A Dare

In every last part of our body
flows more than blood
pumped heart to extremities
nourishing cells, cleansing impurities.
More than nerves’ morse code
pulsed to signal encounters
with table legs
or direct flexed biceps.

I dare you
to sink into the magnificence
of every last part of your body,
to surf fingers along waves of skin
drift leggy tributaries
amble through forested hollows
climb mountain peaks with energy
and awkwardness of adolescence
and don’t stop until the thrill
of trekking unfamiliar lands
transforms into warm satisfaction
of returning home.

I dare you to sink
into the magnificence
of every last part of your body
and not be filled with awe.
How can we deny that more flows there
than blood and electrical impulses?
Some may call it soul,
mystery that’s more
than flesh and bone.
Some may call it divinity,
puzzle that connects
and binds us as significant.
I am tempted to call it love,
flowing through every last part
of our body and beyond,
from being to being,
blood and hope of the universe.

 

Note: The first line of this poem (italicized above) is the final line of the poem “We awaken in Christ’s body” by Saint Symeon.

©2023 Kenneth W. Arthur