The Elderly Lady in the Front Pew
August 25, 2007 at 8:26 am Leave a comment
I went to a church once- it was a dry, boring, dull baptist church. I was so bored I counted the tiles on the wall, the elderly people with grey hair versus those with obviously coloured treated hair and I even tried to attract the attention of the gentleman across the aisle. The service was nearing a close and the congregation rose to sing. One lady caught my eye. She must have been nearing 90 years old- and was barely able to stand.Her physical appearance was repulsive-soiled and tattered clothes, blotchy bruised skin and no teeth.
I struggled through this haunting sight. It kept me awake, she captured my thoughts and became the warden of my imagination. These are the first words I’ve written about her. In her repulsiveness I saw her beauty.
The Elderly Lady in the Front Pew
Crumpled twisted hands
Pained fingers straightened
Age spots; torn spots
Lifted in praise
Blue swollen neck veins convulsing
Bulging eyes masked by transparent eyelids closed
Withered; weathered
Teetering on unstable legs-
Captivated in exaltation
A scarred face watching-
Trembling;
Stagnant bruises fester
‘Glorification unravelled…
Grace stained’ meets beauty .
Entry filed under: Touching Joy. Tags: Poetry, The Beauty of Life, The Heart Sleeve, The presence of wrinkles made me rethink life.
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