In the United States, we knew we were in for a wild ride as the polls closed and our national attention turned to the slow, vital work of counting votes. We knew we’d need a little peace. That’s why we turned to our friend, Sr. Colleen Gibson, SSJ, whose giftedness as a writer and a poet we knew would help us see more clearly. She shares that gift with all of us now, in an original poem she composed in the final hours of November 3, 2020.
“The Signs”
Like lost souls along the highway
the signs dithered in the wind,
air as harsh as the state of things,
direction as sporadic,
and the sun lights them with the warmth of a new day
the hope of constancy, celestially offered.
Hope does not erase reality
negate uncertainty
Hope feels your pulse
and tells you you are still alive
that the sun will rise
that Christ is risen
and so must you.
Rise to the call of new life
Not just for you but for all.
Hope nestles close and I can feel
its tiny breath
like a child pressed close beneath my chin
secure and fragile
shallow, syncopated breaths
reassured by presence
This is our moment to live
to shine
to hope
and to know that no matter what happens
no party can define us, no ballot break our being
our hope will call us onward
to stand together face to face and heart to heart
and together, our lives will be the signs
of a new hope dawning for one and for all.
Listen to Sr. Colleen read “The Signs” on the AMDG podcast feed:
Sr. Colleen Gibson, SSJ is a Sister of Saint Joseph, who currently serves as coordinator of services at the Sisters of St. Joseph Neighborhood Center in Camden, New Jersey and is a regular contributor to Give Us This Day, National Catholic Reporter, and Global Sisters Report.