Ava Koerner

The thunder rumbles in the distance.
The sky gets dark, we all huddle in.
Except for one.
She ventures out into the storm, because she knows
You have to get rained on
To be clean.

1.

I’ve spent a lot of time
Mostly alone.
I’ve sat in a lot of parks
With a lot of books
And a lot of strangers.
I’ve walked a lot of streets
In a lot of shoes
On a lot of sidewalks
I’ve spent a lot of time
Looking to the sky
Tipping my chin
drinking from the clouds
Lots of times.
It never gets old.

2.

Blessed is the woman
Who sees God in the sun.
Blessed be the girl
Who sees God in grayness.
Blessed is the soul
Who sees God behind closed eyes
Shut doors
In the rain.
Blessed is the soul
Who wants no proof
Only God.

3.

Dear God
I feel like I know you
At long last.
I see you when I wake up
A quilt draped over the Earth
You’re in the rays of sun
That filter through the clouds

On the greyest day
You sit in the space between
Atoms
People
Thoughts
You fill us up
With grace and love.
I trust you.
Please guide me.

Hope is a thing
That’s not got a lot
To do
With feathers.
Hope squats in dark corners
Strikes a match
Holds heat within you.
Hope sticks like a barb
Unable to let go
But why does it hold on?

On this day
I could ask for anything.
I could ask for love,
For peace,
For light.
Instead, I sit on my chair
And give thanks
For life.