by Timothy Tarkelly

Who does great and unsearchable things,
marvelous things without number.
Job 5:9 (NET)

Rising early.
Weary-eyed moments
of thanksgiving. 

Flick on the switch,
defer to the list,
things I couldn’t do before I got sober:

greet the morning with obedience,
glance into the gun cabinet
without dreaming of sulfur and soiled curtains.

Preparation lights up the senses.
Blaze orange, hazelnut coffee,
a sunrise that creeps alongside the highway,
a chill that calls you, keeps you mobile.

These are the wonders of God, small joys,
marvelous things, worth waking up for. 

Timothy Tarkelly’s work has appeared in Jupiter Review, Paddler Press, Rhodora Magazine, and others. He has published several poetry collections, including Gently in Manner, Strongly in Deed: Poems on Eisenhower (Spartan Press) and On Slip Rigs and Spiritual Growth (OAC Books). His most recent collection is a collaboration with Ukrainian painter Elena Samarsky, entitled All Other Forms of Expression (OAC Books). When he’s not writing, he teaches in Southeast Kansas.