To hear the related 5-minute audio file that I uploaded today as my Morning Journal flash briefing for Alexa devices, please click on the play button:
Buffer of Grace
What if I lived
in a castle with
Teresa of Avila,
exploring the rooms
of my True Self,
sipping Nespresso
with her each morning?
And what if the demons
are gorillas circling
the walls, looking
for cracks in
the foundation?
What if my job
is to dig a moat
round our castle?
Sweaty work, watched
by the demons, grinning?
And what if the rain comes
and fills the moat?
What if it turns out
that gorillas can’t swim?
What a lovely poem! And your audio intro contained the phrase “in a state where grace might find me”. I’d insert that somewhere in steps 2,3, and 11. Do you know Christian Wiman, poet, essayist, Yale divinity scholar? Your linguistic sensibilities and content remind me of him. Keep writing!! I love listening to it, and/or reading. I never quite know what’s going to appear, but inevitably it’s smart, wise, gentle, and beautifully crafted. It’s like a cashmere blanket on a snowy evening by the warmth pf a roasting fire. Thank you!
Amazing poem. Structure. Rhythm. Content. And what a closing. So good. Thank you.