Woman in Prayer

Kneeling,

needing , comfort, healing

humbly and with tears

appealing

"Father, here am I".

Staying

simple-faithed, obeying,

head bowed and with strength

soul-praying

"Father, hear my cry".

Hearing

healing words an dnearing

heaven; He with light

appearing

"Daughter, here am I."

3-23-03

Stillness

I think I think of Thee

as I traverse mortality.

I pray in the cracks and crevices

of Have. Do. Be.

I catch a glimpse or two of light

in my frenzied overscheduled flight

if all the starts align just right

and I hold my spiritual antennae

at the precise and perfect height.

I think I hear Thee speak

between the cackling chaos of my overburdened week

above the toll and bang and squeak

beside the faucet’s steady leak

behind the random ramblings of this

mumbling mother/geek.

I sing I serve

I teach I pray

I work I clean I write

I pray

I kneel I rise

I fall and say:

Father!

and He breathes the breath of life in me

He whispers, “Still.

Be Still.

Still.

Be.

Aah, Stillness.

Now I see.

They Twain

He breaks my heart

a dozen times a day

in a thousand careful

careless, brutal, bruising

blinding ways.

But the way he picks the pieces up,

cradled gently in work-rough fingers?

And kisses them back together?

The shimmery forgiveness of it

lingers.

Burdened

He rises early

just to watch the sun rise--

just to feel the light of morning

warm across his tired eyes.


He drags his heavy heart

like a loaded pack

from peak to summit

leaving nothing

learning nothing

taking nothing from it.

He sighs.

He doesn’t understand.

He misses

Son Rise.

Jacob Breathing

Once you took your watery breath
from my lungs.

Now you take my breath away
with your dazzling lunge
and lope and skip and sway.
Every single day.

You breathe,
and a thousand wisdoms weave
a silvery truth.

Once I held my breath
through your youth
waiting to exhale with your rise
from distressed denim confusion
to wool-blended, two-button wise.

Now, with sighs,
And loss of last illusions

we worry through the
rasp and gasp and wheeze

on our knees,

while Father breathes into your nostrils
the breath of life
like a cool and healing breeze.