A kitchen cleaned just so,
All doors closed quietly,
No sign of having thoughts at all,
She would love me if I got it right.
(Get it right. Get it right.)
He would love me if I got it right,
Made dinner to his special tastes,
Never asked where he’d been,
No inconvenient feelings shared.
(Get it right. Get it right.)
My visits timed to suit,
And sermons not too long,
Using perfect words for God,
They would love me if I got it right.
Get it right.
Get.it.right.
It beats in my head,
Pressures my heart,
A rhythm of sharp blows
They all get right.
And I could go on, always
Getting it wrong
(there was no chance
Of getting it right).
Get it right. Get it right.
Worn down, I wonder,
If I know God loves them,
Broken as they are, why
Do I have to get things right?
Am I the only one outside
The bounds of grace,
Unforgivably worse
Than everyone else?
That can’t be right.
What if it’s not word choice,
Or dinner’s presentation,
Or the way I close the door?
(Get it right. Get it right.)
What if love gets it right?
Love God, love each other,
love yourself—
that last’s the hardest.
Maybe it was never me.
Maybe the fault lies
In their measuring,
In hearts’ limitations.
(Get it right, honey.)
You show me how, hand
Protective on my back,
Every gesture speaking love.
You get it right so easily.
I’ll get it wrong sometimes.
But I want to try, to open
My heart to hopeful trust,
To love again and get it right.
~Martha Spong, October 8, 2011
very nice
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more than nice.
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It never was you, and the bounds of grace surround you on all sides and hold you close.Peace to you.
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Cindi Knox pointed me to your blog. I owe her. Beautiful poem.Don Niederfrank
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I'm crying for you, Songbird. Nobody should feel that way, and it seems like you've felt that way a lot. I'm glad you've found the possibility of trust again.
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From where I sit you get a lot of things right. And I am grateful for the way you share them.
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Thanks, y'all. Liz, it's true, and it's also true that when you live with that habit of mind and want to change it, you have to keep reminding yourself. This is part of the reminding.
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Ya got it right in this poem! It's something I also need to hear. I need to keep reminding myself. Thank you for opening your heart.
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I hear you, Soul Sister. My heart recognizes this. ((Songbird))
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oh!speechless, and thank you.
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cannot possibly tell you how much i love this. it is perfectly, exactly, right. thank you, songbird.
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