Waiting Poem by Mary Angela Douglas

tonight I think of waiting.
everyone waits.
I wonder, did He wait too

long ago, when the world was new
for the seed to become a star
to illuminate

a pomegranate darkness
did he watch ferns and shade them with his hand
and place them near trees once they had full shade

was everything made from His waiting
even the peacock fan
all waiting was Love in Him.

somehow we could not wait enough
and so, we packed it in and left Eden.
and now everyone waits. for something.

parents wait for the dawn
hoping their children will live on
prisoners wait for their parole

or wonder, how can I grow old
behind bars
babies wait to be picked up

spinsters for the street car
sleepy children for the end of the story

refugees wait between lands
oh how can they
and many wait for sustenance

in vain. for anyone to call them by their name
not from an agency.
to be safe again in their own homes.

for the war to end.
and long to begin again.

so many wait alone and pray
their pain will not be great
when angels come to the gate

when finally they depart

and all, all wait with a broken heart
that was in my dream...
afraid that the boat of Heaven

will leave without them
some shortlisted year
that no one will know
they were ever even here.

mary angela douglas 7 june 2019

Deuteronomy 31: 8 It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed."