Poems – Page 71 – Generous Wisdom

Trust (I)

I bounce a little
and sway a little
and turn myself in a slow circle;
I pat Mr. I’m-18-Months-Old-
And-I-Love-Toy-Cars on the back
and wrap his soft arm around my neck.
He rubs my shoulder with pudgy fingers.
He makes quiet ooo-ooo-ing sounds.

I bounce a little,
sway a little
and turn myself in a slow circle;
I feel his head press against my chest,
feel his weight press down on my arms,
feel his hands become still and his voice quiet.

I bounce a little
and sway a little,
turn myself in a slow circle a little more.
He has fallen,
and I have caught him.

Last night rain came…

Last night rain came and swirled below,
like suffering, like shame;
this morning day lillies shone like jewels;
the rain was gone, (vanished was the angst, the darkness of last night.)

God knows, God loves

The middle one listens
to her dad and me schedule the days
and work through conflicts and make offers
to help one another.

She interjects during the hurried morning
going-out-the-door discussion:
“Well, I could skip vacation bible school…”

When we disuade that generosity, she replies:
“But I already know everything about Jesus;”
and I recall last evening’s theme:
God knows you by name,
and Jesus loves you.
I ask her if this is correct:
“Yep.”

Then she bites into her cinnamon toast,
pulls her royal purple, fuzzy blanket around
bare “night-gown” shoulders
and settles in to breakfast.