LOVING AN ENEMY

(Matthew 5:43-48)

She always tried to love her enemies,

but this cancer was the strongest one

of all. She said it made her kindness freeze

and all her goodness feel gone and done.

But then she said she came to see that love

could open all its doors to even cancer.

She learned that she could raise her heart above

resentment, that she could be a dancer

with her illness, could be kind to it

and learn to work together with the pain

so anger turns to gentleness. She said she fit

her life to cancer, and soon the rain

of grief became the sunshine of acceptance.

This enemy and she learned how to dance.