Like the lepers of old
he shuffles along alone
mumbling to himself
His dissheveled aura is
his warning bell
A head too large, a deep
scar gouging his neck,
Multiple tumors cover his body like
misshapen mushrooms on a tree trunk
NF1 they called it and walked away
Betrayed by his father, his body,
thoughtless others
Those authority figures who
ignored his impairments or
used them against him
Still he persisted,
two college degrees but
low level employment for years
He kept on trying until
the final rejection proved too much
Over the years he drew more deeply
into his own private fortress like
an ancient mummy interred
in a hidden tomb
His funerary items include
a lifetime of pent up hurt and
rage at the world and God, if
there was one, which
he very much doubted
The chamber is almost
sealed now
I, his sister, watch and stop trying
to redeem him because
this unbeliever and his Calvary
of a life has always been
one of the Lord's uniquely beloved
