August 7th

“I kept my faith, even when I said,
   “I am greatly afflicted”;” Psalm 116:10

grief
doesn’t ring the doorbell,
it just shows up, stretched out
in the soul’s recliner, having
left behind a trail of sorrow’s crumbs.
yet,
i still struggle to believe,
whispering my hope
through clenched jaws,
my faith wobbling and creaking
like those old pews which
have held generations of loss.
i could dam up my tears,
but i let them flow,
hoping they will baptize
that trust which seems
to need to be born anew
in far too many moments,
struggling to blossom
in every crack
of my aching heart.

© 2025 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman