Tonight, the storm is not here, but I see it
in the distance. Lightning unzippers the air, white shock
of illumination. The sky doesn’t hide its bruises.
Dark tents of rain settle over the flats.
And the thunder, no matter how distant, grabs me
with its enormous hands, shakes me by the shoulders,
and tells me to hush. If the angel came to me tonight
and said it were my turn to wrestle, would I tussle with him
until daybreak? Would I try to shutter him out? If he pushed me
to the earth, would I leap up and run? Or lie there and let
him take me the way the rain would if it were here?
I hush. Must we fight for our blessings? Must we steal
for our birthright? The wind dances the leaves,
ravages my hair. Angel, please do not come tonight.
I am tired. Uncertain. Oh, you are already here.
Rosemerry, I have been reading your daily poems for awhile now. I am often stopped in my tracks by them and transported somewhere else. I know that is your purpose, but I want you to know how often you achieve it. Watching you wrestle with the divine has become one of my favorite parts of the day. Necessary, even before I get my coffee. Thank you for all of these poems.
David, thank you. Thank you. I appreciate your words and your willingness to join the conversation. Toasting your coffee cup with mine.
I love that phrase, “Lightning unzippers the sky” — so true to the visual report of lightning. Great title, great poem. The angel wins.
The angel wins. I walk away limping
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Add mine admiration to the list of those liking, “Lightning unzippers the sky.” Were you aware of the double-meaning of “shock,” when you used it? Indeed, a “white shock” as jolting(!) surprise and also “shock” as with a “white shock” of hair. “The sky doesn’t hide its bruises.” (But we do.)
Hmmm… IS the angel, male? What would change if it were feminine? (And would any such changes change things?) And, how do we discern when to be open vessels for the Divine, as opposed to serving as active agents?
Having the angel be male really did change things. But I was going with the story of jacob and so it was a male. Are there female angels in the bible?
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I don’t think any biblical angels are women; but then, this is back when only menfolk were important. Since angels _are_ important, they must be male. (And, yes, I knew you were eluding to Jacob; still I wondered how the dynamics would have shifted, making the angel female. Hunh. Maybe there’s a story there. The women angles revolt because the guys get all the recognition and the glory….)