The Sights, Scents and Sounds of Further On

The Sights, Scents and Sounds of Further On

the soft, steady drizzle muffled the cacophony of sounds

as i ran through the streets of the old city

the scents and sights seemed magnified

shrouded by the canopy of grey

all the senses washed over me like a nostalgic flood

the intoxicating confederate jasmine on the iron gates

mingled with the aroma of countless restaurant kitchens

the Civil War cannons i climbed as a toddler

the clatter of horse hooves on cobblestone

(the smell of horse urine on the street)

Dad’s favorite house on the Battery

with black men fishing nearby at the rail

tennis courts at Colonial Lake

where i had countless matches with countless friends

the historic churches, in many i had preached & served

the “secret” and serene places

where i would meditate, pray, wrestle and dream

the schools, neighborhoods, beaches, the merchant ships

the friends, colleagues, family, tourists, and the traffic!

i have migrated back to my earthly home for just a few days

and you might think that i am home sick

this may be true but not the way one might think

returning to this place is a journey into yesterday

woven into my DNA, shaping much of my life & calling

in my more vain & fleshly moments i may envy those

who now call this place home

and there is great refreshing in a temporary retreat

but deep in my spirit there is a knowing

a still small voice…“this is not the home you long for”

i have not been called to yesterday but to eternity

and it is a great travesty for me to mistake

the shadow for the substance

the sacramental element for the reality beyond

but as i love the sacrament for what it points to

i love this flawed, imperfect, scarred, proud, holy city

for where it has led me

its sights, sounds and scents

do not create longing for a return “home”

they are but earthly signs that broadcast to my soul

“there is a fragrance you have not known,

a resonance you cannot comprehend,

a splendor you have yet to behold”

some that have gone before us have had glimpses

their words – inadequate or incomprehensible

wheel within a wheel, fragrant garden, river of fire, streets of gold,

no sun or moon just glory, myriads of myriads, Ancient of Days,

tree of life, marriage supper of the lamb, thrones, trumpets, sound of many waters

and on and on and on and on…

until that day, i celebrate this pilgrimage as sacrament

ever longing for the awakening moment

i will smell, hear, see, taste and touch

and know that I am home 4-19-12