January 4th

"When your children ask in time to come, 'What do those stones mean to you?' then you shall tell them . . . " Joshua 4:6b-7a

they are a cairn

where pilgrims can 

slip pieces of paper 

with their written prayers

into the thin space between

the weathered stones.

they are a dry wall

crafted so neighbors can

come and stand to share

their stories in the day's dusk.

they are the streets of the dead

we walk to journey with 

the past to those places 

where we are embraced

by our future held in the

tender arms of God.

(c) 2023 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman