Prayer

Prayer

Michael Stalcup

You came unexpectedly,
leaving your siblings playing
in the Chinese garden,
to visit me
in the shade of the wooden pavilion.

Without a word, you sat beside me
on the weathered bench,
scooched closer as I smiled at you,
then, without warning,
flopped fully across my lap.

You stayed there, draped over my knees
in your strawberry dress
as my daddy-hand caressed your back,
the span of it covering you
for those sweet seconds

until you left, without a word,
dancing.

---

Michael Stalcup
Poet

Michael is a Thai American poet living in Bangkok, Thailand. His poems have been published in Commonweal, Dappled Things, First Things, Presence, and Sojourners. He co-teaches Spirit & Scribe, a workshop helping writers to integrate spiritual formation and writing craft. You can find more of his work at michaelstalcup.com.

Photography by Mika Baumeister