Remove Your Sandals #13

Remove Your Sandals In sacred spaces tread with care, "Remove your sandals," echoes in the air. Our streets, our homes, not just thoroughfare, Treat them with respect, as if you were there. In your own abode, you walk with grace, But in ours, you leave a different trace. No spitting, littering, a disgraceful face, Our streets, our sanctum, your respect, our base. Think of your home, its sanctity so dear, Would you desecrate it, year by year? The streets we dwell in, hold them near, For every corner to us, is just as clear. Our toilets, not public, but a private space, We guard them dearly, not a commonplace. Where you see pavement, we see grace, A holy ground, not just an empty space. So when you pass through, remember our plea, "Our streets are sacred, as sacred as can be." In your shoes, our pain, can you not see? In bare feet, walk, feel our history. For we will wail, as the prophets once cried, Stripped of dignity, our tears haven't dried. Our mourning, deep as the owl's at night, A dragon's sorrow, in the fading light. So, pass not in haste, nor with shoes unshed, Our streets, our temples, where angels fear to tread. In reverence, pause, let your heart be led, "Remove your sandals," where our spirits are fed. "I am not worthy to untie the sandals on His feet." - John the Baptist -Written by Steven G. Lee (December 10, 2023)