THE GOD IN THE GULLY - Morgan Guyton

I refuse

The version of you

That gives a

Star-Spangled Banner


To some so they

Can burn down

Native villages

And clear away


Ancient forests

In order to build

Their city on a hill

And pour concrete


All over the land

So that no heresy

Can bubble up from

The earth which has


Been tightly sealed;

Plants can grow in

Their proper place

But only in an orderly


Way that doesn’t look

Like too much work

That would negatively

Impact the resale value


Of each home; you refuse

To be domesticated so

You cast seeds everywhere

Like a reckless sower,


Not painting between the

Lines like we asked you

But putting chamomile

In sidewalk cracks and


Oozing green even in

Places where sunlight

Hardly shines and there

Is but a trace of dirt.


I want to see

The version of you

That grows outside

Of our civilization,


The you at home

Among the wild things

Where strange berries

Open portals or strike


You dead and there’s

No guarantee which

Outcome when you

Pick them from plants


That grow in the shadows

Of giant trees in deep

Gullies where sunlight

Barely breaks through.


I want the God

In the gully who

Lives in grandmother

Trees that have not


Been threatened by

Realtors since there’s

No way to develop land

Where few humans


Would even dare

To walk much less

Build an altar since

The rain will come


And wash it away

Anyway and the mud

Might swallow your

Sandals and the


Ground is surely

Teeming with snakes

And every space

Between leaves is


Spiderwebbed and

Simply sitting on the

Ground without touching

Any leaves or any


Visible bugs creates

Itching all over your

Body; I relish that itch

And the sweat that


Happens even in

A place without sun

And the stains that

Cannot be washed


Afterwards; I want

The God who lives

In that place who

Doesn’t give me words


But vague impressions

Of bears and wolves

When I close my eyes;

And as much as I


Want to start a new

Religion and turn

Every sacred pile

Of leaves into answers,


You refuse to let me;

You will not tell me

Plainly what I am

To do right now;


You will not give

Me words that spread

Fires to clear away

All the confusion and


Leave only the

Essential plants;

Perhaps nothing

Is inessential to you


And you love even

Trees that fell many

Years before and still

Shoot green into


Their branches since

Some root somewhere

Still can drink your rain;

You will not tell the


Spiders to stop building

Webs so that I have

An easy path to walk,

But I will keep stumbling


And begging the pardon

Of every tree I grab

And asking the elders

To let me see their


Thoughts on the history

They have watched

Unfold, knowing that

There will probably


Never be words but

You embrace me when

I bury my face in the

Bark of trees that


Refuse to show me

Your secrets too

Quickly so I will

Keep listening.

Morgan Guyton is a pastoral counselor in Williamsburg, VA. He blogs at patheos.com/blogs/mercynotsacrifice. He wrote a book called How Jesus Saves The World From Us (WJK, 2016).

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