Lukewarm water

Lukewarm water                                                                             

I once owned a tea set

of great delicacy and beauty.

Over the years, it became chipped,

stained, cracked and broken . . .

and there were episodes of destructive rage,

so that when You turned up at my door,

asking if You might trouble me

for a spot of tea,

all I had to offer,

in my extreme poverty,

was lukewarm water served in the cup of my palm.

You accepted my gift and I became Your slave.

O child of God, lament not your recklessness and ignorance.

Had you been prepared, His lips might never

          have touched your fingertips.

                        (from A Jewel in the Dust)