Poem: Somehow Apart

I sit and think
A faint smile crosses my face
Yet my eyes portray my pain.
I am with them
Yet somehow apart.
I love them
Fully and deeply.
I take joy in their company
Laugh and play
Yet always the knowledge returns.
The knowledge of pain
The knowledge of darkness.
“Lord,” I cry,
“Why must I suffer so?
Why can’t I be one with them?
Why must I be apart?”
The Lord answers me:
“My beloved child.
Your path is a hard one
This is true.
Yet you are one with them
Through the Spirit.
Draw strength from their love
And know that your suffering
Serves my will.”
Gratitude swells in me
Doubt recedes.
And I walk on.