The circus bear patrols
the front of his cave.
All day long,
day after day at the zoo
the circus bear paces
five paces across,
five paces back.

The physical imprisonment
of a tiny, cruel cage in a circus
has been replaced
by the prison of his tortured mind.
Five paces across,
five paces back.

Lord,
there are times in my life
when I resist change
and insist instead
on following the safe habits of a lifetime.
I persist in using coping strategies,
once necessary,
that used to protect me
but which are now simply
deeply ingrained
and today imprison me.
Five paces across,
five paces back.

Give me the courage, Lord,
to stop doing things
because that’s the way
that they’ve always been done.
Give me the courage
to step out in faith
so that I may live my life
in freedom
instead of living it
locked in the past.

I don’t want to be like
the circus bear
living my life
taking five paces across,
five paces back.

©  Claire Murray, 25th March 2017