Carry Me Home (Vayakhel 5785)

I read about the Mishkan 
How it was designed to be 
	transported
with all its rings and poles 
So thoughtfully created to be 
curated 
through the wilderness

I wonder about the cherubim atop the Ark
with their heads bowed and their wings
	folded inward
An additional layer of protection 
over the sacred items within?

Lately I have been transported
from one beautiful space to another
One goodbye to the next
Letting those who love me ferry me
through this liminal time

They surround me with
invisible wings of support and care
A last gift before I go
An embrace I can take with me 
across the sea

I entrust myself now
Into Your Hands
Enfold me in the wings of the Cherubim
An extra layer of protection
over my fragile heart within
As I disconnect and launch
As I make my way across the expanse

To begin again
Back on home soil
Returned but not 
The same
The Israelites left Canaan with nothing
They prepare to return laden with God’s words
	and golden fanfare
And the taste of freedom and manna 
on their lips

Not famine-starved as they once were but
Grown into something healthy 
And new