Poetry by Elizabeth L. Merrick
I wake up early for no reason,
sit down to breakfast
just as one moment it’s dark,
the next it’s not.
Orange rays land on the pine table,
catching the round loaf,
lighting up its fresh crust.
A small crockery pot of strawberry jam
is bathed in apricot.
The polished bread knife reflects
celestial sparks.
Silently I give thanks for this light
from unimaginably far away,
this bread provided by unknown hands,
this dawning moment.
Elizabeth L. Merrick’s poems have appeared in journals including Gramercy Review, Stone Poetry Quarterly, Rue Scribe, and Muddy River Poetry Review. She has also authored scientific research publications and a guidebook on Boston’s historic house museums. She lives in Somerville, Massachusetts. Read more at ElizabethLMerrickPoetry.com
