Today, when I blinked,
a fire fell,
a cataclysmic flash of fear
circled the earth
and flattened fields,
and brushed the broad plains red and black.
The globe pitched sideways,
every words became gobble,
and my neighbors,
glassy-eyed and guarded,
fed on the hollow half-truths
of hate and hurt.

Sweep, Spirit,
flare of Mercy,
breath of His Holy Hiddenness,
splitter of seas,
and lightning of life.
Sweep, and speak
the utterance of the seed in soil,
of the man of truth on the tree,
“Behold, I make all things new.”

Let the buds return,
the caressing colors
of heaven and hope,
falling like pastel tongues
at Pentecost,
filling thought,
unblocking ears,
unlocking hearts,
blossoms of grace
and generosity
inhabiting humanity.

Sweep, Spirit,
rolling wave of life,
custodian of creation,
enforcer of The Affirmative-
sweep!
Open eyes and ears,
flood the dark places with
your incandescent truth,
and wash soil and soul
in your
ferocious,
relentless
love.