Daily Worship

The Hug Poem

Dave Close October 01, 2015 0 0

John 15:9

As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love.

I read about how you touched them
and they were healed
or even if someone just touched your cloak
they were forever changed.

you let a broken woman bathe your feet in her tears
and you washed your best friends’ feet.

I’m just wondering though,
Did you ever just hug people?

I know it’s a silly question and all,
I’m sure you would have. (why wouldn’t you have?)

But it’s one of those things that is never mentioned
and it got me thinking about it
and how whenever there was a touch from you
sins were forgiven and sickness fell

I think I’m caught up with my sins 
and last time I checked all my body parts are working.
Nothing special here

I’m just a kid
with a heavy heart these passing sunrises and sunsets.
I don’t think our encounter would have ended up in your gospels or anything.
Because all I really need is a hug

That’s Okay for me to imagine, right?
That’s not conflicting with any sort of theology, is it?
Okay, good.
Then hug me.

But not one of these
sideways one-arm-round-the-neck type hugs
or the ghetto right hand clasp fists
elbows to chest
pat pat on the back back
or the you put your right arm over my left arm and I put my right arm under your left arm
and we make this weird sort-of-diagonal thing

Naw… none of those!
BEARHUG me, man!
Take your old-school carpenter arms
and throw them around my upper body leaving my arms dangling underneath yours somewhere 
and I can hardly move them because you’re squeezing me so hard.
(But don’t pick me up and make my back pop because I hate it when people do that)

And then hold me.
Hold me here in your arms until I start to cry!
Because I want to cry!
but I just can’t seem to do it on my own.
I’ve been teary eyed once recently but not even enough for a 
drip
down my cheek.

There’s hurt in my soul that needs to be purged
so hold me here
in this hugging pose
until the pain is flowing from my eyes and nose.


 

By Bradley Hathaway (in “All the Hits So Far”, Relevant Books, 2005) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHMZIFngBgQ