I stepped outside,
Felt the slap of winter’s
Icy breath
And stood beneath
The rain-soaked pines

Drops dripped

I looked up, fists clenched
And felt a wet ceiling above
A great ice wall betwixt me
And the sky
Unleashing and spitting upon me

Drops dripped

The Lord had taken my joy
I said
Had swept my feet from under
Like a scythe at harvest
My precious things in their
Full bloom,
Their life and blood on the earth

Drops dripped

The days passed and still
I stood
My fists curled against
The wine-dark sky
Clenched jaw turned to
Moistened eyes
Weeping

Drops dripped

And then a part in the clouds
A part in my soul
Across the rift I saw
The stars
Swirling like dew drops
through the air

Drops dripped

Beyond the rift beyond the stars
There was a space
Enough for a throne
And in the black I felt
A gaze
A face, fixed on mine
On my fists, my heart, my tears

Drops dripped

Love in that gaze
Love for me
Hatred of my loss
Understanding, unmoved
Like a Father who loves,
A father who knows

Drops dripped

And in the silence
‘Neath the pines
I felt my heart thaw
A little
My fists uncurled
The clouds returned
But I knew something
I knew not before
For in the drops that dripped
Could be healing, could be meaning
Could be love