I just want to do God’s will. And He’s allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I’ve looked over. And I’ve seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the promised land! ~ Martin Luther King, Jr.

I’ve been to meetings, not just local
but bigger groups, including delegates
from the whole wide world.
I’ve seen wonder, magic, awe
in the faces of people who walk into the first
and know for an absolute truth they’re home.
I’ve seen people who’ve come back
time and time again for decades
and feel adrift if they go a week
without a group. I’ve read the promises,
not just pages 83 and 84 but all of them,
scattered throughout the Big Book
and books of all kinds, promises big and small,
but promises. I’ve seen recovery in faces,
serenity in the bearing of a woman
walking through a personal hell,
hope in the body language of one
whose disabilities used to crush
but now are encountered and conquered
with grace and love and kindness.
I’ve been to the mountaintop
and I’ve seen what it means to reach
beyond our wildest dreams. I hope
to reach that point, but as long as I’m walking
on the right path, taking the right Steps,
I’ve seen the promised life.