For the next two days Literary Hub will help in counting down the days until the seventh-annual Irish Arts Center PoetryFest begins by publishing a poem, as selected by festival co-curator Belinda McKeon.
Dear God, by Alicia Ostriker
It used to be
I would fall to the floor and press my forehead to it
in moments of despair
I would say help me
help me
but listen
I am ok
though I just now found myself pressing my forehead
to the carpet of my stairs
about the waters in the flooded cities
poisoned by oil spills, chemicals, the dead
about the survivors forever traumatized
dear god
I am alive I am alive
help them
Literary Hub is a proud sponsor of Irish Arts Center PoetryFest.