When I Came to God

When I came to God, I came blind.
I heard all around me the song of his longing,
his growl, his sigh,
his slaughtered lowing.
I touched with my palms his leaves, his down,
the breath of his mouth, his back
still warm.

When I came to God, I came naked,
tainted by his smell, voice, and handprints.
He was walking in the garden in the cool of the day,
he was expelled, a fugitive and vagabond.

When I came to God, I whispered to him
know yourself, and I hugged myself;
when I came to God, I came alone.

translated by Seth Michelson