butterfly
CHRYSALIS
by Karissa Knox Sorrell

I am waiting for a god I can touch.
I am waiting to feel the world turning,
to sense myself moving at a thousand
miles an hour. I am waiting to shout
to the universe I am here! To hope that
something out there is silent enough
to hear me. I am waiting to birth
a voice that echoes.

I am waiting for another I am,
for the incense of burning bush
on the air, for something I might recognize
as miracle, which might be as
quiet as a naked branch in winter
or my son’s heartbeat beneath my fingers.

I am waiting for the stars
to explain themselves instead
of disappearing into the past.
I am waiting for the earth
to rise up and claim itself
away from us. I am waiting for
an earthquake to split the chrysalis
wide open until every tethered
winged thing breaks into flight.

NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: This poem grew out of my deep wrestling with formulaic faith, which sometimes forgets about a simple sense of awe for the universe. I wanted to write a poem about waiting that also seemed metamorphic and had an element of growth, change, and celebration of the mystery of all creation.

IMAGE: “Butterfly” by Andy Warhol (1983).

knoxsorrell

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Karissa Knox Sorrell is a writer and poet from Nashville, Tennessee. She earned her MFA from Murray State University in 2010. Her poetry and nonfiction have been seen in places such as Cactus Heart, Parable Press, Flycatcher, San Pedro River Review, Catapult Magazine, and St. Katherine Review. When not writing, Karissa works with ESOL teachers and students. Read more of her work at her blog or follow her on Twitter @KKSorrell.