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Kelley Mathews

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2020: A Poem

2020: A Poem

Last updated on: November 24, 2020 at 7:00 am by Kelley Mathews

2020: A Poem 2020-11-23T19:10:27-06:00 Kelley Mathews

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smoky-mountains

Sunrise over the Smoky Mountains. Photo: Sandra Glahn

2020 has been a doozy of a year for almost everyone. We all deal with life differently, and writers, well … we cope by writing. But some of us paint pictures with words, setting feelings and thoughts into a frame of free-flowing phrases. I am definitely not that kind of writer. So let me introduce you to Misty Hedrick, wordsmith. Her poem, titled 2020, tells a story you might find familiar. We hope you spend some time with it.

Some fears

We face

Or they destroy us

Choose fear or faith

Keep it

Or lose all?

Face the question

Head on

Like a bullet

Stare down the barrel

Of a seminary exam

And ask the question

Do I believe?

Or do I lie?

Even asking requires courage

Deconstruct your home

Built on faith

Shred it like an old tax return—

Apostasy, heresy, blasphemy

Tempting, because sometimes it feels easier

To walk away

Than to stay

In the tension

The other option

Embrace truth like morning coffee

Conform to its strained yoga pose, trembling

Dwell content, at peace with not knowing

Wait.

No … wait longer.

Maybe sometimes fear forgets

What hope remembers

Sometimes faith hides

Peeks around the corner.

Count to ten

As sure as mischief’s eyes twinkle

Faith reemerges

Shadows break around a tiny ray

Shaft of sunlit dust floating down

Sneeze

Faith makes only one demand

Surrender

Misty-Hedrick

Misty is also a not-so-secret Dolly Parton fan.

Misty Hedrick is a student of words and theology at Dallas Seminary, and a former real estate executive. She lives in the Smoky Mountains with her husband, a teen, a tween, and a runaway dog. Follow on Instagram or Twitter.

Find more of her writings here and here and here.

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