a poem by Piers Northam

Engraved

In the cradle of Your hand
there is safety,
intimacy,
trust…

And there I find my name:
“See, I have engraved you
  on the palms of my hands.”

There, my name is scored,
etched into Your flesh:
tattooed in love,
blood-red.

The pain of that etching
reveals the depth of that love.
The marks
indelible,
everlasting…

Piers Northam
6 September 2024
Deacons’ Retreat
in response to a ‘Word Friend’
– Isaiah 49:16 ~ See, I have inscribed you on the palms of my hands.(NRSV)