After a long night of restless dreams, morning again,
its hope and holy offices, its reckonings.
its hope and holy offices, its reckonings.
Amidst the lonesome calls of mourning doves and
the sweeping flight of swallows, cursive-winged,
the woodpeckers’ woodblock staccatos, varied
volumes and tones, speeds, morning shines.
the sweeping flight of swallows, cursive-winged,
the woodpeckers’ woodblock staccatos, varied
volumes and tones, speeds, morning shines.
Shine in me the way you shine on this unmown field
and the dandelions gone to seed, shine through
the awns of grasses classified in tribes, wind-swayed
the way a choir moves. Teach me, Lord
to pray the way swallows wing, the way grass sings.
by Daye Phillippo
Daye Phillippo taught English at Purdue University and her poems have appeared or are forthcoming in Poetry, Valparaiso Poetry Review, Presence, The Midwest Quarterly, Cider Press Review, One Art, 2River View and many others. She lives and writes in rural Indiana. Thunderhead (Slant, 2020) was her debut full-length collection. www.dayephillippo.com
back to Issue 16