Last month we lost a young member of our family of close friends. He was only thirty years old. Pneumonia took him suddenly. Sage, we will miss you.
DARKNESS FALLS EARLY
How do we remember joy
When hurt is deep?
So deep it lives with the leviathans.
With the scattered remains of ships.
The keening of whales
In the snores of our houseguest
Keeps me awake. I cannot dream.
Waiting in the line
At the supermarket,
It goes through my mind
This is the price we pay for loving.
Would we still give our hearts
If we had to pay in advance?
The first hour of pain
Would change our minds.
But we love by instinct
We can’t seem to help it.
There is no answer.
I believe in the Creator of rainbows, of waterfalls
I believe in the Creator of small birds and starlight.
In the Creator of springs and streams
Of quick-moving rivers
Of wind in the treetops
Of mud
Of green hillsides
Of slow black cows,
Their sides swaying, minding the path.
I hold fast to these things,
This fragile gospel
As the road bends sharp before me.
copyright Cathy Larson Sky 12/12/2009
When hurt is deep?
So deep it lives with the leviathans.
With the scattered remains of ships.
The keening of whales
In the snores of our houseguest
Keeps me awake. I cannot dream.
Waiting in the line
At the supermarket,
It goes through my mind
This is the price we pay for loving.
Would we still give our hearts
If we had to pay in advance?
The first hour of pain
Would change our minds.
But we love by instinct
We can’t seem to help it.
There is no answer.
I believe in the Creator of rainbows, of waterfalls
I believe in the Creator of small birds and starlight.
In the Creator of springs and streams
Of quick-moving rivers
Of wind in the treetops
Of mud
Of green hillsides
Of slow black cows,
Their sides swaying, minding the path.
I hold fast to these things,
This fragile gospel
As the road bends sharp before me.
copyright Cathy Larson Sky 12/12/2009
