by Jeral Williams

Flailing through fractal bedlam—
children’s laughter, clean sheet freshness, friend’s painful cry, camellia’s cerise, aching bones, dog’s devotion, lemonade sweetness, bitter of anger, old man’s stooped gait, dove’s soft coo, garlic in the sauce, desire’s scent, prairie sunsets, jealousy’s stench, labor’s toil, chimes of time.
I shut my eyes, embrace my space.
Pray for peace.
As thrashing ebbs
His Spirit flows
smoothing bumps 
balancing my stride,
centering my heart, 
forgiving my failures,
guiding through the day’s labyrinth.

Jeral Williams is a poet living in Mobile, Alabama. He is a retired professor whose Christian journey has been long and winding. He has published “Being a Proverbial Student,” a reflection on the need for Christian students to pursue knowledge, and “A Sunset Without Dawn,” a collection of poems about grief over the loss of a daughter. His weekly blog can be found at his website: proverbialstudent.com.