Japanese Maple
Jan 6, 2021
Japanese Maple
An angel of the Lord appeared to Moses in flames of fire from within a bush
- Exodus 3
No angel.
No revelation.
No gods
to speak of,
up and down
the block.
Leave your
sandals on.
Keep tending
your father-
in-law’s flock.
As the leaves die,
they save us:
five hundred red
angels in holy
winter utterance,
summery orange
below their wings.
from y Nada Mas: Poems for a Pandemic © Jon Obermeyer 2020
Note to poem: Moses was employed by his father-in-law, Jethro, in middle management, in the family sheepherding business, prior to his encounter with the divine via the burning bush. Fortunately, God had another career path in mind for his earthly servant.
photo: author
