First Blush

Morning came like a thief
Silent and sudden
And the clouds blushed like a shy maiden before their edges
Caught fire.

A breeze, still carrying midnight’s chill,
Swept over the plains,
Faintly laden with the smell of brine and summer flowers.

Beyond the distant mountains, the sun rose
Like a wavering drop of gold,
Painting the floor of the clouds in plum velvet
While leaving the domed ceilings a burnished bronze.

Now golden-gilded cloud palaces
Tossed high on a canvas of blue
Hide the diamond-speckled galaxies,

Unseen by all eyes—
Save His—
Like the covenants written upon my bones
And the promises hidden in my blood.

- Nichole Brewer