GOD’S GIFTS
— Ilse Kramer
I
Today you gave me courage
Which is no cheap commodity.
I knew it came from you,
Because I know
You were the only one
Who knew I needed it.
II
Today you gave me a geranium,
A plant which stinks a little.
But all those glorious shades of red!
And also, it can hibernate in cellars
And bloom again in spring
In resurrected splendor.
III
Today you gave me clouds.
At first they didn’t look like much,
They were the ordinary kind.
But they were moving fast
And turning red and pink and yellow,
Until I saw the entrance to your paradise.
IV
Today you gave me buttons
Made of sterling silver.
I sewed them on my cardigan
Which Aunt Augusta made for me.
And now I’m warm and pretty.
(Lord, do you mind my thinking I am pretty?)
V
Today you gave me jewelry,
A bracelet with a dozen charms.
But I don’t get it, Lord,
I have no horse, no violin, no sailboat.
What are you saying, Lord?
Oh yes. You’ll give me many things before I die.
VI
Today you gave me someone homeless.
What should I do?
What shall I say?
I gave him bubble gum,
And he said “Thank you, Missy.”
Thanks be to you, my Lord.
VII
Today you gave me orders.
My mouth was filled with angry sounds
And sour sentences.
You softly said “Don’t say a word.”
I almost choked and bit my lip.
And then there was sweet silence.
XVIII
Today you gave me a new flashlight
For life’s dark alleys
And for sleeping in a tent.
You charged it with your power,
You keep the brightness bright.
You, after all, remain the one true light.
X
Today you gave me lollipops and roses,
As if I were your special friend.
You know what gives me pleasure,
You overlook my many flaws.
My love for you: a broken vase.
And yet you give me lollipops and roses.
XI
Today you gave me miracles.
I heard the ringing of three bells
From way up high,
One deep and somber,
One strong and vibrant, and one full of laughter.
I always thought there were no bells in our steeple.
XII
Today you gave me books,
Rare books no less.
They have a famous provenance,
And they are bound in vellum and morocco,
They or not spineless like my Aunt Augusta (or me).
What bliss to read when I am googled out.
XIII
Today you gave me tears.
Each teardrop said “Please look at me,
I’m sad, I’m sad,
So very sad.”
But in the end, the tears you’ve given me
Brought with them heartfelt consolation.
XIV
Today you gave me friends,
Or, better said, survivors
Of a failed and broken friendship.
When they returned, my life felt whole.
To be forgiven is a blessing,
And to forgive brings peace with you, my Lord.
XV
Today you gave me hope.
The grass was dry and yellow,
The flowers of my heart and soul they bloomed no more,
And my whole world was barren.
And then you gave me rain,
And with the greening of the land came hope.
XVI
Today you gave me apples,
And so I made an apple pie.
It did not taste good,
The crust was crumbling, and the apples
Were much to tart.
Lord, help me do the right thing with your gifts and do it well.
XVII
Today you gave me mittens
In the height of summer.
They’re red and blue and have a dark blue lining.
Why now, I wondered, then remembered
Your time is different from mine.
A thousand years with me are but a day with you.
XVIII
Today you gave me a new flashlight
For life’s dark alleys
And for sleeping in a tent.
You charged it with your power,
You keep the brightness bright.
You, after all, remain the one true light.
XIV
Today you gave me friends,
Or, better said, survivors
Of a failed and broken friendship.
When they returned, my life felt whole.
To be forgiven is a blessing,
And to forgive brings peace with you, my Lord.
XV
Today you gave me hope.
The grass was dry and yellow,
The flowers of my heart and soul they bloomed no more,
And my whole world was barren.
And then you gave me rain,
And with the greening of the land came hope.
XVI
Today you gave me apples,
And so I made an apple pie.
It did not taste good,
The crust was crumbling, and the apples
Were much to tart.
Lord, help me do the right thing with your gifts and do it well.
XVII
Today you gave me mittens
In the height of summer.
They’re red and blue and have a dark blue lining.
Why now, I wondered, then remembered
Your time is different from mine.
A thousand years with me are but a day with you.
XVIII
Today you gave me a new flashlight
For life’s dark alleys
And for sleeping in a tent.
You charged it with your power,
You keep the brightness bright.
You, after all, remain the one true light.
XIX
Today you gave me blankets,
A woolen, white one for my bed
And for the beach a quilt.
I am your child,
And you surround me when I sleep.
You let me see your beauty in a grain of sand.
XX
Today you gave me songs,
The kind that flood the mind.
All of me listens,
They’re our songs, Lord, yours and mine.
My voice is like a duck’s,
And yet I sing along.
XXI
Today you gave me scales
To weigh each word
I say to those I love
And those I do not love at all.
Let me remember that you weigh my deeds
And mercifully take away my heavy sins.
XXII
Today you gave me a bunny.
She has big eyes, a wriggly nose,
Her ears are shaped like leaves on orange trees.
Her coat appears like silken sand.
I feel how she is loved by you,
And I can’t help but love her too.
XXIII
Today you gave me pain
So strong that I myself became my pain.
But you were there.
I heard you speaking in a different voice.
You made me new,
And then you took away my pain.
XXIV
Today you gave me doubt.
You hid your face,
So that I could not see at all,
And I was falling, falling,
Until you let me, your disciple, touch your hands
And feel the ancient wounds. Then I believed again.