Sonnet on a Look from the Lord

Sonnet on a Look from the Lord

Kelsey Peterson

There is a passing gentle look from God,
Sidelong, a sear of light clearing cloud—
revealing gold from coal like white heat.
He’s looking at me. And what does he see?

Like a baby who finds her mother’s face
After she wakes, bleary from sleep, and beams,
All joy, eyes sheened, unsure if she dreams
Or if, for a time, she can lay her head
On mother’s shoulder and rest, just
The two of them, with nowhere to rush,

So I would respond to my maker’s gaze,
But I freeze, hairs risen in a frisson of fear,

And then I see him. It’s him. And my heart,
Like a sheet of ice pressed after a thaw, creaks.

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Kelsey Peterson
Writer & Poet

Kelsey’s work has appeared in Conjunctions, Meridian, Necessary Fiction, West Branch, and Witness. She was awarded the PEN/Dau Prize for Emerging Writers in 2019.

Photography by Monika Baumgartner