Sonnet on a Look from the Lord by Kelsey Peterson
Photography by Monika Baumgartner
I am fascinated by the gaze of the Lord, of Jesus, of God. What does he see when he looks at me?
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.
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
https://www.ekstasismagazine.com/poetry/2024/sonnet-on-a-look-from-the-lord
Can’t you just see that baby’s face looking at you, “bleary from sleep, beam[ing]?”
My heart creaks. Oh my. Or maybe more appropriately, OMG.