Know
One thing I ask of the LORD,
it is this that I seek—
that I dwell in the house of the LORD
all the days of my life,
to behold the LORD’s sweetness
and to gaze on His palace.
Psalm 27:4 The Book of Psalms.
Robert Alter
I wander between the words
parsing out meanings,
finding a place to rest
If I ask this, what is asked of me
It is not the trappings—
my books stacked in bookcases
and in piles around my chair
It is not my art supplies—tubes of paints,
a few sable brushes, half finished
sketchbooks waiting for another line
It is not the words copied from books
Quotations and aphorisms
Snippets from newspapers
nor is it my own writings
I have little to offer
My tomato plant —a small harvest
LORD feels too heavy, I shall use
one of your other names—Ha Shem
I have no first fruits, nothing
except myself—flaws, doubts
and at times turning my back
and walking the other way
Yet, I know I hear the words
and turn—I am here
warts and all asking
to dwell
in that same house
