by Steve Bell

how much pain
can one man, one people endure?
I stand outside the unfinished Temple
an exile, burning with sorrow
in my dirty clothes, my unwashed ugliness
face to face with the angel of the LORD.

suddenly I hear a satanic voice
mocking me, accusing me of all manner of crimes
to which I have already pled guilty.

i hear a shout, a Shout, a SHOUT!
from the LORD Himself;
“Satan, shut up!  You are dismissed, rebuked.
Can you not see this man is a burning stick
snatched from the fire?” Now

the angel looks me over
gives orders to others standing by. Everything now
makes sense as my dirty clothes
are stripped from my body
like tree bark burned dark and ashen,
my wooden soul snatched from the flames
replaced in a moment with
the soft fabric
of Divine forgiveness.

Steve Bell is a Christian poet who lives in Colorado with his wife Gina. He writes poetry for both children and adults and works part-time in youth development for the YMCA. His website and blog are at http://brainstorm-psr.com

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