On the Edges

Poet Alison Davis and a hoofnote about life on the edges

Poet Alison Davis finds blessings for those who are on the edges of who they are and what they think they know:

“A Blessing for Those at the Edge”

Maybe you walked here.
Maybe you ran here.
Maybe you followed a trail of stones, of feathers, of flowers,
of scents, of sky.
Maybe you went afoot with the Mystery & so how you got here
is also a mystery.
But here is where you are & here
is always its own kind of blessing & here
at the edge, blessings compound.

Bless those at the edge of the river
of their heart,
full of promise.

Bless those at the edge of the morning,
singing the bright face of day
into the blue.

Bless those at the edge of what they know,
watching the old certainties crumble.

Bless those at the edge of doom,
bearing it out, as the famous bard wrote,
with or without the draw of a happy ending.

Bless those at the edge of love
of self, of other, of world,
as the way forward grows more subtle, less sound.

Bless those at the edge of language,
whose tongues & tales & names
are more pledge than guarantee.

Bless those at the edge of believing
a life can be lived at the edge.

Alison Davis, Italics:Poems (Wildhouse Poetry, 2026), 1. Used with permission.

Hoofnote:  Jesus of Nazareth always chose to live at the edges of society, on the margins with the marginalized.  He continuously challenged the wealthy and those in power, while living with the poor and powerless.

So you see, the choice to “follow Christ” is not an easy one from the human and worldly perspective.  He commented about a rich young man, “it is like a camel going through the eye of a needle.”  It is why many people linger at a different edge, or ledge, afraid to leap…to make that ultimate choice of complete surrender.  If only they (you?) could envision the true freedom and abundant life in Christ.

While I live in the tension of the already not yet, the in breaking Kingdom, and experience the chaos and yet peace too…I have chosen the path of surrender, and keep choosing it.  It is a life on the margins; a doorkeeper or gatekeeper helping others find the latch.  Living in house by the side of the road, talking story with any who pause to do so.  The Lover of my soul said, “Others may, you cannot.  Obscurity is your lot.  In this way I will bless you.”