Inscribed Image

Long ago
before I was formed,
you created me in your image.

I have struggled to understand

exactly what this means.

But with David, Jeremiah and Paul,
I declare that before I came to be--
you knew me and my spirit belonged to you.

Aid and increase my understanding;
give me reminders that I will not forget.

Encode your image,
like mathmatical equations
on my DNA
the foundation and building blocks
of my physical, emotional, psychological, and spiritual wiring.

Etch your image

like ancient runes

on my bones

the skeletal structures which hold me aright.

Emboss your image
like a signature seal
on the raw clay
of who I am and
who you intend me to be.

Embed your image

like an indelible tattoo

on my sensitive skin and

pierce and penetrate my calloused hide.

Earmark your image
like a visible notch
on the very tender flesh of my ego.

Engrave your image

like chiseled words

on the stony muscle of my heart,

on the hardened tissues of my mind,

on the sinewy threads of my soul.

And with Isaiah,
help me recall and remember
that long before I asked you to do
these things to me--

You engraved me in
and on the palms of your hands.