by Mark D. Stucky

My cat’s favorite spot to sleep and surveil the house
was at the top of the hallway-to-basement stairs.
I would sometimes stealthily lie down on the floor
just around the hallway corner from her and wait.
No matter how quiet I tried to be,
she soon peeked around the corner,
her curious face mere inches from mine,
delighted at her discovery.

We had also been inches apart just moments before
but blocked by an optical barrier of spliced sheetrock.
Although she couldn’t see me,
she could sense my nearness.
Her cat’s curiosity caused her
to investigate my presence.

If we are quiet and still enough,
can we feel God’s unseen nearness
just around the mystical corner
of everyday earthly existence?
If we follow spiritual senses,
can we come “face to face” with the divine?

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Mark D. Stucky has degrees in religious studies, pastoral ministry, and communications. After being a pastor, he became a technical and freelance writer. In his day job, he’s documented technology products (ranging from building automation to satellite communications). In free time, he’s written articles, stories, and poems on a variety of (usually spiritual) topics. He believes in following facts and faith, understanding other perspectives, preserving the earth, protecting the vulnerable, and saving the world (or at least trying to). For more writings, see cinemaspirit.info.