waiting, you waited (Psalm 40:1-3)

hearing my squawk
      of surprise
               and then
   my wails of
         wretchedness,
you came
      running,
   stopping at the
      crumbling edge;

you reached down
   and clasped my trembling
            hands,
   pulling me up
      out of the
      slimy clay that
            fought
         to hold on to
               me;

you unwrapped the towel
      from around your
                  waist,
   and setting me
   on your lap,
         you proceeded
         to wipe off all
      the muddy traces
      of my mistakes,
   drying my feet off
            toe by toe,

all the while
             chuckling,
      and
         asking me,
   'why do you keep
   getting into these
                messes?'

(c) 2014 Thom M. Shuman

Thom