A lot of people play hide-and-seek with God.
I play tag. It’s not easy. God can cover a lot
of ground, and chasing after Her
will get you nowhere.
So I wait, go
about my business,
build temples out of the corner
of my eyes.

When I am long past playing,
She bursts into laughter,
and I know She is near.
I reach out my hand,
and God is It.
God never fails
to take Her turn,
for a while.

My burden loosed,
I run free. The best part about being
not It,
is that your job is to go
wherever you want,
and the catcher’s job
is to find you.

I am nothing if not true
to the game, so I run as fast
and free as sunlight.
Hiding behind trees
is not for me.
Our game is played full tilt.
If you’re not almost falling over,
you’re not doing it right.

Sooner or later, though,
I feel Her touch
of presence
and departure.
She doesn’t want to be It forever.
Who can blame Her?
I am It again,
chasing shadows,
in charge of running the world
while listening for laughter.

OM SHANTI SHANTI SHANTI