The Life Cycle of Community by Sarah Steele

Community laughs
When it first comes to pass
The people just meet
Don’t wish to step on feet
Every joke is hilarious
Every statement is true
Community laughs when
Community is new

Community loves
As a gift from above
Newfound life friends
Good times never end
Promises to be there
When life grows glum
Community loves
No matter what will come

Community tolerates
Finds things to debate
Grows thicker skin
So hurt won’t sink in
Small things that were amusing
Are now quite annoying
Community tolerates
What it once was enjoying

Community hurts
Blame comes out in blurts
All words stuffed in storage
Are fair game to forage
It’s angry and stewing
A pot full of pain
Community hurts
And sees nothing to gain

So

Community leaves
As each one perceives
The others’ assaults
Bear the brunt of the fault
They all lick their wounds
With their real friends in caves
Community leaves
In its place a deep grave

But sometimes

Community forgives
Whispers its hope to live
Remembers that all
Were part of its fall
It takes the first one
To confess their wrongdoing
Community forgives
When its members start ruing

And then

Community heals
In soft-spoken appeals
Learning to embrace
Grievances with grace
A longer, harder road
Than they once had assumed
Community heals
And then community blooms

Sarah Steele is a Christ follower, wife to James, and mother to four little redheads. Poetry has captured her heart since the death of her grandmother in her early childhood, learning to work feelings into written pictures. As a wordy extrovert, she finds its genre particularly useful in learning to be succinct. Sarah writes between homeschooling, church-caring, and neighbor-loving.