The poem I'm sharing with you this week was written several years ago and is in memory of a man who was a member of my congregation. His name is Frank Schiavo Jr. He was born with cerebral palsy and confined to a wheelchair. Frank yearned to be free. A health care worker shared the Gospel and love of Jesus with him. Frank received the Lord into his heart, was born again, and received a wonderful freedom he had never known before. This poem was originally published in "Sensations" magazine. A framed copy hung over his bed. When he went to be with the Lord in 1998, his mother told me that Frankie loved this poem. "Frankie's Dance" is being featured at Beth Israel Worship Center, Wayne, NJ, during the month of October.
FRANKIE’S DANCE
In memory of Frank Schiavo, Jr.
In
a circle
in
the corner
of
the sanctuary
the
dancers
lifted
arms and faces,
bowed
reverently, rose,
offering
gifts of praise to God.
Tintinnabulating
timbrels
and
tambourines,
their
satin ribbons streaming,
swirled
with shirts and skirts,
a
kaleidoscopic rainbow.
Ineffable
ecstasy
shone
in countenances,
sparkled
in dark, dancing eyes.
Parked
at a row end
in
the congregation,
Frankie
sat
strapped
securely
in
his wheelchair,
worshipping,
his
spirit whirling
in
the dance.
Joy
softened his face
into
enthralled expressions
as
praise
flowed
fluently
from
upturned lips.
Suddenly,
perceiving
the desire
written
in his radiance,
a
young man whisked
Frankie’s
wheelchair
into
the dance.
Circling,
circling,
spinning,
spinning,
wheeling
worshipfully,
spiritually
spiraling
upward,
Heavenward,
an
Elijah in a chariot
driven
by horses,
their
manes ablaze,
Frankie
danced
his
holy dance
before
the Ever-Living God.
Maude
Carolan
by Maude Carolan Pych
is available online
at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, CBD, etc.
www.maudecarolanpych.net
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