This morning,
saddle up your heart's donkey
and let it take you
where you fear to go.

Expect a bumpy ride–
you can't even imagine
what you'll find–
wasps, thorns, snakes and black flies,
selfishness and murderous thoughts,
parts you'd burned and buried
but which still crawl,
scarred and in agony,
from the edges of their graves.

This is the Shadow Tour,
lunch included
(if you have the stomach for it).

If you keep your eyes and ears open–
and your mouth shut–
then you'll emerge,
still atop Balaam's Ass,
wiser,
humbler,
kinder,
and real.

Text and image © 2011 by Dirk deVries. All rights reserved.