October 2014 Contemplative Prayer Notes
“The Journey Towards Justice” with Janet Bohren
The poem Janet Bohren shared was by George R. Pasley, a poet and pastor at Ketchikan Presbyterian Church in Alaska. To read more of his poetry, visit his Facebook. Below is the poem and audio.
“The Journey Towards Justice” by George R. Pasley
The journey towards justice
Is not so much a road or even a trail
But a trace through the desert
Marked by frustration and sorrow
And the greatest temptations along its way
Are the inclination to presume you have arrived
And the temptation to despair,
Thinking you never shall.
It is a pilgrimage with many
Who disagree about much,
Scorned by more who speak the same language
But fail to understand,
And feared by scores more
Who tremble at the hands of change.
It leaves scars upon body and soul,
Tests the strong and inspires the weak,
Features a strong cadence and a checkered history
In which every saint has a record of question
And every drummer an tendency
To lose step with the beat.
It will break your heart
Shame your family
Shock your neighbors
Wreak havoc on nations
And nap until its legions despair.
But it is as stubborn as dandelion
As tart as wild berry
As slippery as catfish
Aggressive as a junkyard dog
And the lesson if history is
It never is over
Never put down
Never finally abandoned
By always the maker the shaper AND the finisher
Of purpose, of destiny, of history’s trek.
August 21, 2014
Ketchikan Alaska
