(from Ezekiel 36:25)

the dew of paradise
was sprinkled on
my forehead by a
roosting dove above me.
quenching the desperate
thirst in the back
of my throat with the
distinct flavor of blatant sanguineness.
washing the grime
from under my nails
(even though the dew
was a red hue).
droplets of dew
gravitating to my insteps,
bolstering them for
the arduous odyssey ahead.
(daily: the dew and dove)

(from Genesis 5:24)

he's killing us!

walking-
onward, continually
forward, no matter how the
heel, instep, or arch
on either one of us
feels like.

striding-
when we are covered in
dust and coarse sand;
or exhausted, thoroughly,
from toenail to ankle;
or punctured from
something
he stepped on with us.

pacing-
in the scorching heat
with the shadeless rays
pounding down on us,
unceasingly
with each, every, single
step, step, step, step.
then the night falls,
the cooling invading
our toes, the darkness
surrounding us,
wrapping us in the
absolute lack of light,
causing each step to
be more frightful, unsure.

hiking-
always on the same, small,
solitary, confined walkway,
the pathway (usually) void
of fellow travelers
beside us, footfall by footfall.
daily repetitious,
the same direction
always.

expediting-
step by step by step.
is he ever gonna stop
us from walking?
will we ever, finally, arrive
to wherever it is he's going?
who could be this important
for him to walk this far?
is he planning on staying
at this new place?

then,
suddenly,
the road was not.
was no more,
no longer beneath us.

gone: the dirt, the stains,
the weeds, thorns, debris,
the fiery sunlight,
the freezing moonlight,
the surrounding beasts,
the fatigue, the wounds,
the stress, the uncertainty.
the soreness:
from ankle to instep
to arch to toes, gone.
gone. not.
finally behind us.

before us: rest, bliss, peace, welcome, Him.

(from Exodus 20:7)

undeniable: the chilly wind on a Michigan February day which invades within the firmly pulled down hat and underneath the tightly wrapped scarf to pervade the face with bitter (hazardous even) cold, a cold that, even though it comes in through such a small space soon swims over the whole body to flood the person with slipping temperatures, inescapable wind unless you change your location, taking  residence where the wind doesn't blow at all, even a tiny bit.

which is why they use Your name as a curse word (You are undeniable). they train themselves to deny You, with science, hedonism, and philosophy, but Your name, ever in their vain lips, keeps returning again and again,undeniably present in their supposedly atheistic hearts (from the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks): in anger. in despair. in wonderment. in sex. in pain. in desperation. undeniable.

inescapable: unless they change permanent locations, taking permanent residence where You permanently do not reside, at all, even a tiny bit. which all too many finally, permanently, choose in the end.  permanently. 

("and you shall call His name Jesus for He will save His people from their sins")