patience
before I was born
I was a patient man
I waited eons
for something to happen
but who was counting?
not I
not I
not I is what I say
never believing it
all the way
I am patient most days
after suffering
into some truth
your sins make you
more like me
I move away from my past
as a man walks backwards
from a coiled snake
I know to punch holes
in the bottom of the bucket
my skeleton has forgotten
how to host
I hold my breath
bite the insides of my cheeks
crush my tongue in the belief
my head would be happier
with nothing within
I am a patient
willing to suffer anything
so long as it is I
who does the suffering
before I was born
I did not crave
I envied no one
dead or living
I was leaner
than the wind
Jacob Friesenhahn teaches Religious Studies and Philosophy at Our Lady of the Lake University in San Antonio. He serves as Program Head for Theology and Spiritual Action and for Philosophy.