Thirst

Grace is an awakening

to the gift that we can and should

decline to accept every invitation

to self-loathing; both those

that come from within and without,

because God has invited us

to a party with an altogether

different theme: love.

The day's dream-wake:

leaving all the invitations

to self-loathing unopened

is the first major leg

of the journey toward

learning how not to issue

such invitations to others.

Even the smallest sip

of genuine grace sharpens

our palates to recognize

and reject the bitter aftertaste

of all pretenders, awakening

our connection to others' thirst.

© 2015 Todd Jenkins