Last week we were blessed by the music of Jo Jencks! A truly amazing artist, activist, and all around person, Jo gave an incredible performance on Sunday during which I saw hope. Something that of late has been in short supply. Seemingly only visible to those lucky enough to possess a pair of rose colored glasses. If you missed it, I highly recommend giving it a listen. 

The recording will be posted to a UU Google group managed by Ed Law. To obtain access please contact Ed at flyfishermanwnc@nullgmail.com to be added to the group. 

Joe  has a website: https://joejencks.com, and a Youtube channel HERE

And in that spirit I wanted to share a poem that embodies something of what I feel. 

We still have a long way to go but today I feel hopeful. 

The Dark Girl. 

Written by Delthea Simmons for her friend, Nora Smith. July, 2015 

The dark girl walks soft like fog up the steps of the great stone temple. 

She stands small before the mighty doors, her gaze rolling up the portal to its steepled top. She raises no sword no shield no ram’s horn nor trumpet of brass. She stands silent for time and time and time. Then she tilts her head down and reaches in her leather pouch and draws five stones. She stoops and lays them at the threshold’s edge.

The dark girl stands firm in front of the great stone temple. 

Softly comes her words to air. Gentle are her prayers. She speaks her truth unquieted in clarity and charity ringing in its verity and melody. Her voice rises, louder but not loud. The stones at the threshold’s edge begins to hum in harmony and charm and she, speaks again.

The dark girl speaks into the face of the great stone temple. 

The stones at the threshold hum and begin to shake. Rumbles from the ground surge and urge the edifice’s attention. The dark girl speaks in truth before the temple gate. The doors answer dull and low in a whispered whine bespeaking an awakening, a quakening, a quickening in time, a birth of a new age. 

The dark girl sings in defiance of the great stone temple. 

The stones at the threshold rise and fly and harmonize to the aria of light and lightning streaming and steaming from the dark girl’s throat. The foundation of the temple shakes and the mighty temple sways and shudders. The walls they crack, the towers they tumble, the gates burst open and the great temple crumbles!

The dark girl stands strong on the bones of the great stone temple. 

Alive again and resurrected, the valley sings as the five stones hum and dark girl stands and listens. No gate can conceal divine revelation, no battlement can stand against accord held free, no towers can jail a people’s agency, no wall can divide beloved community and no temple built to honor a hatred, no matter how great, can stand a truth sung in a music called hope.