Love Poem: Jars Tightly Sealed

Jars Tightly Sealed

With tightened lid, I locked my broken heart 
inside a jar and turned away. 
Deprived of air, I suffocated, with a heart 
incapable of love, and I forgot how precious 
was the contents behind the glass,
moving through life with such urgency.
Alas, love departed, so I 
locked away my dwindling faith 
inside a jar, too transparent.
Then, I turned away. 
At times, I caught a glimpse of my faith 
from afar and remembered serenity.
Enemies came to tighten the lid  
and I, oblivious, thought I found love.
But I moved through life with such urgency. 

A wandering soul, I walked for miles 
expecting foreign places to feel like home.
Aching with a desire I could not explain, 
I heard God whisper in my ear, 
My child, why do you run? Love must breathe 
and faith cannot survive without love.
God asked from the light if I love Him still,
and I answered yes that I always will. 
Then, I held my breath as God loosened the lid of the jar.

Faith resides with love and hope...I can breathe.


By Rhonda Johnson-Saunders, January 21, 2012
for Jars contest