Dear Father
I’m alone in a very scary place
And I’m not certain how I got here.
I lost sight of the footprints I was following
And wandered off the pathway you laid out for me.

The wind is cold and the sky is dark.
I just heard screeches from the nearby woods
And this path ends in only brambles.
Kneeling on the rocky ground
I beseech the Lord to rescue me.
He either doesn’t hear my cry
Or this is where I need to be
To learn to never take my eyes
Away from the light that guides me.
ljm

I smile just enough
and I talk just enough to
keep the questions out

I saw you walk in—
to this place like an ocean
wave — reclaiming land
                                            (I'm the land)

as long as the sea
ends up on top of me — claimed
inevitably

what if the only
thing I can give you are the
things I leave behind

this feels like a long
ride where everyone got off —
and then it's just me

always a lone chair
at every table — am I
meant to be alone?