Jacqueline Cleaveland

sunday school lesson

Pretending is stagnancy,

so, I’ll admit, I know very little.

Nothing sets me apart from a grain of sand

other than the winds of your breath

preparing the avenue

for my laughter.

What is my name to You?

What do You call me in the depths of Your heart?

Teach me, and I will forget,

everyday I will need to relearn.

Today, I will answer

to the smile on children’s faces

as we color together with old markers,

staining the sides of our hands,

laughing at our misdrawn sea creatures,

radiating Your love honestly.

Heaven's Medicine

Nectar sunrise,

drip into my heart,

soothe and sweeten

my stubborn scars.

Quench my longing, golden sky,

honey from the original comb,

God’s hand in the form of light,

reaching my skin as tender, dazzling nourishment.

The first poet: from His word came luminosity,

He stitched the sky together with dark thread,

leaving spaces for His truth to be revealed.

Now, I cherish the Sun’s kiss upon my shoulders.

Oh, libations of warmth,

penetrate my pores,

heal me from the inside out,

then I will bear His glow.

Jacqueline Cleaveland is a writer from Los Angeles, California whose poetry has been published in magazines such as Ekstasis and Expressionists. She works as a writer for Pepperdine University and desires to use her words to bear witness to God's love. In her free time, she rides horseback in the Simi hills with her mom.