October 9, 2018
One year ago I met him
I’ll never be the same
A Texas Spiny Lizard
Melchizedek by name
I was gazing out the window
My loved ones gone to work
Their backyard looked so tranquil
But then I saw a quirk
I say a quirk, but dragon
Would explain with more precision
My heart flown to my throat
At this reptilian vision
Near a foot he was
This armor-plated soul
Scary toes, forbidding stare
And I could not be whole
Till I knew with whom I dealt
And so I quickly found him
A helpful reptile source
Gave a name to wrap around him
And then my loved ones called
I told them what I’d seen
They said, “Oh, that’s just Mel.
He’s big, but he’s not mean.”
Shy his kind, not hostile
And they eat their weight in pests
Still I think a healthy distance
Would suit us all the best
Melchizedek and me
A wondrous Web we share
But out of respect
I’ve learned to check
Before I sit down in “our” chair
MELCHIZEDEK [mel KIZ eh deck] (king of righteousness) — a king of Salem (Jerusalem) and priest of the Most High God (Gen. 14:18-20; Ps. 110:4; Heb. 5:6-11; 6:20 – 7:28). Melchizedek’s appearance and disappearance in the Book of Genesis are somewhat mysterious … Abraham presented Melchizedek with a tithe (a tenth) of all the booty he had gathered. By this act Abraham indicated that he recognized Melchizedek as a fellow-worshiper of the one true God as well as a priest who ranked higher than himself.
–Nelson’s New Illustrated Bible Dictionary
Everlasting Arms 