I fell through a hole in
a church pew yesterday
and landed right
in the thick amber
field of a piece of
          stained glass
I asked a red saint
    who was stargazing
"why must I suffer?"
without looking
at me
     he said
"to know God."
I didn’t like
that answer
so
I crawled through
a mist of royal triangles
and swam across a sea of ovals
   and scaled a pointed cusp
until I found a glowing sinner
and I asked her the
       same question
"why must I suffer?"
she placed her
green hand on my
purple cheek
      and sung
"Because a broken heart
       is easier to share."
suddenly
my hands became
       turquoise doves
and my lips became
     yellow vines
and my feet became
     fat red rubies
and I became radiant
     painted glass of the divine
and I became
   reflected light
and everything
    I touched glowed
and now my broken
illuminated heart
colors the walls
   of every room I walk into

 
          ~ john roedel