Keep Speaking

road from Raab Park, Poulsbo

God I saw you today
in the man at the park
walking in the rain
beside his black dog.
I heard you when he said
Her and I gained some weight last holiday
and I laughed and answered, It's easy to do.

Too I saw you in the woman
throwing an old tennis ball
for her dog, when she laughed
with joy as he bounded after it.

I knew you in the quiet of the gnarled apple trees
glistening in gathering evening;
I pulled off my hood and the cold rain wet my hair
and I think that was you, too.

I heard your voice as I walked past my neighbor's house
Telling me to knock on her door
but there were others waiting for me at home
so I walked on by.  Still,

keep speaking, God.  

--klc
 

Prayer: What I Want Today is Silence

What I'm asking for today is silence,
a respite from cacophony:
You are not good enough
Just try harder
Try harder
Do better
You need to do more

God, blow each voice away like withered seeds from your palm.
Do not let them lie there in my soul.  Do not let them spread roots of hatred inside me.

Instead, empty me.
But do not hollow me and leave me aching.

Instead, clear me as the wind clears a summer sky;
Let me feel your breeze in every hot, stifled corner.

Smooth me empty as the grey sea before dawn, waiting for the first shot of daylight.
Let me feel the sun rise and spread; let me glitter with a hundred points of light.

What I want today is silence,
To be a stone in your palm,
so that when you speak, I will hear.

--klc

 --Thanks to Ken Cockroft for the photo: 'Stones of Puget Sound'