April . . . is National Poetry Month. Once again, Bonny, Kat, Sarah, and I have put our heads together and come up with a (very loose) plan for sharing poetry on Thursdays this month. (If you’d like to join in, let me know and I’ll be happy to send you our plan. When it comes to poetry, my motto is always . . . the more the merrier!)

For this, the first Thursday in April, we’ll each be sharing poems about peace and humanity. Here is my offering . . .

Holding the Light
Stuart Kestenbaum

Gather up whatever is
glittering in the gutter,
whatever has tumbled 
in the waves or fallen
in flames out of the sky,

for it’s not only our
hearts that are broken,
but the heart
of the world as well.
Stitch it back together.

Make a place where
the day speaks to the night
and the earth speaks to the sky.
Whether we created God
or God created us

it all comes down to this:
In our imperfect world
we are meant to repair
and stitch together
what beauty there is, stitch it

with compassion and wire.
See how everything 
we have made gathers
the light inside itself
and overflows? A blessing.

I hope you’ll enjoy celebrating National Poetry Month with us!
Be sure to visit Bonny, Kat, and Sarah to read more poetry every Thursday in April!

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Today’s poem is from my copy of The Wonder of Small Things: Poems of Peace & Renewal, edited by James Crews, and published by Storey Publishing, 2023. For more information about today’s poet, Stuart Kestenbaum, click here.