Imperfections Poem by Cheryl Lavender

June 24,2002

Moving through the imperfections of my life,
I've found a house of shadowed rooms,
of make-shift windows, washed-out rivers,
and muddy waters, run over with significance.

The disdain of my hope established under painted walls
of hard-born enamel and drop-down ceilings
have so prejudiced my existence, leaving me nothing more
than fragmented coverings and gaping holes.

Yet, somewhere amidst this dark night,
I have come to know the true measure of Grace and Light,
reviving the soul, demanding purity out of impurity,
creating life within the brittle ground.

For I am persuaded by causes above my own,
and I am brought to an unbending dimension of Hope and Love,
of Mercy never ceasing, infinite beyond its measure,
a reality where darkness must concede,
where Light constrains to enter in.

Here alone, where I carry the depth of my pain,
I am compelled to release the guilt
that draws my soul to its death,
to lay it bare on a path of blood born by my Savior.

And I cry, cry for what I have done, cry for who I have become,
cry for pain caused, for boundaries crossed,
for sin forgiven, for Love embraced,
for Hope restored, for Mercy given…yet again!