The Garments of God...

Painting by Frank Holl

"God sits on a chair 
of darkness in my soul.

He is God alone,
 supreme in His majesty.

I sit at His feet, 
a child 
in the dark beside Him;

my joy is aware of His glance
 and my sorrow is tempted

to nest on the thought
 that His face 
is turned from me.

He is clothed in the robes of His mercy,
 voluminous garments

not velvet or silk
 and affable to the touch,

but fabric strong
 for a frantic hand to clutch, 

and I hold to it fast 
with the fingers of my will.

Here is the cry of faith, 
my deep avowal

to the Divinity
 that I am dust.

Here is the loud 
profession of my trust.

I will not go abroad

to the hills of speech
 or the hinterlands of music

for a crier to walk in my soul 
where all is still.

I have this potent prayer 
through good or ill:

Here in the dark
 I clutch the garments of God.

(Jessica Powers)