After Lectio, Psalm 139
If I take the wings of the morning
red-shouldered hawk, catbird, wren
settle at the farthest limits
that spacecraft surveying Mars
even there your hand
reaching into the rubble of Khan Younis, Kharkiv
for signs of life.
Surely the darkness will cover
each morning’s litany: a cousin with ALS, each fragile friend,
then the strangers— victims of war, indifference
and the light around me
scant, with shorter days, and the headlines’ rage that encroaches
even the darkness is not dark —
But how to apprehend
night bright as day
without some inner reckoning, descent
for darkness is as light to you.
Kathleen O’Toole is the author of four poetry collections, most recently This Far (2019, Paraclete Press). A retired community organizer and former Poet Laureate of Takoma Park, MD, she delights in offering poetry retreats for retirees, faith communities and other circles of seekers and creatives, on line and in person. Find her at https://kathleenotoolepoetry.com
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