Tag Archives: waiting

Signs

Watchful, I spy the first buds,now only the flower’s potential,one day, soon – the fruit.Impatient, I come hereagain, again each dayto measure progress in the budding leafor to catchthe lemon in the act of ripening,quince in mid-blossom,almond in leaf.Wait, small heart.It lingers; wait.The signs are surethough August is fickle and eyes are sore.And God hasContinue reading “Signs”

The Long Ordinary

Winter sets in,rubs his damp feet all through the laundry,wipes his everwet hair with each handtowel,breathes ice on my windscreen,cries soggy complaints on my feet.And somewhere we are lostbetween fire and candle, lostin the long, slow ordinary that yawnsin between.Days blink; you miss the momentof daylight, the chanceto dry out and be.Only blessingspans the gapContinue reading “The Long Ordinary”

Late Night Bread

Kneadingafter the kids are asleepand the day’s tidy-up’s done,kneadingunresolved jobs anddisappointment intopositive dispersal of yeast throughdough,kneading prayer,kneading thoughtof friend in need, kneadingthe lossof this or that hope,kneading hope.And pounding,pounding heaven’s door like a breadboard,pounding grace into slackand crumbling day,pounding the gateof coming kingdom,pounding the weight of the season,the wait of the harvest,the slowness of leaven,theContinue reading “Late Night Bread”

Ordinary Time

Meanwhile, pluck tomatoesripe from the garden.Watch the quinces shed their fur,turn late-summer-yellow,and burst with promise whilecockatoos eye them off.Check the peaches.See the opening flowers on the lemon tree.Cut the roses, deck the table.Water, plant and wait.Number days and count the joysand trust that tears shall cease.

Advent 18: Longing

How long shall I long in vain? (Christina Rossetti, “Of Him That Was Ready to Perish”) And so we are not ready, too full of dross and dust, too much in need of refining fire to enter a purity our kind spoilt long ago. Nor is it ready for us, nor is the day ripe,Continue reading “Advent 18: Longing”

Advent 10: Waiting

Bulbs in soil await the spring,and fruit awaits the sun,parched earth waits for thunderstormand watchmen wait for dawn. Guilt awaits the gavel’s fall,fear awaits the dreaded thing,hope waits for what is not seenand voices wait to sing. The busy spirit does not wait;“Time waits for no-one,” it will shout.Impatience sooner dies than waits,and reason tendsContinue reading “Advent 10: Waiting”

Holy Saturday

I know this day well, have often lived here, yet rarely for good reason, only the wounded pride of disappointment, the failure of God to sate expectations. Licking my wounds, embalming my life goals, I sit beneath a Jonah tree and await the explosion. Nothing comes, only Sabbath: the time for waiting, for preparing spiceContinue reading “Holy Saturday”

Advent 2: Forgetting

I missed a day. Too busy with carols and attempts to put my son to sleep, I slept that second Advent Sabbath night forgetting to rest, forgetting to write. Rest slips past us now. Today I forgot also to drink water, to eat. Now waiting in queues I regret this forgetting. The time we saveContinue reading “Advent 2: Forgetting”

Spring Cleaning (II)

I go to prepare a place for you. We do too; with unsure anticipation, we make a space atop the stairs, with bunting and books and animals on the walls, a cot, tiny clothes, a place for your toys. We also prepare our days, our thoughts. They too make space for the big rearrange, thisContinue reading “Spring Cleaning (II)”