A Pilgrim’s Thirst
My heart thirsts for a pilgrim’s river,
its promise of sweet crossings
undisturbed by the sorrows
that shape the water’s edge.
Perhaps there is still a thanksgiving song,
a festival of hope
to redeem the promise life held at birth,
a promise still visible
as butterflies play in the wind
and lilacs open once again.
Each night I pray that I too
might wake
to embrace the gifts that open
in the morning light.
Michael S. Glaser served as Poet Laureate of Maryland from 2004-2009. He is a Professor Emeritus at St. Mary’s College of Maryland. A recipient of the Homer Dodge Endowed Award for Excellence in Teaching and Loyola College’s Andrew White Medal for contributions to the intellectual and artistic life in Maryland, Glaser has edited four collections of poetry including, with Kevin Young, the Collected Poems of Lucille Clifton, (BOA editions, 2012). He has published eight volumes of his own poems, most recently The Threshold of Light (2019) and Elemental Things (2023). Glaser also served on The Board of the Maryland Humanities Council. He writes book reviews for The Friends Journal and now lives in Hillsborough, North Carolina with his wife Kathleen who facilitates retreats for Parker Palmer’s Courage and Renewal network. More at http://www.michaelglaser.com
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