Living on the ledge with fear

poised to panic at some approaching Boo:

eyes stare past in friendless glance

Theotokos*

*(God-bearer in Greek - name given to Mary, mother of Jesus)

inside

the improvisation

never ceases

the jazz

of blood called

child

                                            -Jerry Schroeder, Cap.

*Reflections of Frederick Buechner:

  -...part of man's longing for love of God can be satisfied by the love of man - the love of friend for friend, parent for child, sexual love -and thank God for that, literally thank him, because for many people human love is all there is, if that, because that is all they can believe in.

  -...wherever love enters this world, God enters.

  -...the power of God stands in violent contrast with the power of man.  It is not external like man's power, but internal.  By applying external pressure, I can make a person do what I want him to do. This is man's power.  But as for making him be what I want him to be, without at the same time destroying his freedom, only love can make this happen.  And love makes it happen not coercively, but by creating a situation in which, of our own free will, we want to be what love wants us to be. And because God's love is uncoercive and treasures our freedom - if above all he wants us to love him, then we must be left free not to love him - we are free to resist it, deny it, crucify it finally, which we do again and again.  This is our terrible freedom, which love refuses to overpower so that, in this, the greatest of powers, God's power, is itself powerless. 

  -...if you have never known the power of God's love, then maybe it is because you have never asked to know it - I mean really asked, expecting an answer.