It took so long to get the fire lit,
even though the wind blew
as though the Holy Spirit fanned
the flames of Pentecost herself.
The children in their costumes came
and went without judgement, candy-sweet.
When the tinder finally caught, I sought
bric-à-brac of twigs from across the neighbour’s yard
to keep it fed. Consider, I thought,
the fires of heaven, and us poor fuel,
damp and easily consumed,
yet within each the spark of holiness.
About Rosalind C Hughes
Rosalind C Hughes is an Episcopal priest, poet, and author living near the shores of Lake Erie. After growing up in England and Wales, and living briefly in Singapore, she is now settled in Ohio. Rosalind is the author of A Family Like Mine: Biblical Stories of Love, Loss, and Longing , and Whom Shall I Fear? Urgent Questions for Christians in an Age of Violence, both from Upper Room Books. She loves the lake, misses the ocean, and is finally coming to terms with snow.
over the water 