out of Sheol

"The snares of death encompassed me; 

the pangs of Sheol laid hold on me;
I suffered distress and anguish." Psalm 116:3

i was lonely

and you could have

let me tag along by your side.

but you nudged me 

to take one hesitant step

then a more hopeful one,

unclenching my hands 

to reach out to those

even lonelier, to form a community.

i was broken

and you might have sent

all your angels and archangels

to put me back together

and set me back on my wall.

but you let the hurts of others

seep in through the cracks

of my heart like morning light

so together we could become

stained glass windows of healing.

i could not find the words

to tell others of what was

going on inside, the struggles,

the fears, the worries all

swirling together,

and you could have handed

me a dictionary or thesaurus.

but you put a a pad on my lap 

and a pen in my hand, and whispered,

'dip it in the cauldron of your soul

and begin to write, simply write.'

(c) 2023 Thom M. Shuman