early mercy

Pentecost +18 – Year A

be merciful
or else

and so we learn
unmercy first

for surely there is an option
to simple mercy

and we try each in turn
putting mercy off

until it becomes
such a mercy we do

like an Olympic pole vaulter
we pass at each mercy height

waiting for a personal best or heroic act
for a mercy what is a mercy

we exhaust our humility
to be the most merciful

when a little early mercy
is all that is needed