Ninety percent of what’s wrong with you
could be cured with a hot bath,
says God from the bowels of the subway.
but we want magic, to win
the lottery we never bought a ticket for.
(Tenderly, the monks chant, embrace
the suffering.) The voice of God does not pander,
offers no five year plan, no long-term
solution, nary an edict. It is small & fond & local.
Don’t look for your initials in the geese
honking overhead or to see thru the glass even
darkly. It says the most obvious crap –
put down that gun, you need a sandwich.
by Mary Karr
A burning bush would be nice once in a while, but I have never actually seen one. Someone asked me if I had ever seen a medical miracle and I have seen people heal, who had not been expected to survive. So, I guess that counts. However, it was not as dramatic as I would have liked. I am not easy to please.
Human beings are God’s language, says Harold Kushner, author of “When Bad Things Happen to Good People.” God’s good advice often comes to me through smart people. “Are you hungry? Eat something. Are you lonely? Let’s get together. Are you tired? Take a nap.” Common sense. “If you are not interested in moving to Texas, you should not interview for a job in Texas.” Aha!
And sometimes, God’s voice is “small & fond & local,” as Mary Karr wrote.
“God Says Yes To Me”
I asked God if it was okay to be melodramatic
and she said yes
I asked her if it was okay to be short
and she said it sure is
I asked her if I could wear nail polish
or not wear nail polish
and she said honey
she calls me that sometimes
she said you can do just exactly
what you want to
Thanks God I said
And is it even okay if I don’t paragraph
my letters
Sweetcakes God said
who knows where she picked that up
what I’m telling you is
Yes Yes Yes
by Kaylin Haught
God is so surprising.