The Prodigal Daughter

The Prodigal Daughter
Lent 4; Luke 15:11-32
A young woman went off to a faraway land
at a risk-taking age, with the gifts she had claimed.
There she more or less squandered the hopes she had dreamed,
for a love that her church-going lessons had blamed.

How she hungered, and lived for the scraps that he threw,
with her singer’s throat blocked by the tears she had shed,
and her letters back home didn’t mention the blight
of her unwise devotion to one who was wed.

Surely those who were waiting would meet her with blame
and the church of her childhood would set her apart.
When at last she returned and dared speak of her pain,
she was welcomed, forgiven and healed in her heart.

Sometime later she tested the call that she heard
and kept telling this story, determined to learn
whether those who would judge might accept her with grace,
knowing God pours out love on the lost who return.
	Barbara Messner 26/03/2025