Ark of Flesh and Bone by James Robert Kibby

Tossed about in a bowl gripped at each end
By two strong hands whose providence aspires
To break our resolve (who seek) to command
The sea as we have the land though its ire
Proves our wooden craft and its feigned courage.

Amidst the billows drawing near, gentle
As a swan upon a placid pond, treads
An ark of flesh and bone with dread until
Familiar tones in words dispelling grave
Assumptions brimming as our eyes behold
This something, this someone, like us (who have
Built vessels to stay afloat) stride as though
The sea was the land. We quickly took him
In and were on the shore near Capernaum.

My name is James Robert Kibby. I live in Buffalo, N.Y. with my wife and two children, and I work full time for St. Bartholomew’s Anglican Church in Tonawanda, N.Y. overseeing building maintenance as well as media operations. All of my published work has been in songwriting. I have a solo album (One Man Garage Band), an EP (Flesh & Bone), two singles (How Deeply, and Calm Your Heart), and an album I co-wrote with a friend (The Weekend Preacher). Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, I’ve focused more on writing poetry with the goal of publishing my first book, and I began a creative writing podcast called Deer Tracks to encourage participation in various literary or visual art forms. Most of what is shared on the podcast is poetry (it’s a great medium for it), but I have also read some short stories.