Neither Tin Nor Straw

Some men, and some women, seek their God in high and mighty places
and, not finding him there,
build cathedrals that reach to the sky
that he might have a suitable place to stand
without bumping his head.

I myself have never looked for God,
assuming he was always within my reach
as I sat upon my grandmother's lap
and my grandfather's knee,
as I felt my mother's kiss upon my cheek,
or my father's calloused hand gently enclosing mine.
He was not forgiveness to me, for there was nothing to forgive,
Neither salvation, for there was nothing I had lost.
There was no path to journey upon, for I had already arrived,
no love to give or take back, for our very breath was love.

There are those who seek the Great and Powerful Oz
but my childhood taught me
that I can believe the unassuming man behind the curtain
his arm around my shoulder
reminding me that everything I need to Go Home
I already have.

Charles Anthony Vilina