When a Church Loses a Pastor 

by Kate English

 

 

On our knees tryna find a new prayer 

Skin scrapes dirt to feel the wet of God’s tongue 

Will His soft sunlight stall the air?  

Voices thrum with low despair, 

Making the flight of the first dove 

On our knees tryna find a new prayer 

What still slow waiting must we bare?

Hope nests with ache inside the young

Will His soft sunlight stall the air? 

No flesh, no scrolls, no oaths to repair 

No melodies or wails unsung 

On our knees tryna find a new prayer 

Shaking hands pressed close with care

Thoughts toward his warmth, gardens he dug

Will His soft sunlight stall the air? 

An absence this full must send up a flare 

Swaddling grief rends a richer love 

On our knees tryna find a new prayer

Will His soft sunlight stall the air? 

 





back to University & College Poetry Prizes