I saw your face As I was washing My children’s feet In the too full tub Seeing faint smiles on the tiny faces Pleasure release the tiny toes But they are no disciples and they Did not shrink back in shame But offered up their wiggling piggies To my touch And isn’t that right That we allow ourselves to be cared for?
I saw Christ’s face in yours In my memory now Every time I screamed obscenities Pulling away from you Making myself separate and Painting you as my adversary Bathtime long forgotten Bedtime stories forgotten Sitting on the counter while you made toast Forgotten These little ones They’ll do this too But if I can remember you And the smell of soap suds As they scream me away from them
As they’ll need to do Sometime soon I guess Probably
I will smile like the Madonna And wait for their return.