Whoever does not
receive the reign of God
as a little child
will never enter it.
—Mark 10.15
Not as: cute, innocent, pure.
More like: vulnerable, at risk,
powerless, weak and unsure,
easily overlooked,
worth little to the Empire
(will you be this?),
last to be counted,
first to be hurt.
As a child, awkward, still learning,
always a beginner,
necessarily open,
dependent, reaching upward,
needing to be led,
willing to be carried in arms.
As a child, uncomprehending
of what it has taken
to save you.
As a child, beloved
without your having
made yourself so,
fiercely beloved.
—October 4, 2018