July 31st

"O LORD, God of my salvation,
  when, at night, I cry out in your presence,
let my prayer come before you;
  incline your ear to my cry.” Psalm 88:1-2

it is when dusk dispels
the last bits of sun that
those words of contempt,
of ignorance, even of hate
begin to play like an
endless loop in our hearts.
it is when the shadows
of grief once more stretch
themselves across our souls
like an afghan that our granny
made for us when we were young.
it is when night slams
the doors of life against
grace and hope which want
to come and have a
slumber party with us—
those are the moments
when you drop everything
to run and gather us
in your lap, to listen
for as long as we need,
on however many nights
like these we endure.

(c) 2026 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman