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
JaZzArt en València 
The poem moves from the darkness of guilt to the hope of mercy: from the voice of a drowning man, we move to the voice of someone rescued, singing in gratitude for renewed life. That transition from supplication to gratitude turns the text into a poetic prayer of deep repentance and trust in grace.
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Yes, you are so right, my source and inspiration was Psalm 51. Thank you!
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Beautifully raw and honest. Psalm 51 truly is a cry from the depths, a broken heart reaching for mercy.
Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. – Psalm 51:10
He sees. He cleanses. He restores. Keep singing.
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Amen my Brother! Many blessings
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Powerful and poignant, Francisco!
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Thank you so much Dawn!
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