Third Tuesday in Lent

"Keep your tongue from evil,

    and your lips from speaking deceit.
Depart from evil, and do good;
    seek peace, and pursue it." Psalm 34:13-14

we just cannot keep

from sticking our tongues

out and touching the pole

frozen by evil's ice cold heart.

we find it easier to just

repeat the same damaging

words over and over, rather

than thumbing through the

thesaurus of grace and hope.

we cannot bring ourselves

to break it off with the Evil One

and start dating that goody

two-shoes holding up the wall

at the weekly dance.

and peace? when we could

race at top speed to catch it,

our feet seem to be stuck

in the quicksand of anger.

(c) 2024 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman