October 14th

“For his anger is but for a moment;
    his favor is for a lifetime.
Weeping may linger for the night,
    but joy comes with the morning.” Psalm 30:5

it crawled under the covers
acting as if it wanted
to keep me warm,
but then, in the middle
of the night, it came up
and sat by my head
like a curious cat,
its breath ice cold,
its whiskers tickling my cheek.
i let it stay, as usual, because
grief is a creature of yours,
and needs a touch of kindness,
a gentle brushing of its fur.
but sometime during the night,
it slipped away, maybe to hide
in the closet or under the bed.
and when i dared to open my eyes,
i found your grace,
ready for me to slip into it,
like a pair of warm socks.

© 2025 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman