by Andrew Taylor-Troutman
Predawn, on a stretch of sidewalk
between two ponds, my dog scares
up frogs, who in two or three leaps
put themselves safely out of reach
of the leashed one. Other great beasts
on the horizon frighten me—
wars and rumors of wars, extreme heat,
water shortages, financial collapse.
If I can’t sleep, I pray on my feet.
As the dog and I dally along,
her attention upon the frogs,
a voice in my head suddenly speaks:
If you can guide her home, what makes
you afraid that you, too, will not be saved?
Andrew Taylor-Troutman is the author of Gently Between the Words: Essays and Poems and pastor of Chapel in the Pines Presbyterian Church in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
Agape Review 