Nicholas Samaras (b.1952)
The Psalm of Then
Then, the Lord heard me in the wilderness of my soul.
Then, the lost place of me became clear.
Then, I recognized distraction for what it is.
Then, I was freed from the desert of diversion.
Then, I was moved to the green oasis within me.
Then, the still voice of the Lord was as the depth of water.
Then, I could cease the constant music in my head.
Then, I could move beyond myself and the noise of myself.
Then, I could hear the smallness of my own voice.
Then, the still voice of the Lord was as the depth of water.
Then, the lost place of me became clear as a cascade.
Then, I could hear the bass of my name.
Then, I heard the Lord in the wilderness of my soul.
Then, stillness and stillness and stillness sang.
Nicholas Samaras (b.1952) is from Patmos, Greece. At the time of the Greek junta military dictatorship he was brought as a child to America. He has lived in Greece, England, Wales, Belgium, Switzerland, Italy, Austria, Germany, Yugoslavia, Jerusalem, and thirteen states in America. He describes his writing as coming from a permanent place of exile. His first book, Hands of the Saddlemaker, won the Yale Series of Younger Poets award. This poem is from American Psalm, World Psalm (Ashland Poetry Press, 2014).
Selected by Amy Frykholm: amy@journeywithjesus.net
