Dedicated to the Fall 2012 St. Mark’s CPE Cohort – beloved peers and supervisors you have given me more than I could ever hope to return. This is for you.
There is a grace in these halls.
Closest eyes see it takes the heart,
Filling in those softer moments.
Seen in the faces of once friends, their heart-songs, singing, thrumming, strumming
Voices of soul, peering through their eyes, into faces of light and shadow
Of sorrow, Of joy, Of creation – At the beginning and the end
Before, after and during, whispering in the spaces between
Touched by that song brings transformation, new ways of seeing, of being, of moving
To the heart, the soul in its quiet center, for once, not the noise of separation
Just felt, held, loved and wished upon, help me, help us to be whole
Carry us upon winds that will shape us, slowly like rocks jutting up into the sky
Into the shapes that time and wear mean us to be.
There is a grace in these halls, It walks among us, between us
In our hearts, souls and minds, we find it between one-another
In the moments of letting go, of embracing the terrible fears
And in the moments of uncovering, the truly awesome joys
Found in the hearts of suffering, burning to be made whole
Trying to make sense of what is, in the sense and sight of company
Presence without fear or condemnation, hearts beating into the darkness
Crying out we may be alone; But we can be one.
There is a grace in these halls, It is brought by something greater
Carried by weakness and vulnerability, paradoxical strength of wonder
The wounded walkers bear it best they can.
Remember them for theirs is but a shifting moment
Full of courage, wonder and hope, then gone, though never lost.
There is a grace in these halls.
By John Cooper
Creative Commons License (CC BY-NC 3.0) – You are free to share, remix and adapt this work for any non-commercial purpose so long as it is attributed to the author. For more information contact John at www.gnosticity.com