God, I am never sure if they are ghosts
or angel-messengers that visit.
They could tap the calendar
in any place —
the Ghost of Valentines Past
would be a hard visit,
and the Ghost of Easter Yet to Come
isn’t so much about bunnies
and new clothes
as piously naming those people
who are already risen,
with Christ, risen indeed,
but I really wish were still with me.
as for the Ghost
of Ordinary Day Present —
it always reminds me
how I waste the holy gift of time,
avoid invitations to joy,
name strangers — not possible friends,
but surplus population.
Send them, O God,
Ghost or Gabriel – to balance my heart
with Memory, Reality and Hope.
Gifts in Open Hands 