A hand reaches up from the scorched earth
what life there was has been sucked dry
his lips can barely shape the words “Leper”
he once was young and alive
bounding like a lamb on green pastures
feet barely touched the earth for the glee
but somewhere upon the way
life took a horrible fee
it wasn’t all at once
leprosy of the heart is a slow disease
bit by bit the flesh fails
thirsting for what it can’t be
it clamors for more death
morality degrades and twists
eating the soul alive
each day vigor replaced with dust
even the desert has her moment
of color and vibrant day
you walk into the land of the forgotten
all there chose to fail and fade
*****
In Luke 17, there is a story of 10 lepers who are healed by Jesus. “Go, live life enjoy what you were losing,” The healer’s hands must have said. What he didn’t add was, “Your leprosy is an external expression of the human condition. Without God, you will find yourself withering to dust again.” Only one of the ten returned to praise the healer. Is it true then that only one in ten, on this earth, will thank God for his daily mercies? May it not be so for the desert is a dry, life taking land.
“11 While He was on the way to Jerusalem, He was passing [a]between Samaria and Galilee. 12 As He entered a village, ten leprous men who stood at a distance met Him; 13 and they raised their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” 14 When He saw them, He said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they were going, they were cleansed. 15 Now one of them, when he saw that he had been healed, turned back, glorifying God with a loud voice, 16 and he fell on his face at His feet, giving thanks to Him. And he was a Samaritan. 17 Then Jesus answered and said, “Were there not ten cleansed? But the nine—where are they? 18 [b]Was no one found who returned to give glory to God, except this foreigner?” 19 And He said to him, “Stand up and go; your faith[c]has made you well.”
Luke 17:11-19
penned in moon dust 