psalm
lament and repentance for the Gulf disaster
Oh my God, we have done it this time,
We have reached too far down,
inverted Babel, in our haste for oil from the rock.
Now our wise say
only the same folly that fouled the sea
can shut the doors of the deep,
and no one can say how to heal the waters
or wash clean the wild coasts.
Now our leaders say
“Not my fault,” or talk of discerning
whose ass to kick.
We are out of our depth.
We are far beyond wit’s end.
Won’t you just step in and fix things?
Squeeze closed the casings,
coagulate the crude in the rock,
congeal it in the waters,
protect your pelicans and plankton
from our wrecked, reckless ambition!
Do not abandon us
to the consequences of our actions,
but even if you do,
do not abandon your ocean.
Teach us humility
and wonder
and compassion
and commitment
to live as you made us
partners in this good earth.
Wow, Thank you, Wes, for this Psalm Prayer. This summer, the Sundays I am in the pulpit, I will be preaching on the lectionary Psalms, so psalms have been very much on my mind. This is a timely addition. Thank you.