Poem: Earthquake
Image description provided by the author: This image was generated using Google Gemini with the prompt of a road shattered by an earthquake. The word “shattered” really resonated with me in this poem, and I wanted to show a road that was so broken it would not be able to be traveled.
An earthquake shattered
the road
between my head
and my heart.
The two tectonic plates
that were the foundation
of my world
shifted apart
and everything
came crashing in.
My limbs shook;
my ears rang;
and the powerlines of my heart broke,
becoming livewires
beside the pools of my tears.
Their love,
the epicenter of tragedy,
no longer exists.
I must find a home elsewhere,
but my little house is broken.
I must roam until I arrive,
but my life is lost and listless.
Love,
the hope of a future,
will find a way.
About the Poem:
I was praying in adoration and reflecting on how hard it is to have a truth go from your head to your heart. There are many challenges that stem from having a broken home. The actual physical separation of our parents, the unleashing of so many physical and emotional problems, and the loss of identity and sense of purpose are just a few. These can make it hard for what we know to be true to settle into our hearts. But the end of the poem reflects on the decision to trust that God does have a future of goodness and beauty in store for us and that there is a way to restore that road from the head to the heart.
Prayer:
Loving God, you who dreamed of my existence since the beginning of time, thank you for my life. You have shown me your immense care through all of the little ways that you display your love for me. My past has held great pain which you have used to draw me closer to yourself. Repair the connection between my head and my heart, that I may both know and feel trust in you and your goodness.
About the Author:
Sister M. Lucia Richardson, OSF is a religious sister of the Sisters of St. Francis of Perpetual Adoration. Born and raised in the Midwest, she has been blessed with the grace of knowing God's love and healing presence in the midst of much family turbulence, separation and divorce. Eucharistic Adoration and life with her Sisters in community bring her an abundance of joy that she loves sharing with others each day.
Reflection Questions for Small Groups or Individuals
What emotions and thoughts did this poem elicit in or from you as you read it?
Reflect on your experience of the challenge of connecting your head and your heart.
Which line from the poem resonated with you the most and why?
What images have helped you process your parents’ separation?
In what ways has God intervened in your life and opened a way to healing?
How has God invited you to make your home in Him?
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