My Faith Today

I am the daughter of a heterosexual White Christian couple from Tennessee. I am the granddaughter of many generations of southern families. I am unclear if any of my family ever owned slaves, but I won’t rule it out. I was raised in the church, but in reflecting upon everything I learned as a child, it was not the church that taught me how to be a good person – it was my mother and my grandmothers.

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The Quiet Place in Your Mind (a poem)

Take me to the quiet place in your mind
The one near the winter riverside, sitting on the snowy grass
The trees, they’ve always spoken to me
Even when they’re naked and sleeping
I can’t get away from the noise, the persistent stimulation
So, take me to that quiet place, the one in your mind

We’re far from our roots, the ancestral blood-ground
In your mind, the ground is a living being
When I press my hand to it, it melds, touches me
In that quiet place, the one in your mind
The sun is blocked by blue-cotton clouds
The silence is total, like a warm blanket
The quiet place is so still and peaceful

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Still Searching for God (a poem)

I’m still searching for God
But have I found Him?
When I pray, He doesn’t respond
So, I sing murder ballads and hymns

God is in the stars
He’s in the grocery store, too
In the face of an old man
In a sunset that’s so true

Really, you can find God anywhere
If you look in the right places
Perhaps She’s in the very air
And in the in-between spaces

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