It’s 10 years since I shared the poem below which I wrote for my poetryjoy.comblog readers. Its sentiments still ring true today. I don’t belong to a church that observes the season of Lent, and even if they did I’m not well enough to attend services. So my observance of Lent feels deeply personal yet universal, enhanced as it is by those who do, and the echoes within my spirit.

Ash Wednesday

Absent from this temple

is smudge and ash of grey,

reminder of and reason

why our Saviour came.

But deep within this heart

remains a cloak of black,

as sin still crouches there

ready to ensnare, attack.

Deeper still within this soul

shines a Light without limit,

where God’s Love resides

bringing wholeness to my spirit.

And as I journey forth,

leaning closer into Lent,

my value and my worth

become ever heaven-sent.