Flightless Gospel
I found a prayer crumpled on the floor.
Like it belonged there. Handwrit in haste.
Post-it for keeps. Not a marker from a would-be
Psalm reader. Not a wish from
a hopeful heart, mourning goodbyes.
Truth in yellow. I smoothed it.
Folded it a pair of wings,
so it could lift again, soar to my maker.
Instead, I found a prayer on the floor,
grounded.
Where honesty remains.
Patrick G. Roland is a writer and educator living with cystic fibrosis. He explores life’s experiences through poetry and storytelling, seeking to inspire others in the classroom and through writing. His work appears or is forthcoming in Not One of Us Magazine, Maudlin House, Willawaw, Trampoline, Neologism Poetry Journal and others. He lives near Pittsburgh with his wife, who is his thoughtful critic, and their two children, who are his muse.
Amethyst Review 