taking ash wednesday to the streets

ash wednesday

in the morning strained light
oil and ash brush your forehead.
welcome.
welcome to the wilderness
of a wednesday in berkeley
bikes and semis
screaming down shattuck avenue.
stop for a second.
feel the concrete and the dirt underneath.
we are all passing away
at light speed. faster than the transmission
of the digital neurons we are decomposing.
daily lattes and pilates will not save us.
when you stumbled into the kitchen an hour ago
already late and you forgot
what you had gone in there for
what did you do?
what do you remember about tuesday?
the fight with your boss
or the moment you glanced through the window
and watched a mother tie her toddler’s shoe?
remember you are dust
particles flying around the wheels
of the sedan turning up addison.
i see your prayer in your clenched eyes.
you will return to the beige fabric cubicle
and the grocery list,
but right now feel it.
feel the earth’s crust crack a little.
god is stretching toward us
every second.
no one knows what you will decide
about lunch or jesus.
i pray for your safe steps down to the platform.
you will forget about the ash til
you look in the neon lit cafe mirror,
that’s what those glances were for.
please don’t wash it off.

​dani gabriel