Let There Be Light
A poem by Claire Coenen

Let There Be Light

Tonight I awake at the witching hour
and the darkness weighs
on my heart like the sea.
Sheets sticky, spine weak,
mind seared by the dream,
I cannot reach the light
as the silence wrestles me.

Like an infant, I curl up and
breathe deep in my belly
until an old prayer appears
like a lifeline to my mind.
I hold the words over
and over, whispering
the immeasurable mantra:

Let me be
safe and protected.
Let me be
at peace.
Let me be
filled with
lovingkindness.

Perhaps it is no surprise
to you, that in holding
the words, I sense I am held,
but surprise touches my spirit
like the miracle in Genesis
when the watery darkness
becomes a womb.

About the Author:

Claire Coenen, LMSW, M.Ed. M.T.S., is a writer, teacher, and social worker living in Nashville, TN. Her work has previously appeared or is forthcoming in The Nashville Scene, The Write Launch, Beyond Words Literary Magazine, The Banyan Review,Cathexis Northwest Press, Soul-Lit, Light of Consciousness Magazine, and Salvation South. You can learn more here: clairecoenen.com

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