The Baptist in the Desert

O John,
if you even
touch my head
with the scallop shell,
I will never stop
crying.
Then I can live
in water
in Baptism
and feel free
to follow you
everywhere -
wearing little
eating nothing.
I would sob too as you
scream like a wounded animal
when the word of God
flies from your sores,
like darts of fire.
I would not intrude
on your solitude John,
but God has asked me
to love you
from a distance,
making sure you are
never all alone
when you
weep.
October 1990

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• Icons by Fr. William McNichols

• Information on obtaining Icons by Fr. William McNichols

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This page is managed by Fr. Raymond A. Bucko, S.J. of the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at Creighton University. E-Mail: bucko@creighton.edu Page Last Updated: December 1, 2001

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