Days, and Then Some

Think of the Sabbath

as made, but not finished,

that portion of time

given us to shape as we wish.

If the Sabbath is a canvas,

we shall paint upon it;

if the Sabbath is a block of stone,

we shall sculpt it;

if the Sabbath is a breeze of sounds,

we shall make a song of it;

if the Sabbath is a cathedral in time,

we shall worship within it.

Let us say,

we find what we need,

even sometimes when we go

looking. There is nothing

we have been given

that cannot be taken away

except this:

a day made only for us —

we, who were never designed

to serve any thing

we could touch.

Barry Casey taught religion, philosophy, ethics, and communications for 37 years at universities in Maryland and Washington, DC. He is now retired and writing in Burtonsville, Maryland. More of the author’s writing can be found on his blog, Dante’s Woods. Email him at darmokjilad@gmail.com. His first book, Wandering, Not Lost: Essays on Faith, Doubt, and Mystery, is now available.

Photo by Jan Padilla on Unsplash

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