Young Teacher
Eager laundry helper, our godson.
Placing clothes in washer, adding soap, pulling the knob.
Then the dryer!
Cleaning lint trap, adding clothes, pushing start.
He’s five.
Our hope is for his never-waning enthusiasm in mundane chores.
Lately his added desire
Has been not only cleaning the screen
But saving the lint for an art project!
How could anyone ignore such a request?
Last week we made three linten bowls –
Or Lenten bowls –
With glue, paint, plastic-wrap covered containers and our salvaged goods.
A time-consuming project
With my silent, concluding response:
I’m glad this is done.
But, as is often the case with wise teachers and art,
The bowl is not done with me.
Flecks of fibers that clog the dryer
Or are tossed into the trash,
Are they not like some people we encounter –
Friends or acquaintances, strangers or co-workers
Who impede our goals or desires?
Are there not some of God’s beloved who we treat as expendable?
As less than?
As suited for the garbage?
Holy One, thank you for a little boy
Who can see wonder
In something that I would discard.
Thank you for his unabashed engagement in life.
Shake me from busyness and preconceived notions
That I might be awestruck by beauty
Even and especially in unexpected places.
©November 18, 2017 Cynthia Langston Kirk