No wonder his body suffered
a decade-long auto-immune disease,
his body attacking itself, joining
the assaults of the world.

I know something of this pain,
growing up in a strict religious
environment and abandoning
that community and teachings.

An outcast for so long,
he grew from a place of torment
and out of that wringer emerged
a seasoned wisdom.

Now he speaks with the tenderness
with which you’d greet a newborn.
The crinkly smile lines around
his eyes have seen it all.