Reflections

When ashes are imposed –

as if we have no choice in the matter –

the only way we can see them

is by reflection.

What do we see, if we pause

to reflect on the oil and ashen stripes

smudged vertically and horizontally

on our foreheads?

Perhaps it may appear as if

it's our cerebral matter peeking,

leaking out, pouring our deepest thoughts,

oft hidden, now exposed

for all the world to see.

Or maybe it's the dusty grey mess

of our life's collective catastrophes

in all their naked embarrassment.

And yes, it surely is a stark reminder

that all of us will go, sooner or later,

back into the earth,

composted toward the future.

But let it also remind us that each of us

contains, in the core of our existence,

a spark of divine hope meant to burn

brightly for all the world to see,

not because we, ourselves, can muster,

much less create it, but that Love itself

has chosen to share this glowing grace

with us all, and called us to let it burn

from birth to death unhindered.

© 2015 Todd Jenkins