Secrets

Some of them are merely

wrapping paper for surprise,

temporarily covering reality

until the planned moment of joy:

that first pony or puppy,

the weekend getaway to paradise

with one(s) dearly loved.

Others are shadows

marinated in more pain

than seems humanly possible

to bear; bruises and cuts -

maybe even amputations -

that have effected

self-ectomies beyond recognition.

Live tenderly with those

who eschew the former.

You never know who

has walked through

the inferno of the latter.

The invitation to trust

cannot be accepted at gunpoint.

Before we can risk wading

into the river of grace,

we must learn to trust

that someone else is holding

onto our brokenness

with the buoy of love

and without the anchor of judgment.

© 2015 Todd Jenkins