my god is a god of flesh

sterile, lifeless
“sitting next to Jesus at the table”
this cannot be a connection called
    beloved

no, it was truer before

“leaning on Jesus’ bosom”
the disciple was
“lying on Jesus’ breast”

no unchanging, unaffected ideal
no staid spirit disdaining skin, sinew
no measured distance or divide

my god is a god of flesh
a god of touch
a god who longs for my skin on his
my head on his breast

my god is a god whose heart beats faster
when I hear his sacred heart pumping

my god is a god who sweats, who aches,
who eats, who feels, who breathes for Christ’s sake!
and I breathe her breath
inhale her scent and her life

my god is a god who sets me alight
with the taste of the divine
“taste and see
  that the lord
    is good.”
my god rests heavy on my tongue
as we delight in each other

“this is my body”

I lie at my god’s
   feet
like Ruth with Boaz
my god is a god who
trembles
  twists and
    turns
at my anointing
and who in turn
lays aside his garments
and lays tender hands upon my
   feet

my god is a god of flesh
whose flesh,
irresistible,
beckons mine