For today

Release me, God,
one more time,
from carrying these boulders
of regret
and guilt
that I have created
through thoughtless acts
and blind inactions. 
They are part of my journey now,
 forged into my past
with no way to banish
or change them.

But I can’t stop
lugging them around
even when
they weigh me down
and cause me to stumble
as I walk today’s new path.

Forgive me for
hauling this useless weight,
for choosing to obsess
over my unchangeable past.

Help me.
Help me move
 beyond them;
Help me acknowledge
their  toll in my life, 
to accept their imprint as markers
on my younger self
and move on.

Guide me,
in those morning moments,
when I reach out to caress familiar shapes
of rough boulders
to keep my hands open
to gather new gems glistening;
sparkling in my path
as I move ahead.

 

Skies

‘I look to the hills
from whence my help comes’
the old psalmist declared.

I look to the sky
 my head tilted back,
eyes open wide,
immersed
in the vastness
of blue
and stormy grey.

I fling my arms wide
to join the dance
of  flight and migration;
butterflies and birds
soaring free,
traversing the world,
the sky,
their road.

I look to the sky
from where guidance comes,
pouring onto me
as warm sunlight
or raindrops,
cheek-biting snowflakes
or gentle mist
and morning fog.

I look to the sky
for the guidance I seek.
I receive in return
gifts  to nourish me.

 

Prayer is

I take a step,
then another
with no direction in sight
yet still walking,
still moving;

wordlessly crying “help”
as tears dry on cheeks
while new ones fall.

exhaling “thank you”
with eyes opening wide
to see what lies ahead

whispering “why?”
alone in my  bed,
dreams tumbling away,

simply breathing;
not knowing
what’s next;

the unspoken,
unsung
music
of my soul
coursing through me

pulling me closer,
weaving me
into the ongoing rhythm
 of eternal prayer.

 

Biography:

Thalia Dunn currently resides in New Jersey, USA with her family.   She is an aspiring poet and writer of short stories dealing with themes of the natural world, animals and evolving faith.  She is a Christian storyteller for children’s groups and has been a Director of Christian Education in the Presbyterian Church. She currently teaches  in a local high school.