Jury Duty

Assembled in six lines of six people each
we waited outside the courtroom.
All rise! the bailiff bellowed
and we filed in single file.

Identity theft!
This was a case of identity theft
involving bank fraud
conspiracy
and two black women.
Fury arose within me
remembering Ron
and the 22 charge accounts his caregiver opened in his name.

I looked at those two women
and a part of me turned to steel.
I was freshly outraged on Ron's behalf.

I realized I was too emotional to serve on this jury panel.
I finally told the judge.
It was no surprise when they passed over me
and the three white men who sat with me.

I don't consider myself a racist.
I voted for Obama.
But something about those two black women
triggered racism within me
and I was out for blood.

I'm not sure what to do with this
or where to go with it.
I can only lift my woundedness to God
and pray for God's healing mercy.

Metro Rail Ride

She was headed to Sears, she told me,
This blonde haired woman with thick black eye liner lining her mouth.
She had highlighted her eyes and eyebrows with it too
and filled in her lips with a pale color of pink rimmed with lime green.
I tried not to stare at her bizarre mouth as we talked.
She was bundled in a long sleeved sweat suit jacket zipped tightly around her neck,
and that was topped with another jacket.
She wore white suede boots with fluffy, fake fur tops over her tight jeans
and her breath smelled of alcohol.
Sears was having an 85% sale on their summer things she told me,
an event not to be missed.
I wondered what she would do with them since she was snuggly wrapped for winter
and it was 93 degrees outside.

It was my first ever Metro rail ride in Houston.
I was proud of myself for figuring out how to do it.
The crowd I traveled with this afternoon was surely different from my own tribe.
"You've become enmeshed again, Pat" I told myself.
"You think all people are like the ones at St. Stephen.
Open your eyes. Branch out a little."

My New Collage

A lovely, innocent teenaged girl looks up
full of wonder,
dreaming of possibilities,
and a brand new world opening before her
as she trusts the path to unfold.
Her grandmother above looks at her and smiles at the way she is growing.
To the side, an assertive powerful woman stands tall, ready to protect her.
Danielle Steel is vigilant at her feet,
poised to confront anyone who would try to destroy what God is doing.
The whimsical cat wonders if she can play today.