Redemption?

Has the whip

of their words

cracked across your life

so many times

that if truth landed on your face

like a butterfly on a flower

it would bring fear

instead of faith

does God understand

where I’ve been

is your halting question

has the love they promised

but dangled just out of reach

until you earned a tiny brush

of religion across the lash marks

across your back

left you afraid to trust

the nail-scarred hands that will heal

the wounds

you’ve found safety in

for so long

someone is knocking

will you allow a savior

into the cell of your pain