August 1st

“But I, O Lord, cry out to you;
   in the morning my prayer comes before you.
O Lord, why do you cast me off?
   Why do you hide your face from me?” Psalm 88:13-14

i jerk awake—
the dry tickle of a prayer
threatening to become a hacking
cough, a cry thrown out into
the silence dawning around me.
i stretch out my hand,
but the door to your heart
seems padlocked and the key
slipped out of my pocket, and
so my words turn into dust bunnies
searching for a minyan under the bed.
why does it seem that you choose
to break off our relationship, and
you are signing up on one
of those dating apps, in search of another.
i really don’t want any answers,
just you—
your warm hand placed upon
my chilled soul, so that i know
that even if it seems that
silence is the answer offered,
there is the whisper of grace
just longing for me to listen.

© 2025 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman