Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Anonymously yours

Hebrews 2:12

Saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee. (KJV)

“When writing or speaking publicly about alcoholism, we urge each of our Fellowship to omit his personal name, designating himself instead as ‘a member of Alcoholics Anonymous.’” (Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th edition, page xiii)

Among us,
between friends —
though people we never met —
we declare his name, our names,
bare secrets closest friends don’t know.
Away from here, I just know you, no explaining
where, how.
I want to tell it on the mountain,
proclaim recovery for the taking,
share the gift, name the names,
proffer evidence.
But wisdom concedes the gift
of anonymity, looking not at us as proof
but higher, to power, to peace.

God, you’re our proffer, our peace.
Give me humility to know
people can recover without my proclamations.

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