Fifth Friday in Lent

"I will tell of your name to my
   brothers and sisters;
in the midst of the
   congregation I will praise you:"  Psalm 22:22

all the parties
i no longer
get invited to,
all the kids
standing in front
of their lockers
snickering at me.
all the teachers who whisper,
'he had such potential,
what happened?'
it's as if i have
a 'kick me'
sign
on my back.
if i mention
your name,
people fall down
laughing.
if i don't,
another hole
burns in my soul.
like fawkes,
i dissolve
into ashes, yet
come back
again and again.
your words
keep spilling
out of my
mouth,
no matter
how hard i try
to put padlocks
and chains
around them.

(c) Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

Fifth Thursday in Lent

"We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labor pains until now;" Romans 8:22

resistant
to directions,
we are pretty
sure
we don't need
to be shown the
way out
of our shadows.
we tap our
pencil
against our
teeth, eager
for the test
to be over so
we can
get to the
fun part
of life.
groaning
under our breath,
nervously drumming
our fingers on the
wheel, we
try to change
the signal by
sheer
concentration.
give us
the
patience
to wait for
your hope
to come,
just around the
corner
of our faith.

(c) Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

Fourth Wednesday in Lent

"The vessel he was making of clay was spoiled in the potter's hand, and he reworked it into another vessel, as seemed good to him." Jeremiah 18:4

the fingers
that unfolded
butterflies' wings
and waved goodbye
to them
now smooth
the wrinkles
of our souls.
those hands
callused by
shaping craggy
mountains
now gently
caress us into
being.
that breath
which melted
glaciers
into blue-green
oceans
now fills
our lungs
with life
as you
craft us
into earthenware
vessels
to hold
the dreams
of others.

(c) Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

Fourth Tuesday in Lent

"But he said to them, 'It is I; do not be afraid.'” John 6:20

fear

comes as a spider

weaving its threads

of conspiracies and lies

into a web just waiting 

to snare us while it slowly

creeps toward us to suck

all our humanity out of us.

fear

sounds like those ancient sirens 

sitting just on the

edge of our journey 

through these difficult times,

singing sweet, alluring songs

hoping to lure us from 

staying the course towards

compassion, justice, and hope.

fear

is a decaying past

we are told we need

to keep alive at all costs,

no matter how damaging

it was to so many people.

so, 

may we take you deep

into our hearts and souls

that we might not trust fear

more than we trust you.

(c) 2025 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman