————-—Jay Hopler 1970–2022
Hey there, unpronounceable Holy,
Long time since last addressèd I myself
To Thee who doth all being oversee.
I have complaints. I did expect the chaff
Proverbial among the corn, did not
Suppose my mortal path would be of riffraff
Free, but damn: this latest shock. How fraught
It feels to reverence now before you
Who if omnipotent then hard. I might
As well send up my prayers to Pluto
For all the good they’ve done me. Stars athwart,
No miracles forthcoming: thus & so
My faith’s become a fickle, peevish part
That fills & empties always, like a heart.
Kimberly Johnson is the recipient of Guggenheim, NEA, Mellon, and Amy Lowell fellowships. She is the author of four collections of poetry, most recently including Fatal (Persea), as well as book-length translations of Virgil and Hesiod.
Photo by Jeremy Thomas on Unsplash
