Near Taos
By Randel McCraw Helms - Fountain Hills, Arizona, USA - 15 May 2016
The Santuario de Chimayo
Houses a small, and special, sacred place,
The Holy Dirt Room, beside the altar.
An alcove is lined with abandoned crutches
And prayers of thanks. Beyond it is the Room,
Where you will see a small hole in the floor,
Filled with ordinary sand. But only
To the eye. To the heart of faith, it is
A healing balm, drawing the troubled and
Hurt to its grace. I was there, and this is
What I saw.
__________Amid the crowds of curious
Tourists were two men in worn but clean clothes.
One of them spoke English, the other not.
"We are haulers of heavy loads," he said,
"Truck drivers, and jobs are scarce in these days.
We came to Chimayo to pray for work."
These men kneeled, and with their hands gave sand
In scoops to the faithful who came after
Mass with their emptied plastic bags. "See,"
He said, smiling at them, "Here we have work
Already, hauling holy dirt for you."