The Burden-Bearer

My back was bent,
My burden was too much.
I walked cobblestone streets
But only at night
And always alone.
Streetlights were present, but never illuminated --
The darkness in the doorway was consuming
So consuming
I didn't want to enter.
But I was compelled.
Darkness that took life extended its icy fingers
In a stranglehold that threatened life
And produced the pain of memory and history.
I would have been consumed

Were it not for Him.

Faithfulness, strength, honesty, humility, truth,
All incarnated on a Wednesday afternoon
Though not gone, my burden
Has become
Easier and lighter,
Restoring what was broken.

The Burden-Bearer has come
And light came with him,
And love came with him,
And now it's only dusk
Or maybe it's dawn.

911955