The Desert Poem by Linda Galvin

Why go out into the desert?
What do you seek?
What will you find?

I go into the desert,
Bareheaded – an empty husk,
Naked of all reason;
A woman of hard baked clay,
Brittle of substance,
Rough to touch.

Yet there is a longing
To be moulded afresh.
To feel the potter’s hands
Creating a vessel
Both useful and precious.

Why then come to the desert?
There is surely nothing here
But bleached bones
And endless horizons
Of shifting time.

But here, just as in the Garden,
Is the Lord’s creation.
Under my feet
Individual multicoloured specks,
Each particle of sand moves as one
The source of strength
In Man’s created structures.

Shimmering illusions
Of far away things.
Unsatisfactory desires
Cleansed by wavering heat
To sear the flesh.
Refining fire to burn away
And reveal true worth.

Rocky ground of stumbling blocks.
Casting long shadows
My shelter from the storm and
Scorching sun – a protective shield.
The wings of the wind
Creating smooth surfaces

Heat of the sun -
Its blinding light gives way
To the cool of evening.
Night frosts bring drops
Of morning dew.
One single drop to quench my thirst
To satisfy – yet intensify need.

Approaching the heart of the desert
The Tree of Life -
Putting roots deep into the earth.
Enabling me to draw to the surface
A sparkling fountain of sustenance.

I come to the desert
Because here I will surely
Encounter the Lord.
No burning bush – but
A revelation of His greatness,
His mercy and His grace.

He has prepared my way,
He has tested and humbled me
He has called me.
Let me simply reply
“Here I am.”