the all right in the worst of us

what may I say
that
isn’t I love you
or
is everything a variation
of these words and
all
the meaning

even should I speak of
God and
then more so os love
to say

Swtzerland
Venezuela
Somali
Ukraine
Gaza

more names and let
the people mean more than the places

closer in
my mildewed apartment
and what is happening with
you

the worse things are happening
around
with concomitant escapes attempt
that
because there is a rim ‘round Earth
the tries do not succeed
except sometimes
in
ultimate
destruction

the kind I shouldn’t wish on
anyone
certainly not
on you

for you
rather
I wish for fullness
living
breathing
as we may
by love with each other
practical and
difficult
sometimes expressing
and
enacting

and yet
of course
worthwhile to try

reconciliation
we have such need in
the world
if
we could only stop the killing
and blaming for the killing
on
anyone but the enactors
who
can be ourselves
perhaps

and should we kill
then what
to believe
it’s over
and
God is reasonable to respond not
so
as there’s hope in belief
and grace remains
free
as freely given

so receive

c l couch


photo by Danny Greenberg on Unsplash