January 13, 2010
On Haiti
By Enuma Okoro
I’ve lost my words of late
under crumbling walls
and falling structures.
Words buried with the unspeakable,
buried with justice, any sense
of priorities,
starting points,
musings,
of Presence.
So I tap tap
like morse code
with every heartbeat a breath
prayer,
“Lord have mercy
Christ have mercy
Lord have mercy.”
Surely the Word has come.
I heard there was news,
amidst those watching and waiting,
There will be light
in this present groping and flaying,
searching for the lost.
The Word has come
for times like these
Epiphany
bears
more
weight.
There will be light.
There will be light.
There must be light
in this
present darkness.
beautiful. thank you for sharing.
By: larouse on February 3, 2010
at 12:40 am
When I look at the faces of those in Haiti and see both faith and fear and an expectant but far off day of rejoicing I am humbled and ashamed of my own lack of faith in the face of such tragedy. In the end we have but one place to go whether we want to or not and that is to Love Incarnate who is crushed in the earthquake but not bound by it. The awful mystery of suffering on such a massive scale defies our logic our theology and our science and strikes at the very core of the ultimate meaning of life. I am always reminded of the story of how in one of the concentration camps God was tried for murder and convicted. After the verdict was read the sun began to sink in the sky and a woman turned to a rabbi and told him it was time for Sabbath prayers. The rabbi was dumbfounded and asked the woman why after the verdict that was just rendered would anyone think of Sabbath prayers. She looked at him and said “to whom else shall we go?” and so here to in the midst of such suffering and death to whom else shall we go!
By: Father Andrew Gentry on January 15, 2010
at 4:52 pm
This is beautiful. Thank you for putting into words what so many have been trying to say.
By: timatgk on January 14, 2010
at 5:19 pm
Thank you again for taking the words in our hearts and bringing them to the page.
By: Joanna on January 14, 2010
at 3:58 pm
This is beautifully written Enuma. I remember so vividly feeling this about the Boxing Day Tsunami of 2004, another one of the most devastating disasters of our lifetime. It was so bizarre in the face of so much grief and disaster to have proof of God’s presence in the form of the healthy baby boy I had just delivered. In the midst of devastation, we have to pray that light emerges through the cracks.
By: Beth on January 14, 2010
at 3:06 pm
Blessings Cynthia and Barbara…
By: Enuma on January 14, 2010
at 12:25 pm
Enuma, I think so many of us are at an utter loss for words. Thank you for so beautifully crafting what our hearts long to cry. I so appreciated the simple reminder of “Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy.”
By: Cynthia on January 14, 2010
at 11:50 am
Enuma, poetry is required when what we want to convey it too deep, too hard, too real, too complex, too tragic, too much. So of course you had to convey that way about Haiti. Steve Taylor is on the job for the NCCUMC, communicating with a medical team there and dealing with the State Department, etc. Today’s NY Times Op-Ed tells of Haitians thinking God is punishing them. So much wondering about why Haiti again, and where is God now. I do not know. But I will pray for the people, long and hard, and trust that somehow that force of love is an energy that matters, that is part of God. It is not enough. Sometimes your cry of words is all we have. BZ
By: Barbara Zelter on January 14, 2010
at 8:58 am