— The Road Down to Egypt

At Beersheba
an old man stopped
and lit a fire
to the God of his father.

Behind him, the land of promise.
Before him, the land of famine.

In the night
a voice:
“Jacob, Jacob.”
“Here I am.”

“Do not be afraid to go down.
I will go down with you.
I will bring you up again.
And Joseph’s hand
will close your eyes.”

No map,
no promise of an easy road.
Only a Companion.

*

Pharaoh’s carts creaked south,
carrying wives and children,
flocks and seventy names.
A family once torn by jealousy
now traveled together.

Judah went ahead.
Joseph harnessed his chariot.

In Goshen
the son fell on his father’s neck
and wept a long time.
The years between them
dissolved in salt.

“Now I can die,” Jacob said,
“for I have seen your face.”

Some reunions
are small resurrections.

*

“Tell Pharaoh you are shepherds,”
Joseph said,
so they would find a pasture of their own
and not lose themselves there.

The God of Bethel
was God on the road too,
and God in Egypt.

Going down
is not always going back.
Sometimes the road
that seems to lead away from the promise
is the road that carries it.

Lord, when I cannot see the next land,
let this be enough for me:
I will go with you.