It is the nature of epiphanies
to catch one off-guard,
like an unanticipated camera flash
in a darkened room.

Epiphanies
startle–
startle us out of our minds,
out of our wrong minds,
into our authentic minds,
    the ones from which
    we could live
    with awareness and grace.

An entourage of wise ones–
    Taurans, Aquarians and Virgos–
no doubt experienced numerous epiphanic moments
throughout that memorable journey:
    Herod's thinly disguised rage;
    a naked king born in squalor;
    strange tales of angelic ensembles;
    the ultimate, dream-delivered Amber Alert;
    then, most disturbing of all,
    the vicious massacre of newborns.
How many flashes does it take?

One wonders about the trip home:
    What words gave shape
    to these individual transformations?
    What stories were crafted
    to share with family and peers?
    And what sort of star guided them back?
    one that burned a hole through the soul;
    through that hole, light entered.

Today is Epiphany:
be ready for the flash…

Text and image © 2013 by Dirk deVries. All
rights reserved.