my tilt-a-whirl world

©hannah mclean 2-2-14

still teetering
like one who stepped off
a spinning, twirling, whirling thing
knocking the equilibrium
out of sync with
the ground on which the feet now stand

the eyes struggle to adjust
to the distorted view they now hold

the hands reach out for balance
only to find the seeming things left to grip
are but a deception
created by an illusion
of things the eyes picked up 
along the way

and then there are the feet
the cautious feet
that move from side to side
in a quest for stability
to hold back
the inevitable fall

look down!
reach down.
fall down...

there is but
One Thing that is stable
One Thing that is unchanging
One Thing that has not moved

not even in the moments
the mind has begged for it to
open up and swallow whole

not even in the darkness
when everything around was lost
for lack of light

there is but One Thing

still teetering
i look down
at the ground beneath my feet
a solid stone
unassuming in its solidity
demanding no recognition
simply upholding

still teetering
i reach down
and run my fingers along this wonder
that is too large to evade
the distance of
my stumbling, running, stammering feet
it has the feel of a face
weathered by the pains
i have endured
but with a strength
i have not possessed

still teetering
i fall down
and press my cheek against the soil
too soft to leave me injured in my decent
and yet
too hard to give way to the pressure
of my burdensome heart

and with my head upon this mysterious Rock
i realize that the teetering
i feel when upright
cannot command me
cannot define me
cannot determine where i will go
not as long as i rest upon
the ground on which
my feet have stood
my eyes have looked
my hand has felt
my knees have knelt
my head has laid

for though i may teeter
with uncertainty at life’s changes
though i may seek to balance
on what cannot stand firm
though i may stumble
in the dark and foggy places

i need only
look down
reach down
fall down

for there is One Thing that never fails
my Jesus

oh Great Rock on which
this house of dirt is built
oh Faithful One that never leaves
nor forsakes
You are broader than
the places my feet would seek to stand
You are fuller than
the things i would seek to fill my hands
You are more than
the whole of which my eyes could take in

You are Jesus
the One redeeming King