Unspent coins

Unspent coins                           

                                                       

You unlatched my change purse;
poured its contents onto the table between us.
 
‘It must be empty’, You explained.
‘How can a slave own a heart full of hope?’
 
Unspent coins of solace and fantasy;
disappointment and envy.
 
When I began to surrender these coins
I discovered them to be counterfeit,
 
imprinted with an imposter’s face,
their taste bitter between my teeth.  
 
Empty my purse, Lord;
fill it as You please.
 
O child of God, hope is spent on false comfort.
In Illusion’s reign, it’s the coin of the realm.

                                   (from A Jewel in the Dust, 2011)