they stare strangely now at her
Alone in the familiar pew
for now is one
when once was two.
She Pardons those who see her in black
And takes her seat with the sinners in the back.
“How do you do? ”
She replies “I do I do”
As She greets the saints from pew to pew.
“She’s not the same? ” “why she looks sorta lame ?”
Gossip echoes “It’s such a pitiful shame!”
To her they say “How do you do ?”
“I do . I do” She nods to folks two by two
While others say ” She’s growing old, a pitiful sight”
She whispers against their mask ” I’m beautiful in white ”
“And soon” she thinks ” I’ll dust the dust off my train”
“There must be a place where widows are not left in vain.”
She sits in the back rows with the hoboes and hoes
Where her twisted Kleenex soon makes garters for foes
Where the comfortable blink and wink at her plight.
“Poor one ” they think “can barely put a single doubt to flight”!
oh, pitiful bird with one wing,
broken bottle without oil
Cistern Of hope broken in toil
Oh better half now gone from the Whole
Oh better half “our intentions are for his soul.”
Soon a Bright Light pours upon them all
As The Divine illuminates the widows new call
Appearing Alone in this familiar back pew
They can only see one
when suddenly she sees two
Next to her is this one with a radiant ring
And a “I do I do ” is The only song she can sing
To Him whose eyes are as the jasper morning star
From His chrism anew , He fills oil in her jar.
Soon Turning every head and crushing all proud hearts
His Voice speaks “nothing ends where I start”
Tears drown the days of the demons final foil
And joy now buries and rests all her terrors and toil
Finally she lifts her head up the years behind her veil
And announces with Him whom she loves “hell will not prevail.”
Then suddenly the Black dress becomes Radiant white
And every curse and judgement of others is put to flight.
“How do you do/”
“I do I do ” she tells them pew to pew.
NOTES:
“You shall no more be termed Forsaken, and your land shall no more be termed Desolate, but you shall be called My Delight Is in Her, and your land Married; for the Lord delights in you, and your land shall be married.”
Isaiah 62:4 ESV
https://www.bible.com/59/isa.62.4.esv
There is one who marries the widow. He pursues her all the more fiercely when she entrusted to no other but Him. And so it is that the Lord tells the church to watch after the widows. Perhaps not so much for the sake of her, for she has the Perfect Husband. But for the sake of the church that they may see Jesus and His Bride the Church ever more clearly.
They said that I could not come and see you
I told them “time is always new when it finds its rest in you.”
I will not grope and grab
We Wait and Wait here for the Sudden
