From Gay Girl Prayers by Emily R. Austin
Genesis 2:7, Timothy 2:13

If authority is granted by order
and Adam was formed before Eve
then suffer not a man to teach
nor usurp authority over dust
but to be in silence -
for dust was formed first, then Adam.

***

Reflection from Cleménce Sauty:

Eternal one
Your spirit hovered over the face of the deep,
when the earth was formless and empty.
You witnessed the uniform darkness
and you dwelled in it entirely.
Then, when you were ready, you made light.
'Let there be difference' you said
as you separated day and night,
skies and waters, waters and land.
'Now let there be plants! More plants! And birds! All kinds!'
I guess you rejoiced in the bustling of life
so deeply that your spirit never again became still.
'Let there be more difference !' you kept saying;
'More nuance, more texture,
for this is how I create new life.'
And from one person you made many
so they may hold each other
and be moved.

Yet, we live in a time when humans
resent their own need for connection,
so they blame ‘others’ for existing.
They demand that no one thrives
beyond the confines
of their own worldview.

They claim that you, God,
set difference in stone -
a stone so sharp it cuts like a weapon.
And when they poke at their wounds
(white supremacy imperialism patriarchy)
what they feel is more real to them
than justice could ever be.
I will never be done grieving.
Will you?

Eternal one
instead of stone, you made us out of dust -
light, transient, and escaping anyone’s grasp.
When the dust finally settles,
will you teach us about your creative process?
will we wonder - when you say we were made for love?
Just as dust returns to dust,
you keep your promises
and so my grief is full of hope.

***

God, bless us, as we find comfort in our limits.
The task ahead of us is great, and we are weary.
Yet, we trust that your spirit stirs among us.
Like dust shining in Summer air, may your breath carry us forward.