#poem, «On Psalm 51» by Bodo Vespaciano

ON PSALM 51

I plead for mercy,
my hands are stained with all that I’ve undone
and no river can wash them,
no silence can hide what I’ve become.

I have acted against the blessings I’ve received,
and the echo of my words does not recede,
as every step carries the weight of my bad choices,
and the sun casts shadows on what I have abandoned.

Wash me to the bone.
and cleanse me clean in the secret places where shame hides,
for that’s the place where my eyes do not linger
because upon that fire I cannot look for long.

Break me,
I think you must.
Open a gate in my soul
so that my shattered pieces can learn to sing a new song,
of marrow and of spirit,
a song the stones themselves will sing.

Don’t forget me or ignore me with your silence
or close your ears to my request,
let my heart remember joy,
let my breath now rise in praise towards you,
let my spirit wither not.

Then my voice will rise again,
no longer as a man that’s drowning,
but as one pulled from the depths,
singing of mercy,
gratefully thanking you for the life you’ve saved.

C.2025, Francisco Bravo Cabrera – 19 AUG 2025 – Izmir, Türkiye