I sit with people a while, sometimes in prison
Thursday, 19 January 2023
| Jesse Mawson
I sit with people a while, sometimes in prison
On Plastic opal chairs
Bibles in boxes, and too many damn copies of ‘The Masterpiece’ in Spanish
As these bounded books linger, longing to leave
He enters through this passage
and sits with me a while
offering my greetings
and a handshake so human
it’s as if it’s enough
I peer into his eyes
let him not just slip by
look beneath the mask
listen for the true reply
hear my voice within
and where his begins
No oracles, only observations
questing with open ended questions
I’m in no rush, or at least I try to be
tender and gentle, slow, and sturdy
We talk of peace in the chapel
Lightning light pervading this place
Birdsong above
‘the hustle’ below
We talk of spiritual sufferings
And human hopes
He grieves an aunt
The third death this March
I pray for his family and fears
His anxieties and existential tears
I pray for peace in this prison
And Courage in his cell
And when, finally, I am alone
I pray for myself
To hear that voice
Harking back home
taste and treasure
The grass and greenery
The stillness in the sea
The warmth in this wreck
And when the pain and problems
Suffering and sewage
Reaps wells
I remember the ‘goldenmouths’
Kingdom house:
‘Hell took a body, and discovered God,
It took earth, and encountered Heaven.’
And I remember that it is in this valley
the unveiling is to be done.
Jesse Mawson is a prison chaplain at MRRC, Silverwater. I am currently studying a Masters of Spiritual Direction and in my pastoral practice have been most deeply formed by poets, contemplative spiritualities and biographical approaches to theology.
Image credits
Silhouette of person near window by Devon Wilson on Unsplash.
Black metal frame in grayscale by Tim Hüfner on Unsplash.