taking heart (for Jo)

"be of good cheer!"
i've heard it said
from mouths of well-meaners
who patted my head

and walked away slowly
and closed their car doors
and sucked in relief
that the funeral was over.

"be of good cheer!"
i've seen it in red
on thin, crinkly pages
spread over my bed --

but those words weren't spoken
by my Lord to me
while i tossed and i turned
in dark misery

of good men gone cold.
of memories, lost.
of grace, unaccepted.
of linen, unwashed.

no, but what i do find
is Adonai, who says,
"I've no pleasure in death.
turn back from your ways!"

then, if my Master grieves,
i must be allowed, too.
i'll pound on His chest
like a small child would do.

but what of "good cheer"?
or rather, "take heart"?
throughout these pages,
it's always a part

of a word straight from Heaven
(so we know it is true):
not so much, "chin up,"
as, "I promise you."