<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div dir="auto" style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 1.5em 0px; color: rgb(39, 41, 43);" class="">The Worst Thing</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 1.5em 0px; color: rgb(39, 41, 43);" class="">The worst thing we ever did<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" class="">was put God in the sky<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" class="">out of reach pulling the divinity<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" class="">from the leaf,<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" class="">sifting out the holy from our bones,<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" class="">insisting God isn’t bursting dazzlement<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" class="">through everything we’ve made<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" class="">a hard commitment to see as ordinary,<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" class="">stripping the sacred from everywhere<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" class="">to put in a cloud man elsewhere,<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" class="">prying closeness from your heart.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 1.5em 0px; color: rgb(39, 41, 43);" class="">The worst thing we ever did<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" class="">was take the dance and the song<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" class="">out of prayer<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" class="">made it sit up straight<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" class="">and cross its legs<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" class="">removed it of rejoicing<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" class="">wiped clean its hip sway,<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" class="">its questions,<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" class="">its ecstatic yowl,<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" class="">its tears.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 1.5em 0px; color: rgb(39, 41, 43);" class="">The worst thing we ever did is pretend<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" class="">God isn’t the easiest thing<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" class="">in this Universe<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" class="">available to every soul<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" class="">in every breath.</p><div class=""><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>- <span style="caret-color: rgb(39, 41, 43); color: rgb(39, 41, 43);" class="">Chelan Harkin</span></div><div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 1.5em 0px; color: rgb(39, 41, 43);" class=""><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 1.5em 0px; color: rgb(39, 41, 43);" class=""><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" class=""><br class=""></p></div></body></html>