Justice

It is only with calloused hands

that the heavy body

can claw and leverage the self

upward on the thorny vine

of a life

without wince and whine

ascending to reach the fruit or bloom

the famished soul craves.

Strength is only followed by ache

and ease meets us 

like the close breeze of angel wings

when we are certainly alone

to endure 

and prevail despite difficulties,

in spite of opportunities.

Facing this,

finding a certain grace

that heals

and feels

righteous-

just us. 

Artwork by Fyodor Bruni, 1820s or 1830s, 'A boy climbing the rock' (drawing for "Brazen Serpent" via Wikimedia Commons, in Public Domain.