Thinking About Faith

Sarah Russell

My poem is up at the wonderful Poetry Breakfast this morning. My thanks to editor Kay Kestner.

Thinking about Faith

I’m not talking religion here, 
although it’s nice to have that too. 
I’m thinking of the sun-rising-every-day 

kind of faith we take for granted—
that cars coming at me will stay 
in their lanes, that planes 

will land. It’s deeper than expectation—
that the dinner party will go well, 
or the Amazon delivery will arrive 

on Tuesday. It’s more akin 
to assurance—that when my friend 
says she understands, she does. 

Faith is more solid than Emily’s hope, 
more bedrock, but it’s beautiful 
like her feathery allusion—

that you’ll come home every evening,
that we will share our day, 
that you will hold my hand.

11 thoughts on “Thinking About Faith”

    1. Whew! I used it right, but I had to do a deep dive to check. The line refers to Emily Dickinson’s poem about hope being a thing with feathers. Thanks for the close read, Marc!

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  6. Congratulations, Sarah. I love how you’ve said this and looking at what’s happening in the world now, I wish that simple faith, that ability to take tomorrows for granted is something everyone can have…

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