Wednesday, June 2, 2010

The Bump in the Barn


The barn had a bump in it
Along the spine of its roof
Aged, sagging toward both ends
Down from that center place

Shored up inside long ago
With newer posts and beam part
To staunch the flow of gravity
Upon time-weary timbers

The outside weathered dark
Dry, shriveled and cracked
Leaving holes for wind-driven rain
Doorways for insects and birds

I remember a broken bone
Heals from both ends
Builds a bridge of calcium
To hold the ends together

To protect new growth
A repaired bone is stronger
A little larger there
Than it was before

So it is with the heart
Endures passion and pain
Gives itself freely
Despite all odds

Time leaves its mark
Stiffening, hardening
Loosening the resistance
Allowing the flow

I see the outside
Sags, gaps, slowly disintegrates
Imagine the inside
Patched up, tacked on, rebuilt

Remember the barn
And know
That the bump at the center
Is the last part to go

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