The Shallows—Michael Stalcup
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The Shallows
by Michael Stalcup
When I drink in the stars and upward sink into the theater your words have wrought, I touch unfelt immensity and think— like Grandma used to pause in patient thought before an ordinary flower, awed by intricacies hidden in plain view, then say, “You didn’t have to do that, God!”— Surely a smaller universe would do! But you have walled us in with open seas unconquerable, wild with distant shores whose raging dawns are but your filigree across our vaulted skies. This art of yours, what Grandma held and I behold, these flames, frames truth which awes us more: You know our names.
Originally published in Ekstasis Magazine
Michael Stalcup is a missionary and poet living in Bangkok, Thailand. His poems have been published in Commonweal, Cultivating, Ekstasis, First Things, and Sojourners. He co-teaches Spirit & Scribe, a workshop integrating spiritual formation and writing craft (which several Rabbits have attended). You can find more of his work at michaelstalcup.com.
What a lovely and deeply moving meditation on God’s manifold mercies in the blessed reality that we are known, loved, and treasured in His sight. I kept thinking about Psalm 139 while reading your work. In these challenging days, this lyrical call to embrace an eternal perspective is both much needed & greatly appreciated.
"walled us in with open seas" is a really nice juxtaposition.