which is an empathy pronoun,
replacing her and him and you
and it and, praise the Lord,

other. Like we, us is a two-letter
embrace so wide it includes anyone,
a helping hand so holy

it lifts the lifter too. It’s
the poet’s “pierless bridge” beyond
the veil, a walk so vast it spans

dear Thou in heaven to all
ye below and the very least
of these along the way. Us

saves the best seat at the table
for any prodigal loved by none
but one, creating from nobody

somebody, from tight-fisted mine
a communal ours. Call her,
we could, the eraser pronoun—

of borders, barriers, locks,
and all manner of barbaric, love-
less razor-wire exclusion.

Us, we could say, is pronoun
balm, Christ’s flesh made word
to ease our elephantine ache, God

knows, we each of us mostly hide—
the one called me, that lone
and singular I.

You can listen to a conversation about this poem on the Reformed Journal Podcast.

Photo by Red Dot on Unsplash

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13 Responses

  1. Words matter…and so do the people they refer to.
    A sensitive and beautiful molding of pronouns to honor and include.
    Nice work Mark.

  2. Thanks, Mark. Such a valuable insight. And one of the ways “us creates with.”
    I so appreciate your exquisite artistry and that delicate weave of the profound and play.

  3. Deep and holy, Mark. And a true reflection of who you are and how you show up in the world.
    Thank you.

  4. Thanks, this is great. It would be even better if composed in Filipino (Hiligaynon) in which there are two distinct “us”s. “Kami” is “us” excluding the listener. “Kita” is “us” that includes everyone.

  5. Mark made me accept that not all good poetry needs to rhyme, not all the time; he also showed me how stories (especially from Buechner) could address deep theological topics in a way I could not in a Bible class. He modeled unconditional love as he walked with every student willing to meet them where they would be willing to share their hearts. He also gently and even sometimes firmly, insisted that words and pronouns matter, especially to the most vulnerable. As one who could never write poetry such as this, I admire the author, the message, and the poem.

  6. Mark, this is so beautifully profound! Thank you for sharing this truth and your own manner of being in this world. Blessings to you and many thanks for the art you create and the truth you relate through it.

    Sincerely, Beth

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