by Debra Wendt

Leaving behind what He knew; it is time – 
the crooked straight and rough places level ground.
People emerge from behind city walls; there is news,
a prophet-baptizer down the Jordan.
Persistency seeps from the eyes:
awareness
healing
a change in direction flows down cheekbones,
a narrow stream that leads to a sacred pool – living water.
A desert oasis with steep canyon walls,	
hidden caves
paths – so many lead away from intention.
We make our own cisterns:
temporal
self-oriented
perishable.
He who is baptized is light long sought;
the beloved Son of God of whom the Father is pleased.
Water flows over His head.
Regeneration pours from the wound in His side – 
the way is open.

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Debra Wendt was raised and educated in Wisconsin. As a teacher she wrote educational articles and textbooks. Her poems have appeared in The Clayjar Review, The Penwood Review, Agape Review, Solid Food Press, Torrid Literature Journal and The Storyteller.