What is sown is perishable,
what is raised is imperishable.
It is sown in dishonor,
it is raised in glory.
It is sown in weakness,
it is raised in power.
—1 Corinthians 15.42-43
Sow, me, Holy One,
your seed in this fertile world.
I will be sown perishable,
weak among mortals.
My words will be hollow,
empty graves,
from which you rise
in glory.
I will be sown broken,
seed cracked open,
and a form not strictly myself
with power not mine will rise.
My witness will be without force,
laughable to all but the saints
who will laugh with joy,
who will come out
singing and bewildered
in their grave wrappings.
I will be sown surrendered,
and the earth receiving me
will blossom forth,
my body become immense,
my song uncontained,
strength ungrasped.
Sow me, Holy One,
a seed of you,
and in my falling into the ground,
sinking into the ground,
mercy breaks all known
and unknown bounds.
—February 21, 2019