Speechless by Kimberly Phinney

I have thought so long,

but I cannot find

a fresh metaphor

or the right words

to say (just so)

what You are

and what I am not.

Like how I fail

and how You do not:

You, like pylons driven

deep into the ground

to sure up the shore.

You, holding earth in place

no matter

the midnight storms,

the beating winds,

the rising tides,

setting me

awash.

Or, how I am so small

and You are not:

You, like the infinite

water’s reach

spanning across oceans—

You, baptizing its

granule forms—

to smooth edges

to make pressure

for new life—

birthing a pearl

of great worth.

It’s all been said,

I know.

So, I haven’t

the right words

for You.

You, who are The Word—

the beginning

and the end.

And how I am not.

Or how You are every word

thereafter:

life breathed—

plucked from our thoughts,

bowed down

and speechless

before You.

Kimberly Phinney is a national award-winning AP English instructor and professional photographer. She’s been published in Christianity Today’s Ekstasis Magazine, Ruminate, The Dewdrop, Sunday Mornings at the River, Amethyst Review, Calla Press, Heart of Flesh, Agape Review, and The Write Launch, among others. She has her M.Ed. in English and studied at Goddard’s MFA program in Creative Writing. She is a poetry editor with Agape Review and a contributor with Calla Press. After almost dying from a severe illness in 2021, she’s earning her doctorate in counseling to help the marginalized and suffering. Visit her literary community at www.TheWayBack2Ourselves and on Instagram @thewayback2ourselves.