by Tasha Jun
Anger,
I will not tame her
I will tend to her instead
My hands are not tied
They are busy with the work of love
My mouth will not stay muted
It speaks prophecy and poetry
My mind is not empty
No, it remembers
Anger,
I will not shush her
I will listen to her instead…
Anger,
She tells me the sad stories and sins
She carries the weight of war and unjust systems
She wields the power of thunder, oceans, rivers, and rain
She is fire burning with a question: ‘How long?’
She is something like courage
She roots our connected long-suffering
She reminds us of who we wait for
To refrain from her rage,
I must first let her speak
Anger,
Show me your tears and your sorrow
Sing me your cries of “not yet”
your songs of the oppressed
Teach me how to hope for a better tomorrow
And resign to the things I was never meant to burn down
I will wait with you like my teacher and her teacher before her
I will look ahead for our God
A burning bush
a hot coal
a fire pit to stand beside while the rooster crows again
And we remember how much we need a Savior
Who knows
who feels
who sees
who loves
who is worthy to bring justice
who doesn’t delay
Anger,
I will hope with you
For a wide space of mended land
It’s just ahead
a little while longer now
Anger,
Tell me about the places that are still broken
I will sit with you
while you become a glowing ember of warmth and light
I will seek what’s still unseen
Let my heart be searched clean
I will bring you to a place to lie down
and rest.
You can find out more about Korean American writer Tasha Jun & her work, her dreams, her faith on her website tashajun.com.