Far Removed
Victor Terrien
For all the talk of love,
what about the importance of grace?
Not the contrived, far-removed grace
from a savior that in speech
people tend to toss around
like pennies in a collection plate.
The grace that requires no religion, only decency.
Composure in the face of things going wrong.
Lack of grace shows entitlement.
Entitlement comes from pride.
I don’t need
some kind of outrageous spontaneity,
just the kind that makes life worth waking up for
regardless of the weather.
I slept through the job being done,
my fear and anxiety keeping me
from finding the will to stay upright.
Routine destroys spontaneity.
The lie I told myself up to this point will be shattered
once and for all: I’m not happy. That was the truth
ringing like a church bell
through the town of my heart.
And how it flies. O how it flies toward a heaven
my soul will never know.