January 23rd

“The woman said to him, "I know that Messiah is coming" (who is called Christ). "When he comes, he will proclaim all things to us." Jesus said to her, "I am he, the one who is speaking to you." John 4:25-26

at that modern well
called a coffee shop, she sits
scrolling headlines with one hand
and using the other to shield her eyes
wondering if today, truth might speak
without having to shout.
when the wars fall into silence,
when the powerful learn to listen,
when we dare to learn the names
of those we meet, then maybe
someday has finally arrived.
we expect transparency
to come into our lives
at the moment we have
marked on our calendars,
then you show up
not on primetime or streaming
not racking up numbers on social media,
but finding us in the weary places,
where we thirst for honesty.
and it is not
‘i will be’
not ‘i was’
but I AM
in every broken relationship
in every long line of the parched,
in every argument where truth
is kept out of the vocabulary—
simply
knowing our names
and offering us a drink
despite all the skeletons in our closets.

© 2026 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman