Anger

in the school of the Spirit

Beloved,
It takes more strength to restrain
   or train anger,
then it does to let it fly.
to tend the fire
   without allowing it to leap and rage beyond its limits.
Volume and violence look like strength,
   but they are a symptom of the weak, 
                                                  the unbounded,
                                                  uncontrolled.
The peacemaker, the activist isn't the one without anger,
   but the one who has trained their anger
      --in the school of the Spirit,
      --in the way of Jesus.
Anger, here, is a powerfully creative force.
Not, outrageous, or punitive, or retributive
--but purifying,
--and productive
   of something becoming more
      true,
      good,
      just,
      and beautiful.
A poet's anger can do more than the rage of a pundit.