
And brought me
Wholeness
I had never known.
Luke 1:5-25
The voice of Zechariah
I felt less of a man.
Not because I could not
Give her a child –
Though that was painful
Beyond explanation.
No, it was because
I could not reach her.
Each month
I saw her retreat,
Withdraw into
Some internal
Place of pain,
Somewhere
I could not decide
If I was unwelcome
Or simply unable to go
Into its depths.
But I had my work;
A place to feel worthy,
Somewhere
To drown out
My inner voices
Of accusation.
So when that one-time
Invitation came
To burn the incense
I left, trying to disguise
My relief at a respite
From the shroud of sadness
Encompassing our home
And the sense of failure
Which was nipping
At my heels
Like a wild dog.
And as I…
