"Face To Face" Archive

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I will bless the Lord who gives me counsel,

who even at night directs my heart.

I keep the Lord ever in my sight:

since he be at my right hand, I shall stand firm.

 

          Psalms 16:7-8

 

 

If only I could sleep standing

my dreams might cease, the ruthless

plague of chase and capture.

Then morning I wake on my right side,

sensing the hopeless weight of my body.

 

If I could sleep standing

I would have your hand.

 

Believe me, I fight for a glimpse of you

before unwelcome naps in the afternoon.

Part rest, part grief, sleep as thick as felt—

 

I hear nothing when you call,

yet my eyes open on their own.

You guide my days.

 

But when, my Lord,

will my nightmares end?

Conquer my heart!

 

I always wake lying on my right side.

One day soon, let me see you there.

 

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-- By:  Ms. Karen Jessee, OP - - a member of the Dominican Laity, St. Mary Magdelene Group in Raleigh, NC.  She writes and teaches, living with her husband and children near Chapel Hill, North Carolina.